mr_bill

So much fail, so little time.

Really? Stick a stick in your spokes, and that's a brake? Can you cite a case in Portland where a judge was that truly stupid? (Not that that matters in NYC - it's pretty much settled that if you ride a fixie in NYC without brakes you will get a ticket during enforcement days. And possibly other days too. Stick be damned. Or anchor.)

I know there are fixies with fauxster brakes. I know of no fixies with functional coaster brakes. (By the time you've put a fauxster brake on your fixie, why not put a functional brake on your fixie? Stupid question, more stupider answers.)

A fixie pretty much rules out a coaster brake. Think about it for a nano-second.

There might be few traffic enforcement officers who are dumbest enough to look for a coaster brake on a fixie. I didn't think that "advocates" would stoop that low.

-mr. bill

Coal Buster

In NJ, at least, an equipment violation on a bike is a "special complaint" which doesn't get reported to MV. It might not be the same way in NYC. That's why you should call the violations dept. and find out. If you go to court, and even if you win, the judge may still impose court costs. If you lose, he will definitely impose court costs.

[edit]

I just wanted to add that if you plead guilty or are found guilty and then don't pay the fine, your drivers license will be suspended. That's what's confusing about whether something is reported to MV or not. If you don't pay a "special complaint" ticket, e.g., walking your dog without a leash, your drivers license is suspended. But it's still not the same as a "motor vehicle" violation which will affect your insurance, driving record, etc.

jon c. 

Don't know about NY, but in FL the problem with contesting a ticket is that they charge court fees if you lose. So the effective fine jumps by about $85. (At least that was the case the last time I had a moving violation in a car. Which was some time ago.)

Coal Buster

Right, and there's also a difference between dismissing a ticket and being found not guilty. That's why you can still wind up paying court costs even if your fine is dismissed.

genec

The flip side is how many traffic enforcement officers can tell a real fixie from just a single speed coaster brake bike? If you don't look for that little arm attached to the frame, down by the rear wheel, a fixie and a coaster brake bike can look exactly the same. Oh sure, the riding style is a bit different, but again, that takes a somewhat practiced eye to determine... to the casual observer, the lack of brake handles and brake arms may be all it takes to think "no brakes."

mr_bill

To a first approximation, *all* of them.

-mr. bill

genec

I honestly doubt it.

surreal

You simply cannot be serious. This statement does not stand up to scrutiny.

surreal

I agree. I've yet meet a cop who knew much about traffic law as it relates to cyclists, let alone specific details about drivetrains and braking systems. It may be different in nyc, but anecdotes on the interwebs about NYC
cops writing tickets for perfectly legal actions astride a bike suggest otherwise.

mr_bill

The traffic officers out writing equipment tickets to cyclists *FOLLOWING A PEDESTRIAN DEATH IN CENTRAL PARK* know the difference between a fixie and a beach cruiser.

This guy wouldn't know. But he's also not a traffic officer out on a detail enforcing bike law.

-mr. bill

surreal

I'd like to believe you're right about that, but with all the LE failures lately, I have no idea why you'd think competent law enforcement would be in any way correlated to a recent tragedy. It also doesn't matter, from a LE perspective, whether it's a fixie or a beach cruiser. They don't have separate laws in place for fixies or beach cruisers....

Coal Buster

It's not up to the cops to decide whether a fixie is considered to have brakes. Unless there's been a definitive ruling, they're not wrong writing tickets to fixies. It's up to the courts to decide.

And according to most of the arguments made in this thread, I don't need brakes on my car because I can just downshift to stop.

surreal

For the record, my fixie has a brake....so..........

atbman

The law apparently says braked wheels. Even if you can make your rear wheel lock up, the front is still free of any braking effect.

No advice as to what you should do, tho'.

UK law requires both wheels be braked, unless it is a fixie. In which case, only the front wheel must be equipped with one

noglider 

I don't know what legal strategy is best for you, but I think the law is appropriate, and I'd like it if all bikes on public roads had brakes. A fixed gear plus a front brake seems adequate to me. I ride that way sometimes.

There are some people who can stop reasonably fast with just their legs, but these people are rare. There are people who think they can but actually can't. And even those who can do it have to be on their game every second, which cannot be guaranteed. Some riders avoid collision by making fancy evasion motions to avoid slowing the speed of the bike. Fancy and impressive, but the whole point of vehicle laws is to define what is to be expected. When a cyclist swerves with a big hip dance to avoid colliding with a car, the driver of the car may not know what the cyclist is up to and may respond badly.

So I think you earned the ticket, and I hope word gets out to fixie riders that they better have a front brake.

I hear the enforcement of this law in California is heavy in Davis. Apparently, you won't get away with riding a brakeless fixie there.

VTBike

I am serious. I stand by my belief. Specifically, I believe that the non-bicyclist in example A (below) is more likely to be hurt than the non-bicyclist in example B:

Example A: Bicyclist strikes a pedestrian.
Example B: Bicyclist strikes a motor vehicle that has an operator inside.

If you really had "scrutinized" my statement, you would have realized that you interpreted it incorrectly. Try to take a deep breath and think critically next time. What's disturbing about this is that you had to have taken my statement completely out of context to interpret the way you had. Go back and re-read my post and you will see what I mean.

rumrunn6

I fight every ticket, even parking tickets. Haven't been found responsible in 20 years and countless tickets. last one was a speeding ticket in the Bronx 21 mph over the limit. Hired a lawyer. Took 16 months but got it dismissed. Yeah it cost me $400 but my record is clean, so is my insurance. I also now know the Route 95 speed limit drops to 50 in the Bronx. In the meantime get a brake on the bike even if you don't use it.

surreal

Oh, that makes sense then... carry on.

-=(8)=-

How/why did the Cop stop you? He had to have a reason. I cant believe a cop just randomly stopped you for no reason . . . You say you "think" you know why, but I would be willing to bet that if this goes to court, another reason will be said by the Cop.

Why do fixie riders think "skidding" is an acceptable method of stopping?
Lets be real, rules are only made because an undesirable situation repeats itself often enough that authoritarian figures feel they need to become involved. Fixies cannot stop as quickly as a bike with brakes. And when you combine that with the skill level of the average fixie rider, you understand why authoritarians feel these rules need to be put in place. Just pay it an move on.

walrus1

And what planet is this on? Cause cyclist vs pedestrian accidents in NYC are much less common than pedestrian vs car injuries.

VTBike

You are now the second person to misunderstand my point. I'm talking about bike hitting two different things. My comment had nothing to do with motor vehicles hitting an object.
My point was: bikes do more damage to a person upon the bike impacting if that person is not inside of a car.

surreal

While I totally get it now, I think you could've written with some more clarity.

genec

Of course the difference between a fixie and beach cruiser are obvious, but just about any older bike can be outfitted with a hub that has a coaster brake and made to appear as a fixie. Other than outright racing bikes, fixies are not necessarily special in any way.

I've seen the coaster brake arm attached to a seat stay... vice chain stay, thus further obscuring the actual brake configuration.

genec

Can you lock up the rear wheels and skid your car by downshifting... I rather doubt it. But then again, the laws specifying that requirement apply only to bikes, not cars.

JoeyBike

You STOPPED? Without a brake? How did you work such a miracle?

BTW...I currently have 5 bikes, all of which have two hand brakes, one even has DISK brakes yet, I never stop for the cops. They can scramble the chopper and follow me home by air if they really want to talk to me. Otherwise they have no chance.