3. We often discuss how to brake - apply the front brake gradually (like squeezing a sponge), release gradually. What I don't see being discussed is how much braking effort needs to be applied to the lever at different speeds. A simple rule is - the faster the bike's speed is the more braking effort a rider can apply without locking the brake. The kinetic energy of the bike is proportional to the square of the speed - so is the stopping distance, but so is the amount of braking effort the bike will tolerate without locking. This means if a rider is slowing down from triple digits, the maximum pressure on the lever (after smoothly squeezing the lever) should be at the beginning of the braking process. As the bike slows down, a rider should be progressively releasing the brake lever. For the sake of specific example of braking from 120 mph, I would say apply 20 lb of pressure on the lever; at 90 mph it would be 12 lb, at 70 mph it would be 8 lb, at 30 mph, it would be 4lb, and at 10 mph it would be 1lb. The key is that if you plot the maximum lever pressure against the speed, you will get a non-linear curve. Roughly it means that if you safely apply 3lb of lever pressure at 30 mph, you can safely apply 9lb of lever pressure at 60 mph. Of course, this is all aproximate because a lot depends on the road conditions, temperature, etc. So, this skill needs to be practiced. There is no need to be precise as the theory goes.
What many do is they do not apply enough pressure on the lever at high speed - rather keeping the pressure constant throughout the entire braking period - the amount of pressure suitable for low speeds. This in turn greatly increases the stopping distance. They feel if they apply more pressure, the front will lock at slow speeds - and sure it will.
