Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - tips for a old timer going brakeless

(32 years old)
anything i should know about other that the obvious?
hubs, pro max? chain? i've alread aquired an @ss of steel.

Tighten the lockring and cog! Hubs are people too!

do it slow. keep the brake on for a while and don't use it. if you manage to ride for a month or two like this, and still perform your emergency stops adequately, then take it off.

jumping into it isn't a good idea. it can be done, but it needs to be done well.

My first fixie has no brakes, and I can't wait to get a brake on there. Scary stuff, this no brakes biz.

make sure your chain is a-okay. mine broke skidding towards in intersection a month ago (= sucks)

Get a front "emergency" brake ... and use it sparingly.

47-18 is your friend...

i'm 34...just do whatever the hell you want. you've earned it!!

you learn the timing of how much momentum you have and how much time it takes you to backpedal to a stop. Learn how to skip, its about the fastest you can stop on a fixed gear. If your frame is a little small, you have an advantage as it makes doing skids to the side a lot easier (think powersliding on a bike). Take care of your knees. USE CHAIN TENSIONERS. They're just one more thing that will prevent your hub from slipping in the drops when under a lot of pressure. Use 1/8th for your drive train. Use locktite on your lockring. Get a burly chain. Safety first!

48 x 15 is a better friend

I ride 48x16 and have been riding for several months now. I haven't bothered trying to learn how to skip or skid, but I'm going to teach myself once I get my back put back together.

Is riding brakeless possible without being able to skip or skid? I'm not asking because I'm going to try it, but I couldn't stop on a downhill without a brake if my life depended on it. Is skipping the only option when going down a hill?

for starting out??? 48x15 is around 84 gear inches... maybe 48x18

don't skimp on parts.
& slowly change to higher geared cogs.
take it slow & don't rush.
and also tell us how to get steel hard asses.

47-18 is your friend...


thats a good gear for around here.... it'll help you get the feel of it.

i started out 53 x 17

I ride 48x16 and have been riding for several months now. I haven't bothered trying to learn how to skip or skid, but I'm going to teach myself once I get my back put back together.

Is riding brakeless possible without being able to skip or skid? I'm not asking because I'm going to try it, but I couldn't stop on a downhill without a brake if my life depended on it. Is skipping the only option when going down a hill?

Just go fool around in an empty parking lot and you will be skidding and skipping in a few days at most.

Just go fool around in an empty parking lot and you will be skidding and skipping in a few days at most.

Yeah, I'm looking forward to learning. I was nervous to try it at first but after reading up here, I'm not that conerned anymore.

I ride 48x16 and have been riding for several months now. I haven't bothered trying to learn how to skip or skid, but I'm going to teach myself once I get my back put back together.

Is riding brakeless possible without being able to skip or skid? I'm not asking because I'm going to try it, but I couldn't stop on a downhill without a brake if my life depended on it. Is skipping the only option when going down a hill?


You can do it, but I recommend learning how to skip at least. Just for poeice of mind. I commute daily on a breakless bike, and i almost never have to skip or skid, its all about understanding your limits and how fast you can slow down with back pedaling. Ride smart. Worst case scenario just jerk up with your strong leg and youll initiate a ghetto skid. Don't recommend doing it if you're not comfortable with it, but its doable. I rode with a brake for about 7 months till I realized I wasnt using it and I switched to breakless and mostly only because my new frame was undrilled, otherwise I'd probably leave on a front brake for peace of mind. I know its not as "cool" or sleek looking, but cars around here are a wee bit unpredictable at times...

First and foremost don't listen to a thing onetwentyeight said. 1/8" is not going to do a thing for the durability of your drivetrain except maybe weaken it (see sheldon brown). Chain Tensioners are not worth the money in my opinion and shouldn't be looked at as something that will make your bike safer.

I never put a brake on my bike becuase I couldn't afford it when I got my surly. Baptism by fire...I say if you want to learn, take it off and ride around. You will learn quick, I promise you that.

First and foremost don't listen to a thing onetwentyeight said. 1/8" is not going to do a thing for the durability of your drivetrain except maybe weaken it (see sheldon brown). Chain Tensioners are not worth the money in my opinion and shouldn't be looked at as something that will make your bike safer.

