Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Brake-less fixed gear in the snow?

Before this turns into the standard brakes/no-brakes debate (or "breaks" for what seems like >50% of the posters here), does anyone actually ride in the snow without brakes? Any Denver riders care to show off some brake-less pics from last weeks big storm?

Confucius say, "Silly round eye, riding without brakes leads to breaks."

Sweet... got the no-breaks-is-stupid preach coupled with the US taught spelling skills. Perfect. This forum does not disappoint.

Sweet... got the no-breaks-is-stupid preach coupled with the US taught spelling skills. Perfect. This forum does not disappoint.

with racism to boot


Last year, if it would snow at night while i was still awake and not many cars had gone by i'd go and just do skids for like 10 feet and just **** around(i have a brake i just didn't use it then). Its fun, but i wouldn't do it on main streets in traffic.

Single speed with a brake in the snow. Fixed/brake-less in the snow seems more like you have something to prove than anything else.

Yea, seemed like a death wish to me, but folks do some sick stuff.

If we get snow here in DC, my commute will likely be on my mtn bike--or I'll be hoofin' it the 2 miles to work if it's too deep.

I've ridden my 24" BMX cruiser in the snow. That seemed ideal for deep snow and ice. And I've had plenty of practice crashing it.

In the snow is when brakeless makes the most sense imo. You can't go very fast and neither can anyone in a car; brake or no it's going to be hard to stop; a caliper will get clogged up with snow; and often using a front brake is just going to make you bail. Even beyond all these advantages there is something inherently moronic about riding a bike in the snow that somehow makes a brakeless fixed gear ideal. I rode brakeless for a month last winter during very heavy snow in the Greater Vancouver area, with two aero levers hooked up to nothing for extra jackassery, and had a really good time.

In the snow is when brakeless makes the most sense imo. You can't go very fast and neither can anyone in a car; brake or no it's going to be hard to stop; a caliper will get clogged up with snow; and often using a front brake is just going to make you bail. Even beyond all these advantages there is something inherently moronic about riding a bike in the snow that somehow makes a brakeless fixed gear ideal. I rode brakeless for a month last winter during very heavy snow in the Greater Vancouver area, with two aero levers hooked up to nothing for extra jackassery, and had a really good time.

That's what I'm think. As soon as you touch your back brakes they'll lock up anyways, and the front is useless, so why not fixed. That's my plan, I have parts on order for a righteous supercycle conversion!

I'll agree with mander here, I think it makes most sense in the really bad winter conditions. My bike is brakeless because of the mechanics of my former front brake freezing onto my fork (bad installation with no grease) - I *never* used my front brake as soon as the snow/ice started to be a part of things - way too risky IMO and I just didn't want the chance of the front washing out from under me. That's assuming they'd work properly at all, which after a while they tended not to when they started to get all gacked up.

Riding fixed in the snow is *always* fun, IMO - brakeless either by not having or not using a brake in these conditions just seems to make sense.

Brakes or brakeless, I always eat **** at least once every winter.\
Gotta watch out for fresh snow on top of a sheet of ice.

Winter is really the only time I ride brakeless. My Winter bike is geared way down so I never get going fast, and with that gearing its even easier to stop than usual.

jim

I run studded tires + front brake. Would never run brakeless in the winter. Even before I ran studs, there were many, many times when the front brake saved my arse. Granted I live in a very hilly area, but being able to stop when you need to is kind of a no-brainer for me. For those claiming you will crash if you run a front brake, you are fooling yourself, or horrible riders.

theres aways that front brake argument, about how they make you fall

Sweet... got the no-breaks-is-stupid preach coupled with the US taught spelling skills. Perfect. This forum does not disappoint.

Aged Bike Fixer, I'm coming for you man. My style is impetuous. My defense is impregnable, and I'm just ferocious. I want your heart. I want to eat his children. Praise be to Allah!

P.S. Learn to spell "brakes" you ignoramus.

with racism to boot


Don't get mad white man. You can be my man servant when the yellow revolution comes.:thumb:

I see Johnny Colnago is posting replies, but for some reason there's no message displayed.

Johnny, can you try again? I'm sure whatever you had to say was very useful and I'm sure the forum could stand to read it once more. Maybe try double posting...

P.S. Learn to spell "brakes" you ignoramus.

Can I have the comma that you're not using?

