How to Brake a Mountain Bike - Essential Tips + Hacks

In this article I'll share how you can reduce arm pump, brake more effectively and safely, I'll reveal a little-known but highly efficient braking hack and I'll address some of the most common braking myths.

My pro coaching experience shows: Perhaps THE most underrated skill out there is: BRAKING!

Why underrated?

Because most people think it’s a “basic” skill, but in fact (as an expert skills coach who teaches riders of all levels daily), I can tell you: a LOT of riders could optimize their braking skills.

Also, many fears are caused by the error I am showing on the right of the following short video in Instagram (or other bad braking habits, some of which I will address in this article):

The error I am showing on the right side of the video above is: pulsing the brake, i.e. grabbing it and then letting go again.

Why is pulsing the brakes an error?

In steep and loose sections, it causes an abrupt acceleration, followed by a sudden (and often uncontrolled) deceleration, which causes a loss in traction (see the dust behind my tire).

It may be faster in the short run, but it's dangerous and a very limiting habit for technical terrain in the long run.

Therefore:

Being able to MODULATE your brakes throughout a technical section (see the video on the left) is KEY to control, safety and thus confidence!

How to maintain control & gain confidence while braking?

✅ Control your finger finely to constantly adjust the braking power to changing grip conditions (small, almost invisible movements are key)
✅ Upgrade your brakes to an easy to modulate setup with just the right amount of power. (I ride MAGURA MT7 with rotor size 203 mm)
✅ Set the brake lever to fit your finger length, hand width and place your finger on the outside end of the lever. (I ride the full-adjustable HC3 one finger lever)
✅ Use a brake model and rotor size that suits your riding style and weight. (NO, bigger is not always better, because too much power is hard to control) As an example, I ride 180 mm rotor size (front) and 160 mm (rear) on my XCO bike, as the bike is lighter than the e-mtb in this video and therefore more would be unnecessary and hard to control.
✅ Practice skid-free braking on varied terrain with step by step skill drills regularly! Practicing deliberately and often really is essential - not just "understanding" braking.

The most common reasons for arm pump:

In my coaching experience, the 2 most common reason for arm pump on technical descents is:

1. Body positioning mistakes:

❌ If you ride with your weight too far back, your front tire has less grip. To compensate for the reduced braking power in the front, riders often apply the rear brake stronger (trying to hold on for dear life) = this leads to faster fatigue (and often a loss of control).
❌ If you ride with your weight too far forward, the weight on your handlebar can cause an OTB and it causes you to stiffen up, which also leads to painful hands.

✅ What to do instead? Think “heavy feet, light hands” (like I show in the video linked below), keep your cranks level and drop your front heel to brace against the braking power through the legs💪 (YES that's right - not both heels, the front heel matters more, see below). Although during heavy braking there will be times where you drop both heels. Work with me from home to find out when YOU need to do which!

2. Bad Brakes:

Another very common reason for arm pump is bad brakes. I used to have SRAM Guide brakes and I have to admit they were the first brakes that gave me arm pump. "Bad brakes" includes brakes with a wandering bite point, brakes with poor performance, models that require a lot of grip strength or similar.

It's really worth to upgrade your brakes & rotor size to fit your type of riding and your weight, you will feel it!

3. Overusing the rear brake:

The third most common reason for arm pump I see is using too much of the rear brake and too little of the front brake. Yes I know, the rear brake is still often advocated as the “safe brake” - but if you use predominantly your rear brake, you’re not only hugely increasing your braking distance, you’re also wasting a LOT of strength. Say hello to arm pump. See an example of me riding a SUPER steep section using mostly my front brake in this reel on instagram:

In the section in the video above I’m braking about 95% with my front brake and use the rear brake for slight assistance only. This ensures speed control with minimum skidding = maximum control!

Here's an extra tip for braking in super steep, loose sections:

Get low in the bike, bend your arms and legs to bring your center of mass lower - but make sure to stay heavy through your feet and nimble to use your limbs as your natural suspension and ensure traction!

Don’t go FULL elbows out! (Often called attack position or 🦍 gorilla)

Why not to go full elbows out? Can you see how I need to balance sideways, using subtle handlebar movements to stay on my line? To reach this and to maintain controlled braking throughout, it’s much more efficient for your upper body muscles (and healthier for your shoulders) when the elbows are at a natural angle, like I demo, because you can adjust the handlebar ever so slightly as your wrists are slightly behind the grips, not on top of them.

Below you'll find 2 more videos that I highly recommend watching AND practicing!

Finally, here's a braking hack for more traction and control on gnarly uphill sections

Yes, you read right, uphill.

Sounds counterintuitive, but feathering your rear brake on loose uphills will immensely improve the traction, control and thus confidence with which you tackle technical climbs on your mountain bike!

Yes, uphills. This will help especially e-bikers, but also non-e-bikers, to maintain smoother traction when it’s slippery, loose and gnarly!

Why so?

The gentle application of the rear brake allows you to modulate the amount of power that is transferred from your pedal power to your rear wheel - it acts as an “intermediary” and therefore avoids sudden spikes of power, which usually cause a loss of traction.

Don’t believe me?! Try it and share your experience below! 👇

BTW - this technique is also very popular in motor sports - so if you also ride motorcycles off-road, then try it there, too 😇 🏍️

Here are some additional tips and tutorials around braking in technical terrain:

And an older video where I share some game-changing braking exercises:

I hope you found this article helpful!

Let me know in the comment section below.

Also, you can start my Trackstand Course for FREE by using the code BLOG-READER or clicking here - to gain more confidence on slow-speed tech trails!

And if you'd like to work with me personally on your braking skills and other FUNdamental skills, then check out my home training courses here to make progress FAST - right on your doorstep!

Your coach Roxy