Hey everyone,
I would love a simple guide on how to use a brake on my uni.
For example how to put your body in the right position to counteract the force of being pushed forward.
When and when not to brake going downhills and dips etc.
Cheers
Just as you go down, very very gently pull the brake, so it doesnāt abruptly stop the wheel and send you flying. You keep applying pressure, until you feel you need to push harder with your legs and then you are in control of the decent, just playing with the applied pressure from the brake. It takes some getting used to.
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Ok that makes sense.
I tried the other day i pulled the brake while leaning back a bit.
I felt i was in a good position, unfortunately the unicycle was 3 meters behind me 
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the steeper the decline the easier it is to practise the brake.
I mostly ride on flat roads and if I have to abruptly stop, I just hop off, let the uni drop behind me, but otherwise I try to slow down to step off the back. On flat I would never go so fast Iād need the bake. I only have brakes on the Hatchet and the 32ā. Something got twisted on my 29ā muni so I removed the brake there.
Iāve been practicing braking on a flat surface, maybe thatās the problem?
Iāll try on a hill until i feel resistance in the pedalling like you suggested, cheers!
My two Cent:
When I was trying a brake first, I was on flat ground and couldāt figure out how to put things together.
You need some decline, best in the middle range, with smooth ground, to get a first impression on how the brake slows down the wheel, how to anticipate the āfalling of to the Front" and Balance that Out with matching leaning towards the back.
Then spend some time to develop a Feeling for that, try different slopes, different grounds, different speeds, different braking intensities. After that, you will be able to use the brake on flat grounds as well, because with experience you will be able to anticipate the physics and have a Set of solutions on how to control that.
It is so worth it to learn braking skills, for me thatās when Muni reached a whole new level of having fun.
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Thatās good advice too, thank you!
I think I first started to use the brake for downhill slopes to make things easier for my legs, but now on the 36er I use the brake for pretty much any sort of slowing down other than slight speed adjustments. The brake also allows me to do cool dismounts 
The amount you have to lean back is proportional to how much you use the brake. Just a slight drag of the brake you might not have to lean back much at all, a heavy-handed application will have you leaning back quite a bit. Itās a funny feeling braking hard on a level surface; I describe it to myself as āsitting on the brakeāā¦ I donāt know if it makes sense to anybody else 
But you can lean back a surprising amount if you do it right.
The tricky part sometimes is transitioning back to using your legs after having the brake applied. If you let go of the brakes too soon while youāre still leaning back then your legs will need to really push the cranks to keep the wheel under you. I think I do a subtle increase in braking force at the end to bring me closer to the regular upright riding position before I completely disengage the brake.
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It absolutely does. Iāve rarely done harsh braking on the flat, but I feel itās a very good description for braking on a steep descent as well. Let the brake do the job instead of your thighs.
Iām no expert on braking but I will throw out a warning to you. As a bicyclist it is normal behavior to pump your brakes on descents, slowing down until you are in control then let loose for awhile, then brake again. I have trouble not wanting to do that when Iām braking on my unicycle. That sudden release will really throw your balance off and can be very dangerous.
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ā¦and hitting the brake again is usually not the solution, as it tends to throw you off towards the front. That said, itās possible to get used to the different way of braking a uni compared to a b!ke. A sudden release is bad, but in my experience not as bad as a sudden engagement of the brake.
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@DavidDavid Lots of good advice here, and not much to add. Just think, light fingers, light pressue. Once you feel the brake binding you can always increase finger pressure. Generally I tend to use 1 or 2 fingers at most. Work on a feather light touch and getting a feel of where the brake enguages on the lever travel.
I just used to practise riding around with the brake on, so its just on, but not enough so you cannot pedal, beware the disk heats up fast. Down hill, up hill on the flat, then play with light finger pressure adjustment, until you get a good feel for the pressure needed. Depending on your brake set up, its not much. Practise riding one handed, until you are confident you can get your hand on the brake, when you need to. Practise tells uou how much pressure is needed, not to throw you off balance and you do need to lean back depending how much pressure you apply.
It takes a little practise, but once you can ride one handed, using the brake becomes easier and more useful and your ride will be more stable.
Thank you everyone for the advice.
Just to add i have a 29er muni with a disk brake.
But first iām gonna practice on my 24ā muni with Magura brakes.
As simple as I could make it 
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I like the brake. The problem on big wheels is that the brake has much more influence than you have over the pedals. These are basically two competing regulation circuits. With too much force/feedback amplification it gets unstable and throws you off. So at first I agree to hold the brake at a light braking point and not to modulate braking force at all.
Problems:
- Rim brake
Much later during learning phase for city traffic I performed an emergency stop in 2nd gear 36" every day. You let yourself fall backwards and pull. BUT at wet weather nothing brakes until the rim is dry and I really struggle not to fall to the back. - Another way to be sure to UPD is when you change the brake setup/pressure point in the evening. The next morning you certainly have forgotten it and there is no chance to balance it out.
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Excellent and thank you!
So when experienced you fall back then brake which keeps you on the uni.
Like when iāve seen people take their feet off the pedals and brake coast?
Exactly 
Anyhow I have been experienced with a weak rim brake due to training. It definitely saved me in 2nd gear at least once when a car suddenly turned right and crossed my way.
I have a grippy disc brake now and have to go to work by car. So without experience, I couldnāt emergency stop in 2nd gear with a disc brake anymore. 1st gear 1:1 feels intuitive because it is used whenever possible- it is fun to use and lets you stop much faster when necessary. The disc brake does not have problems when it is wet.
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My suggestion is to āride the brakeā. I learned to use it by very lightly applying the brake while riding, and keeping it lightly engaged as I rode around for a while. When that felt comfortable I would let up or release the brake, ride until I was comfortable then lightly apply it. Repeated this pattern until it became natural for me. Braking just became very intuitive for me after doing this a few times.
Brakes on big wheels is a nice Quality of Life boost. I ride faster with a brake on my 36er than I do without one. Note: I still donāt ride as fast as others. I just found out Iām just a slower rider.
Also, as others have stated, brakes for muni opens up a lot more terrain for fun. The most fun I have on uni is brake gliding on my freewheel down long slopes. It is GlOrIoUs.
Keep at it and you will become used to it.
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Imo uninbreaking is based on mussle memory. You need to connect new factor to your general balance sense. Theory is usless here, only practice, try and error will lead you anywhere. Downhill is good starting point since break usage will lead you to comfort so itās easy to find what Itās about.
I had a friend who learned to stoppie on uni (he locked wheel on flat asphalt and drift to full stop). So break usage is different depending on wheel setup and context.
Now i canāt imagine brakeless muni but on 36 i still ride brakeless only because i have no brake.
My best advice go ride, try it and approach breaking as a new skill/trick which you have to learn so itās natural to upd a lot.