I run studded tires + front brake. Would never run brakeless in the winter. Even before I ran studs, there were many, many times when the front brake saved my arse. Granted I live in a very hilly area, but being able to stop when you need to is kind of a no-brainer for me. For those claiming you will crash if you run a front brake, you are fooling yourself, or horrible riders.

Or maybe it's because you're running a studded front and most people aren't

i've "ridden" brakeless in the snow/ice so far as to screw around and see what it's like. frankly if you are smart enough to control your speed and can "downshift" your legs to slow down, it's not that big of a deal. but if you have ANY thoughts that skidding might lead to stopping in anything less than 30ft you are going to be in for a surprise. and it's not that hard to skid, so even if you aren't trying to, it might start happening.

i prefer to just ride another bike; with 2 brakes, knobby tires, and fenders.

Sounds to me like a lot of people epic-ly fail at brake usage and maintenance. I use a brake in the winter...they work. Don't be stupid about it.

Sweet... got the no-breaks-is-stupid preach coupled with the US taught spelling skills. Perfect. This forum does not disappoint.

If you're going to complain explicitly about confusing break and brake...

If you're going to complain explicitly about confusing break and brake...

Sorry dude. I didn't realize you weren't able to comprehend sarcasm... I'll warn ya next time.

Winter is when I pretty much stop using the front brake on my fixed mtb... it's still there but for a good part of our winter it does not get used.

Tires make more of a difference in snow than brakes. Rode my work bike all year long, no brakes/breaks. couldn't fit anything bigger than a 25 tire in the front, but I managed to stuff a knobby cross tire on the back and that was great in blizzards. You can rely on your back wheel (a bit at least) it makes all the difference and used the front wheel as sort of a ski. Front and rear knobbys might be ideal, but fixed with just a knobby rear is still a good time.

heh, knobby rear.

I ride my fixed brakeless regardless of weather, and have never had a problem with stopping/crashing. The only time I've crashed in the winter was over a metal grated bridge, and it would've happened whether running no brakes or 15 brakes.

If we get snow here in DC, my commute will likely be on my mtn bike--or I'll be hoofin' it the 2 miles to work if it's too deep.

What is that? What is "too deep"? I've ridden in 3 feet of the white stuff on the snow covered pavement with no problems other than finding 187 sticker burrs in my tires after wards. :wtf: Yes. I did count them!

I went with the no-mor-flats tubes for a couple flat free years after that.

I run studded tires + front brake. Would never run brakeless in the winter. Even before I ran studs, there were many, many times when the front brake saved my arse. Granted I live in a very hilly area, but being able to stop when you need to is kind of a no-brainer for me. For those claiming you will crash if you run a front brake, you are fooling yourself, or horrible riders.


Or maybe it's because you're running a studded front and most people aren't

I think of it like driving a car with only the parking brake... it really limits you in slick terrain.

with racism to boot


Last year, if it would snow at night while i was still awake and not many cars had gone by i'd go and just do skids for like 10 feet and just **** around(i have a brake i just didn't use it then). Its fun, but i wouldn't do it on main streets in traffic.

10 feet is a pretty short distance for skids...especially in snow.

I ride my fixed brakeless regardless of weather, and have never had a problem with stopping/crashing. The only time I've crashed in the winter was over a metal grated bridge, and it would've happened whether running no brakes or 15 brakes.

Been there and done that. Busted my **** on Division a couple times. Had a friend shatter an ankle on one too, though I don't remember which one it was. I think it was Randolph, but I'm not sure.

That said, fixed in the snow is great because of the direct feedback from the back wheel about how much traction I'm getting. As for braking, I haven't had a brake to compare but I ride within my ability to control myself and stop so I've never had a problem. Going slow in the snow is fun. Don't get too much of that out here, but once in a while. I remember one year back home we got like 18" overnight and we rode from my place (Kimball & Montrose) down to Harold's Chicken on S. Halsted. That was sooooo fun. I think we bounced of the sides of 4 or 5 parked cars while trying to do donut skids.

I would vote yes for brakes in the winter for one major reason: more potholes, ice patches and other such crap on the roads. Winding between cars leads to a major chance of being surprised by a massive hole in the road and not being able to stop in time.

Also here in Toronto, at least, giant mounds of ice sometimes grow at the side of the road, which plows just skip over. These mounds are usually grimy dark and sneak up on you. Last year there was a nasty one at the very bottom of the Yonge St hill, coming down from St Clair. Anyone who lives in Toronto will know the high wipe-out possibility of such placement.