I never put a brake on my bike becuase I couldn't afford it when I got my surly. Baptism by fire...I say if you want to learn, take it off and ride around. You will learn quick, I promise you that.

I've found 1/8th chains to be better made and much stronger than a standard road chain, admitedly that may just be because I've spent more money on a quality chain now that i ride 1/8th. I have had 3/32 chains break on me however, take that as you will. I feel a lot more comfortable putting power in 1/8th. I've seen bikes without chain tensioners pull a hard skid and the hub slipped to one side because the bolts weren't tightened enough. It gives me peace of mind, plus it makes it alot easier to dial in a proper chain tension.

edit: i know a lot of people who ride brakeless and none of them run 3 / 32. Just saying.

I ride 48x16 and have been riding for several months now. I haven't bothered trying to learn how to skip or skid, but I'm going to teach myself once I get my back put back together.

Is riding brakeless possible without being able to skip or skid? I'm not asking because I'm going to try it, but I couldn't stop on a downhill without a brake if my life depended on it. Is skipping the only option when going down a hill?
get a 18/19 on the back and skidding will be easier, as will slowly down downhill etc

get a 18/19 on the back and skidding will be easier, as will slowly down downhill etc

Good idea. I think I'll do that.

helmet.

Chain width has nothing to do with strength. I rode 3/32 chains with no brakes for a year with zero problems. Many track racers even ride 3/32 because they are lighter. The only reason I switched to 1/8 was because it was hard to find 3/32 by 144 chainrings locally and because the fat chain just looks nicer. KMC makes a very good 3/32 chain. Businesscycles has them.

Regarding firs time brakeless. Make sure your drive train is tiptop and then just listen to your bicycle it will tell you how to ride you will feel what to do.

I'm going to second ink1373 on this - it's a learning curve. I first went brakeless when I had a rusty brake seize up on me when I used it in the middle of winter for the first time in months. I keep kicking myself a little for not having one on my winter bike, because it's actually made to accept one. It helps on the long downhills, and I've just been too lazy to go find a long reach brake...

Other than that, downhill is doable, but often you'll find that you're going slower than you would be if you were walking down the hill, just trying to keep it from going out of control. I'm not too proud too admit that there are hills that I've climbed that I walked down the other side.

Skipping is a neccessary skill, but you shouldn't rely on it too much. What you want to focus more on is the timing of how you ride. I think I remember [165] being told that if he was riding brakeless he better have 'a good pair of gloves and long streetvision' (quote may be wrong - it was quite awhile ago on his blog.) It's true, even if I got the wording wrong. You need to be more aware, and adjust cadence and speed constantly to the conditions that you are in. The good pair of gloves is for one of the only quick outs that you have - reach down, grab the front wheel with your palm, try not to lose fingers...

Thankfully, I've never had to use that.

The other important thing is to make sure that your drive train is always at optimum tension and durability. Keep it clean, keep it tight. I've thrown a chain before coming up to a red light when I was having too much fun skipping instead of just backpedalling and maintaining speed like I should have. It's not fun to be suddently coasting towards cross traffic. I knew my chain was loose, but hadn't felt like adjusting the tension. Regardless of the 1/8 vs 3/32 debate in this thread, proper tension, which tensioners do give you, is a great thing. It also helps with trackstands.

I hope this helps some. I'm only 30, but with the abuse I've put my body through, I'm guessing I'm really at least 40...

Learn how to skip, its about the fastest you can stop on a fixed gear.

Cars = anti-lock brakes

Brakeless = anti-anti-lock brakes?

Cars = anti-lock brakes

Brakeless = anti-anti-lock brakes?

brakeless is for idiots. Glorious idiots. :D i had a conversation with a friend earlier today, we comparied riding brakeless to driving a stick shift, sort of.... I never have gotten a drivers lisence so I don't really know. (im 23, i just decided never to get a car when I was 16 and stuck with it)

and to what hereNT said +a billion

I compare fixed in general with stick vs auto - esp when talking about riding on ice and snow...

A billion, huh? Guess I need more whiskey...

ok well i might have been drinking a bit tonight, too...

