Assume the position ~ Instant stop!

Most cyclists will never need to do a panic stop for real. A few will. I personally know two people who needed to do it. Neither knew how, both went over the handlebars and to the hospital. One required extensive reconstructive surgery and has permanent injuries.

We teach the instant stop in Traffic Skills 101 and I daresay, that most who learned it there, couldn’t do it in an emergency today. That’s because it takes practice to get it right and then, an occasional refresher. And like most athletic maneuvers, the set-up has huge influence on the outcome.

So what’s the anatomy of a panic stop? The front brake on a bicycle has potentially most of the bike’s stopping power. As brakes are applied, one’s weight will normally shift forward placing more weight on the front wheel than the rear so the rear will start to lose traction sooner. The farther forward the weight transfer the more effective the front brake. In extreme cases the front wheel may even lock up and over the handle bars you go.

The technique we teach for the instant stop is to come off the saddle, raise your butt up and behind the saddle over the rear wheel and hold it there with arm strength, while applying the brakes. Front brake pressure should be up to three times rear brake pressure. By doing this, you’re putting weight directly over the rear wheel, making the rear brake more effective and limiting the front brake’s ability to force you to lose control.

If the rear tire begins to skid, release pressure slightly on the front brake. The rear tire skidding is an indicator that the front brake is becoming too effective. Releasing the non-skidding brake is an unnatural act and must be practiced.

In order to get the leg positioning to push your your butt up and behind the saddle your feet must be at the three and nine o’clock position. And they have to stay there until you are again back over the saddle, just before completing the stop. For grins, lets call this butt-aft position the IS (instant stop) position.

Cyclists who are operationally good at the instant stop will clearly have their butt behind the saddle. Cyclists who are expert, can actually lay their belly on the saddle.

When I was flying fighters, we had a saying, “You fight like you train.” In the heat of battle, what you do must be ingrained in your body, to do well. Closer to our world, if you have been riding with a clipless system for a while, I challenge you to sit down and write a detailed description of what you do when you come to a stop and dismount. Chances are, you’ll have to think about it for a few minutes before writing. That’s because when we first get the clips we pretty quickly figure out how to stop without falling, as long as we consciously go through the steps. Steven Covey calls that conscious competence. Over time, we stop thinking about it and just do it. That’s called unconscious competence.When Jodi and I recently rode with friends in Reno Nevada, the bike I was riding had standard pedals. Yet I found myself twisting my landing foot to unclip at each stop, like the foot had a mind of its own.

In the instant stop, the set-up is to get to the IS position immediately as you simultaneously begin to brake. This is crucial to successfully completing the maneuver. But that’s not the normal way most people stop. I have recently begun going to the IS position any time I begin to brake from cruising speed. Then I actually brake normally and get back on the seat as I slow towards walking speed. This way, I’m training my body for the set-up. If after I start braking I see a need to stop quicker, I’m already in position.

The idea of this is if an unexpected obstacle necessitates an instant stop, the act of reaching for the brakes will trigger an automatic body response to assume the IS position because there won’t be time to think about it. Just to act.

Occasionally, you may want to execute a full practice instant stop just to keep your skills honed. Make sure you are alone or the other riders have been warned, and there are no cars in close proximity. Also, it’s not a good idea to practice it right at an intersection or stop sign.

The closest I’ve come to executing an instant stop for real since routinely assuming the IS position was recently on a North Florida Bicycle Club ride. I was approaching the stop sign at about 15 mph on a substandard width two-lane road that “T’d” into a through road. As I began to stop, a flat bed tractor trailer turned left onto my road and its trailer ate up a huge chunk of my lane. I slowed rapidly and being already in the IS position, felt much more in control of the situation.

Initially, it takes a little more effort to go to the IS position, just like it did to unclip. After a while, just like unclipping, it will be second nature. Wouldn’t it be a good idea to add this IS to your defensive cycling skills? It can mean the difference between a disasterous panic stop or a well controlled instant stop. The trailer incident sure sold me.