Originally Posted by damnable
Why??
I loved my fixed gear bike that I rode when I was about 8. Of course that meant I didn't know what it really was. Really stuffed me up when I rode my brothers bike and tried to brake by pedalling backwards. Let's just say it didn't work.
That is an example of a coaster brake, not a fixed gear.
I remember the first time I rode a non-coaster brake bike. My friend, Eddie, let ride his brand new Ralgeih(sp). I jumped on and took off across the school yard, got going at a pretty good clip. At the point that I needed to slow down to turn around, I back pedaled. Nothing happened. Luckly, there was a chain link fence to help me stop.