Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - No Brakes ticket

Just found out today about the new Japanese law that goes into effect really soon. If youre stopped by the cops without brakes you pay a ¥50,000 fine.
Apparently they made the law because of so many recent traffic accidents and peds getting hit by people riding without brakes.
Pretty ruthless penalty if you ask me.
Discuss.

With the influx on incapable riders on track bikes, I have no quarrel.
discuss

ooooh and you just bought a keirin bike too.

I'm all for brake laws. Brakeless riding(unlike helmetless riding) endangers others and there is absolutely no reason to do it.

Brakes are good. End of discussion.

i hope the fine is proportional to ones gearing. heh.

i think itll be lame if they just run around ticketing anyone who ride brakeless, but i dont see much of a problem of ticketing a cyclist who is at fault in an accident because they can't handle their bike, just as I would expect a driver who cant drive for **** to get ticketed, too.

maybe as part of the fine they will drill out forks for you?

:P

From what I understand, there are a lot of laws in Japan. It is a very regimented culture. People are expected to be law abiding, and in general they don't get quite so bent out of shape about that expectation as we do in the US. I thought there were already laws on the books in Japan requiring brakes.

Here in the US, requiring someone to operate a vehicle in a safe manner is tantamount to treason. It's a different culture with different expectations.

ooooh and you just bought a keirin bike too.




aaah haaa
http://perso.orange.fr/kwik-e-simpsons/wallpapers/nelson-preview.gif

']With the influx on incapable riders on track bikes, I have no quarrel.
discuss

Seconded. Troll through Fixed Gear Gallery or on Flickr
and it seems like half of the newcomers to riding fixed
seem to think that they need no pedals retraints and/or
no brakes. I feel like someone told them that fixed gear
bikes don't need brakes, and they just took them at their
word.

How long until we're inundated with news stories about
reckless college-age fixed gear riders killing themselves
because they were unable to stop as they rolled off the
sidewalk and into an intersection?

I met a fellow-student at my school today who rides a gold 3rensho. Said he was going to drill the fork for a brake, and encouraged me to do the same with my new ride.

I told him that was sacreligious (like putting a body kit on a Prosche). His reply was something along the lines of, "Oh, come on. Those bikes are everywhere here. Drilling it's not a big deal."



And for the record, I will not be drilling the makino.

I drive a manual car. I think I'm gonna take the brakes off, since I can downshift and use engine braking. I mean, seriously, if you know how to drive, it's not going to be a problem, is it? You just have to plan ahead, and anyway, it makes you a better driver.

I drive a manual car. I think I'm gonna take the brakes off, since I can downshift and use engine braking. I mean, seriously, if you know how to drive, it's not going to be a problem, is it? You just have to plan ahead, and anyway, it makes you a better driver.

This works even better with an automatic. Then you can just throw it into park in case anything unexpected happens in front of you.

']With the influx on incapable riders on track bikes, I have no quarrel.
discuss

I agree. A competent rider can be safe brakeless in most situations, but that cannot really be a part of a law.

I drive a manual car. I think I'm gonna take the brakes off, since I can downshift and use engine braking. I mean, seriously, if you know how to drive, it's not going to be a problem, is it? You just have to plan ahead, and anyway, it makes you a better driver.

:D

I met a fellow-student at my school today who rides a gold 3rensho. Said he was going to drill the fork for a brake, and encouraged me to do the same with my new ride.

I told him that was sacreligious (like putting a body kit on a Prosche

No it's more like putting lights on a dragster to make it street legal. If you want to operate a race vehicle on public streets you might have to make some modifications in order to comply with the law.

Yup, I purchased a "beater" wheelset so that I can run a front brake. I've seen too many accidents between peds and cyclists with brakes to expect the trend of brakeless cyclists lately to make things any less choatic out there.

brakes or no brakes, have you seen how fast people tear down the sidewalk in any large japanese city on their mamacharis? it's no wonder people get hit. i bet a lot more get hit with brake-equipped bikes than brakeless ones, but they sure as *** aren't going to ban sidewalk riding. that law is pure kneejerk bullsh1t. hell, i saw a fistfight break out in shinsaibashi after some dude ran into someone with his chari at an intersection.

further reading:
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ek20070123wh.html

i hope the fine is proportional to ones gearing. heh.

i think itll be lame if they just run around ticketing anyone who ride brakeless, but i dont see much of a problem of ticketing a cyclist who is at fault in an accident because they can't handle their bike, just as I would expect a driver who cant drive for **** to get ticketed, too.

maybe as part of the fine they will drill out forks for you?
I like all three of these ideas. 128 FOR MAYOR OF JAPAN!

dammit, why does another city have to become as suck-tacular as portland?

i don't want to talk too much ****, but when you feel you can't even ride your own bike outside, it takes all the fun out of a town.

i don't want to talk too much ****, but when you feel you can't even ride your own bike outside, it takes all the fun out of a town.

you could always leave portland... It's not like one less underqualified 20-something hipster will be noticed.
OR
you could just suck it up and put a brake on your bike since there is absolutely no reason not to.