:beer:

brakeless is for idiots. Glorious idiots. :D i had a conversation with a friend earlier today, we comparied riding brakeless to driving a stick shift, sort of.... I never have gotten a drivers lisence so I don't really know. (im 23, i just decided never to get a car when I was 16 and stuck with it)

and to what hereNT said +a billion

riding brakeless is a bit more like driving stick without a clutch. you can do it, but why?

riding brakeless is a bit more like driving stick without a clutch. you can do it, but why?

I can only speak for myself but I'm a moron who likes to push my own limits, my commute wakes me up more than a giant cup of coffee ever will. (my commute involves me riding down a 5 lane street with no bike lane that is a major on-ramp to a freeway)

riding brakeless is a bit more like driving stick without a clutch. you can do it, but why?

Actually, that's probably the best analogy. I keep wishing that I could have a 3-12 speed fixed, but don't have the means to do it...

riding brakeless is a bit more like driving stick without a clutch. you can do it, but why?

i was thinking more like 2wd vs 4wd.

riding brakeless is a bit more like driving stick without a clutch. you can do it, but why?
Pretty much for the same reasons people ride fixed instead of geared or single speed. It makes riding a little more difficult, but that much more interesting. True, there *seem* to be people who do it solely for the image, but I personally haven't met any and I don't think those types would stick with it for very long.

Also, when you ride in the rain, you don't get that black brake dirt running all over the place. I don't miss that ****.

32 = old-timer? jeez

32 = old-timer? jeez
Heh... when I saw that I figured if he is an old-timer, I'm a mummy.

yeah and i'm clearly on my last legs

I'm fossilized

Use locktite on your lockring.

this is unnecessary, unless you're running a suicide hub- in which case you REALLY shouldn't be riding brakeless!!! you shouldn't need locktite on your cog either. just grease.

Take care of your knees.

I though this was an odd little tidbit to throw in there. It seems like riding breakless would be one of the worst things you could do to your knees. What do you mean by taking care of them?

right now i'm riding on a set of cheap (hi flange) Suzue hubs. the guy over at Trackstar told me they were made for children, & that i should think about upgrading to a better set for brakeless riding. thing is, i just bought em along with a set of Mavic Open Sport rims. what to do?

sell em and build a new set. The suzues will hold for a bit but not exactly dependable and will most likely brakedown sooner than later. Get some IROs or Formula and if you want to go a bit more, then go with miche.

EDIT: you can always keep the cheap set as back up or rain wheels. Never hurts to have an extra pair of wheels.

riding brakeless is a bit more like driving stick without a clutch. you can do it, but why?

I think of brakeless as driving stick but downshifting to change speed.

I just went brakeless yesterday cause my brake stopped working and it's chewing up my pretty deep Vs.

(32 years old)
i've alread aquired an @ss of steel.

i LOVE @sses of steel.

I have an @ss of lead, will that do?

keep riding your milkwakee and youll be cracking walnuts in no time.

what can i say. i'm an @ss lady. especially ones made of metals.

Chain width has nothing to do with strength. I rode 3/32 chains with no brakes for a year with zero problems. Many track racers even ride 3/32 because they are lighter. The only reason I switched to 1/8 was because it was hard to find 3/32 by 144 chainrings locally and because the fat chain just looks nicer. KMC makes a very good 3/32 chain. Businesscycles has them.

Regarding firs time brakeless. Make sure your drive train is tiptop and then just listen to your bicycle it will tell you how to ride you will feel what to do.

I'm rather convinced that SF is a bizzaro world where everyone is liberal and rides bikes. But seriously, what bike shop doesn't have 144 3/32" chainrings coming out of its ass? I realize 130 is the road standard these days, but 1/8" is considerably less common, at least in the rest of the world that isn't San Fransisky.

I ride 48x16 and have been riding for several months now. I haven't bothered trying to learn how to skip or skid, but I'm going to teach myself once I get my back put back together.

Is riding brakeless possible without being able to skip or skid? I'm not asking because I'm going to try it, but I couldn't stop on a downhill without a brake if my life depended on it. Is skipping the only option when going down a hill?

YES YES YES YES

You can ride brakeless without skipping or skidding. I am the worst skidder there is and I have been brakeless for 3 years now. You'll do emergency skids without thinking about it if that opportunity arises. Just ride, keep your eyes open, and you'll be fine. I am riding a small gear with 1/8 chain and have been fine. Hills, go slow.

Good luck.