Locking up a front wheel when braking is a common cause of crashes for cyclists, particularly less experienced riders, and ABS (anti-lock braking system) offers a viable solution, according to a test carried by the Swiss Touring Club (not available online). On loose surfaces it’s fairly easy to lock a bike’s wheels and skid out, while nervousness that this might occur can limit how hard a rider will use the brakes.

It’s a problem in particular for riders of electric bikes and electric cargo bikes, which can be significantly heavier than a standard pedal-powered bike, so there’s a lot more effort required to bring them to a stop. Electric cargo bikes typically have a longer wheelbase and a smaller front wheel, making them more difficult to ride.

Blubrake

Tests carried out by the Swiss Touring Club recruited electric bike riders with a range of levels of experience to see how they fared when braking under a variety of conditions. These include riding on low traction roads, slippery, snow covered roads and gravel.

The Swiss Touring Club had one tester who was a pro mountain biker. Not surprisingly, ABS didn’t provide them with much benefit, actually increasing the braking distance from 30kmh on a tarmac surface from 5.8m to 6.6m, although manoeuvrability when braking was improved. For an inexperienced cyclist though, braking distance was reduced by 10 per cent with ABS activated, which the club attributes to less cautious use of the front brake when there’s no preceived risk of locking up the front wheel.

The club found that on gravel and snow-covered roads, where riders typically apply the front brake carefully, adding ABS helped to decrease stopping distance by increasing their confidence to apply harder front wheel braking.

The club’s tests found that ABS was particularly helpful on electric cargo bikes. Although braking distance from 25kmh when carrying 50kg was slightly longer with an ABS system, riders felt an increased sense of safety when stopping.

Based on its tests, the club recommends that ABS systems be fitted to electric bikes, especially those used by inexperienced riders.

How does a bicycle ABS system work?

The Swiss Touring Club tested e-bike ABS systems from Blubrake and Bosch.

ABS uses wheel speed sensors and accelerometers to monitor the bike’s speed and braking and actuate the anti-lock system, releasing front brake pressure when it detects that the front wheel is locking up. The systems are also designed to prevent the rear wheel from lifting off the ground under hard braking, which can be another cause of crashes.

The Blubrake system is available as part of the Shimano Steps e-bike system, as well as a stand-alone electric bike ABS system. 

Bosch offers ABS as an option for electric bikes using its motor systems, the brand claiming that it could contribute to a reduction of up to 29 percent in electric bike accidents.

Is ABS coming to your bike?

Blubrake

Although the Swiss Touring Club’s tests were restricted to electric bikes, ABS could in theory be of benefit to a wider range of cyclists. The switch to disc brakes across the majority of road, gravel, hybrid and mountain bikes has upped the braking force that can be exerted to the point where the grip between a bike’s tyres and the road surface is often the limiting factor in brake performance. 

ABS for two-wheelers isn’t a new idea either – it’s existed for motorcycles for some years now and intelligent systems incorporating multiple sensors are now the norm on road-going machines. The challenge for non-assisted bikes is of course power for the system and its weight, with the Blubrake system adding several hundred grams to the bike’s weight.

Could ABS have a future on conventional bikes? That remains to be seen, but the prospect is intriguing.