Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Stopping: With Brakes or with Force

New to the fixed gear scene I have a leader track bike and just ran through a rear tire faster than I have ever thought about 2 months and its gone its a Vittorio Rando 700 x 28 quick question (s) am I not using my brake (front) enough which I dont use because my front rim is not machined I dont think for brakes or is this the normal route for fixed gear biking, any advice? any links to better tires? I commute 4 days a week, expert advice needed! Thanks guys.......

expert advice needed! Thanks guys.......

fix your seat....



and use your brake if you can't stop or are worried about tire wear.

if you respaced the wad of periods at the end of your post, I think I could understand what you want.

are you skid stopping?
what is your chainring tooth count and what is your cog tooth count?

if you feel at all uncomfortable with riding brakeless, throw a brake on, the worst it will do is mar the finish a little bit. and fix that saddle too.

thanks for the advice guys, thats a old pic, I dont ride like that lol....dont know the tooth count its a stock setup but ya whats the worst that can happen now what tires everyone??

if you're skidding to a stop often, you'll want as many skid patches as possible.
I direct you here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=468351

You might wanna put on a brake just so you can use some light tires.

... am I not using my brake (front) enough which I dont use because my front rim is not machined I dont think for brakes or is this the normal route for fixed gear biking, any advice?
People used brakes on non-machined rims for decades without problems. Machined sidewalls are a relatively recent phenomenon, done mainly to reduce brake squeal more than anything else.

If you are running a stock gearing on a honest-to-god track bike a brake will help a ton. The higher than average gearing you have will make it harder to skid-stop. Most folks here are a big fan of brakes, particularly for folks newish to riding fixed.

As posters above said you can use brakes on a non-machined rim.

As for tires, Soma Everwear (even though people talk **** about the sidewall I've never had an issue), Conti Gatorskin, Specialized Armadillo, and I have heard a few good things about Fyxation tires.

But after buying expensive tires I'd rather go to the LBS and just buy cheap tires. Saves money.