Reduced Traction Conditions

The most common reduced traction condition we encounter is wet roads. How does rain affect our traction and hence our straight line braking abilities? Obviously when the roads are wet, a thin film of water is finding its way between our tires and the road surface. This deceases the adhesion between our tires' rubber and the road surface resulting in less traction. We still get most of our stopping power from the front wheel as weight is transferred forward. We just have less total traction to work with and hence we must brake less severely.

The Dynamics of Braking While Cornering

Braking while cornering presents some special opportunities for us. When we negotiate a corner, our bike is in a lean. Some of our traction is being used to keep our ride from sliding out from under us and/or off the road. This is the cornering force discussed in The ABC's of Traction - Braking. Obviously this means we have less traction available for braking.