If youre stopped by the cops without brakes you pay a ¥50,000 fine.
Does this mean they only fine you if they have a reason to pull you over?

If so, I don't see the big deal.

dammit, why does another city have to become as suck-tacular as portland?

i don't want to talk too much ****, but when you feel you can't even ride your own bike outside, it takes all the fun out of a town.


help help I'm being repressed

I know that this is a hot issue here and I may be an outlier on this one, but on the grand scale of "things that are oppressing me" either locally, nationally or globally brakeless laws are pretty far down the list of things I am worried about.

help help I'm being repressed
I didn't elect you king.

I know that this is a hot issue here and I may be an outlier on this one, but on the grand scale of "things that are oppressing me" either locally, nationally or globally brakeless laws are pretty far down the list of things I am worried about.
+1
There are way more things to worry about than if I can ride without a brake or not.

Also, if you want to run a brake, but don't want to drill the original fork (and I don't blame you) go to a shop and have them get you a fork with the same measurements and get that drilled.

Pretty ruthless penalty if you ask me.


Seems to convey that they're serious about it to me.

Here in the US, it would be a $25 fine, and only be enforced every third Thursay in June. - basically worthless

I thought Japanese law always required brakes.
I know it's an ancient law but did they ever fix the no tandem law?

I like all three of these ideas. 128 FOR MAYOR OF JAPAN!


yes please. id like to be stationed in kyoto, i liked it there.

help help I'm being repressed
Then just be open and honest with yourself, man. Being repressed isn't healthy, in the long term.

yes please. id like to be stationed in kyoto, i liked it there.
Hokkaido or death. Unceremonial death, at that.

dammit, why does another city have to become as suck-tacular as portland?

i don't want to talk too much ****, but when you feel you can't even ride your own bike outside, it takes all the fun out of a town.

Have you gotten a ticket for riding brakeless? I've passed numerous cops on numerous occassions in Portland and have yet to even get a double-take. As far as I knew, the only people that enforced the no-brakes thing were those two ******* cops downtown who plot at every attempt to make a bike messenger's life a ****hole?

How do you even ticket a cyclist?
I used to go to a school that had a rule against riding bikes between the dorms and the classrooms. We used to ride by the security guards laughing, as they shook their ticket books in fury at us.

I think [165] summed it up pretty well. There are so many folks riding the coat tails of the fixed gear culture right now that this is probably a good thing (brakeless fines). I'm not a brakeless hater by any means, but if you're new to fixed gear bikes for the love of god run a f-ing brake, at least for the safety of the surrounding general public.

no0b = +1 brake


']With the influx on incapable riders on track bikes, I have no quarrel.
discuss

I have nothing of value to add here, save these pictures of the new clamp-on keirin brakes you can buy on e-framebank.

This leaves no excuse (drilling holes, etc.) for riding brakeless.

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r19/Serendipper/34_6_54.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r19/Serendipper/34_4_54.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r19/Serendipper/34_3s_53.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r19/Serendipper/34_2_53.jpg

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r19/Serendipper/34_1_53.jpg

how much is ¥50,000, like $7?

or $500

Sadly brakeless laws are probably justified. Safety standards generally have to be idiot proof, especially when there is the possibility of the idiot harming others.

are those babies njs stamped :)




jokes aside, i'm glad there's options out there where you don't have to drill the frame, though i don't really plan on adding brakes to my bike soon. you can talk about brakes vs. brakeless all day, but it all boils down to this: if you can't adequately stop your bike without brakes, than you should be riding brakes until you can learn to do it with split second reflexes and stopping as fast as someone with a coaster / back brake.

clearly. some skilled people can stop as well without a brake as neophyte with a drum brake. I'd like to see someone prove that they can stop as fast without a brake as a skilled rider with a good front caliper.

The current laws that are on the books as to what constitutes a safe braking system are far to vague, but I would support clear laws that for instance require a vehicle be able to go from 10mph to a complete stop in 20 feet. If you can't do that you shouldn't be on the road, and many brakeless riders can't do that.

I've been ticketed for riding brakeless. Though it totally sucks, and yes it's a bit odd to have that freedom taken, it's still justified. I lived in the bay, and now in portland and I see kids who need brakes. Bombing hills and not knowing how to control their bike is pretty scary. I'd hate to see someone injured just because their street cred goes up. I wish they could give you a quick stop test when they pull you over to see if you're competent or not.

clearly. some skilled people can stop as well without a brake as neophyte with a drum brake. I'd like to see someone prove that they can stop as fast without a brake as a skilled rider with a good front caliper.

yeah, sure, but a super fast stop with a front brake compromises safety if you fly over the bars and into traffic or the car in front of you.

yeah, sure, but a super fast stop with a front brake compromises safety if you fly over the bars and into traffic or the car in front of you.
:rolleyes:
learn to use a front brake.
end thread.

I've been ticketed for riding brakeless. Though it totally sucks, and yes it's a bit odd to have that freedom taken, it's still justified. I lived in the bay, and now in portland and I see kids who need brakes. Bombing hills and not knowing how to control their bike is pretty scary. I'd hate to see someone injured just because their street cred goes up. I wish they could give you a quick stop test when they pull you over to see if you're competent or not.

Sadly in this country you can't be prosecuted for incompetence. everyone has the right to operate a vehicle incompetently. Before clamping down on cyclists, they should fix the eye test so that people who can barely see a door nob can't pass it without their glasses on. Also the last time I took a driving test was 20 years ago, I don't think it's unreasonable to require a driving test for re-certification every 10 years when you're talking about a certification that allows someone to pilot a 2 ton vehicle on public streets.

:rolleyes:
learn to use a front brake.
end thread.

dude, if you're in a complete emergency you're not going to be concentrating on getting the right tension on your front brake, you're going to be kneejerk squeezing the lever super fast in some climatic fight or flight type response. was there not a post on here about a guy that did exactly that in an emergency and went over the bars?

I've hit my front brake in emergencies and only went over the bars one time from it... the time I was being knocked into a fence.

Go ahead and skid into the back of that truck. Have fun with it.

edit: and I do ride brakeless sometimes. I just think that the "you'll go over the bars" arguement is lame as hell. So is the "you can't stop without brakes" arguement.

yeah, sure, but a super fast stop with a front brake compromises safety if you fly over the bars and into traffic or the car in front of you.

I can stop a free-wheel bike one handed with a bike frame over my shoulder on a steep downhill grade. to do that requires a front brake, I don't have a single bike that can stop like that with the rear brake alone. It requires brake modulation and shifting your weight rearward, and until they invent ABS for bicycles everyone who uses hand brakes wether one or two should learn it.

I can stop a free-wheel bike one handed with a bike frame over my shoulder on a steep downhill grade. to do that requires a front brake, I don't have a single bike that can stop like that with the rear brake alone. It requires brake modulation and shifting your weight rearward, and until they invent ABS for bicycles everyone who uses hand brakes wether one or two should learn it.
Thanks for putting "learn to use a brake" into words that people can read and say "oh, that makes sense". For that, you get a gold star.

dude, if you're in a complete emergency you're not going to be concentrating on getting the right tension on your front brake, you're going to be kneejerk squeezing the letter super fast in some climatic fight or flight type response. was there not a post on here about a guy that did exactly that in an emergency and went over the bars?

It is a good skill to practice front brake emergency stops. If your weight is distributed right and you have your arms braced you won't go over the top.

Thanks for putting "learn to use a brake" into words that people can read and say "oh, that makes sense". For that, you get a gold star.

To put it i even simpler terms you can't go over the bars unless you lock the front wheel. As long as the front tire is still moving at the same speed as the bike, the back won't try to beat the front to the finish line. Soooooooo don't lock the front wheel.

Center of gravity also plays a part. if your CG is forward near the front axel it's way easy to go over. Using the front brake shifts the CG forward. counteract that by pushing backwards and moving your body weight rearward. SOphisticated motorcycle braking systems often employ anti-dive fork mechanisms to counteract this effect under heavy braking. On a bicycle you are by far the heaviest thing on the bike even if you only weigh 80 pounds, so you can greatly effect the CG with your own body position.

Have you gotten a ticket for riding brakeless? I've passed numerous cops on numerous occassions in Portland and have yet to even get a double-take. As far as I knew, the only people that enforced the no-brakes thing were those two ******* cops downtown who plot at every attempt to make a bike messenger's life a ****hole?


yeah, i got a few no brake tickets, along with a couple of other b.s. tickets for things that cars do in front of cops all the time with impunity (going just slightly over the stop line, for example. hell, i see cars in the middle of the intersection all the time. i went over just a tad as the light was about to turn and got a 242 dollar ticket).

basically, i hate portland cops.

OH PS: Not knowing how to use a brake properly is the worst excuse I've ever heard for going brakeless.