Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - brakeless is basic

Chatting with two Gen Y locals at the hip lbs n Halifax. Two of them are riding brakeless on the oh-so-steep inclines of downtown Halifax. They both lifted their hoofs to show me the soles of their melting sporty shoes

I've been away from SSFG...is brakeless the new black?

If you mean is it as safe as riding carefully at night? With no lights? Yes.

We recently had a thread about running brakeless (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?665593-How-many-run-brakeless) and the majority of us feel like it is safer to have a front brake.

......but we're talking single freewheel here...same page? Not fixed?

Sorry should made that clear..they started off road and have now adopted well to urban. Interesting to hear from those with experience. Where's the control coming from?

I've been on these boards a long time. As far as FG riding is concerned it seems like running a front brake is the new black. There was a time where no one seemed to run a brake. As far as brakeless SS, that's just stupid.

I don't think you have control if you can't stop effectively and as fast as possible. Maybe I'm just too wimpy but I don't think anyone should run brakeless or even just one brake on a singlespeed.

i would like to see a video of that

i would like to see a video of that
This is not particularly new....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OH5W1Z23wPg

thank you...it all makes sense now.

Not.

Is it just me or is SSFG in San Francisco like... really stupid?

I am in SF right now visiting some hella tight bros from way back when and got a chance to go on a bike ride the other night. Let me tell ya, the bike situation is outta control here. Valencia = every single parking meter with a hip bike locked to it. Krikey. I felt uber-hip riding a beat up women's mountain bike with extremely loud squeaking rear brake amongst all the ss/fg/vintage roadies. ****e women's treks are the new SSFG, BELIEVE!!!!!!

--trend setter.

I see a lot of kids on brakeless BMX lately,trying to Flintstone to stop.I guess natural selection will take care of this eventually:D

Two brakes + fixed is the way to go..

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3530/4002917414_7373ce143f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashae/4002917414/in/set-72157621171293064/)

God, everyone on bf is so farping negative and judgemental all the time. You guys just talk **** on anything thats not the safe/norm. Obviously this guy isn't some hip scum trying to follow a trend. He's just a quarky tweak who likes to ride his SS without a brake. It's cool to opine and have a discussion about it but you don't need to down talk it just because its dangerous.

Two brakes + fixed is the way to go..

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3530/4002917414_7373ce143f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashae/4002917414/in/set-72157621171293064/)
Sure, if all you do is commute. Not if your into fsfg

Busting out the c-word! I understand not rocking a brake for FGFS, but you can also use brakes for weekend "commuting" rides.

this one really turned into a sh!tstorm. freewheel + no brakes = stupid. fg + no brakes = slightly dangerous.

just because you ride fixed without brakes doesn't mean you don't have a way to stop.

p.s. i have a front brake.

sweet, ruined shoes and tires.

the same kids that are running brakeless will also be the same kids that jump into another thread next year.

a small niche of my friends decided recently to participate in a triathlon recently and they all did it on fixed gears (three of whom were brakeless). and now they all want to get "real" bikes like cervelos and the like. a lot of people whom run brakeless one gear bicycles are doing so because they suspect its cool at the moment but typically jump to the next bandwagon by the following year.

Chatting with two Gen Y locals at the hip lbs n Halifax. Two of them are riding brakeless on the oh-so-steep inclines of downtown Halifax. They both lifted their hoofs to show me the soles of their melting sporty shoes

I've been away from SSFG...is brakeless the new black?

I'm thinking that you're only part right. Riding brakeless leads to black & blue.

Two brakes + fixed is the way to go..

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3530/4002917414_7373ce143f.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashae/4002917414/in/set-72157621171293064/)
Works for me.
http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/fixed-frame/completed.jpg

freewheel brakeless?

*baffled*

Sure, if all you do is commute. Not if your into fsfg

So you are only "into" SSFG if you ride brakeless? Fail.

......but we're talking single freewheel here...same page? Not fixed?

I saw a kid doing that once. I was on my way home from my commute and caught up to three fixed gear kids. None with brakes, but then I noticed the one in the back was coasting.. at first I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me as I looked for the brakes again.. but then we approached a red light and he stuck his foot on the tire. Seemed to take him a while to slow down..

its dangerous.

and makes us all look bad you have to pull a stupid stunt to avoid crashing

I'm gonna start riding chainless.

http://homepage.ihug.co.nz/~awoodley/pics/reg/hobbyhorse.jpg

I'm gonna start riding chainless.

real men run wheeless

real men run wheeless

real men run bikeless and just float on air

real men go running with biking shorts on

real men go running with biking shorts on

Wrong! Real men don't run, running is for ****

Real men ride on their rims.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qm5IYgEdZw

I have three fixed gear bikes: one bike has a front brake and a rear brake; one bike has a front brake; and, one bike has no brakes.

Because of my style of riding, bike setup and experience, I feel as safe on the bike with no brakes as I do on the bike with two brakes, and maybe even safer.

As for YOU (and you know I mean you), you need three brakes.

I'm gonna start riding chainless.
I'm gonna start running brainless...

Running brakeless on a single speed is just plain stupid..

Obviously this guy isn't some hip scum trying to follow a trend. He's just a quarky tweak who likes to ride his SS without a brake.
I guarantee you if brakeless FG was never a trend, he would never run SS brakeless.

I'm gonna start running brainless...

Screw that, go tireless

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfRekj46Vq8

God, everyone on bf is so farping negative and judgemental all the time. You guys just talk **** on anything thats not the safe/norm. Obviously this guy isn't some hip scum trying to follow a trend. He's just a quarky tweak who likes to ride his SS without a brake. It's cool to opine and have a discussion about it but you don't need to down talk it just because its dangerous.

We're concerned because it's stupid, and gives other cyclists a bad name.


Sure, if all you do is commute. Not if your into fsfg

Uh...I think there a wide array of people on SSFG that are "into" it just as much as all slaves to fashion that can't stand the site of a brake.

People have been running bmx "suicide" for years and years. Go to a skatepark and watch some ride there with no brakes. Nuts.

I've always thought it was insane, but the foot in tire works and it's what they like at the time. I'm all for people being allowed to do what they want as long as it doesn't impact others. Don't crash into me and pay your medical bills and hey, do wtf you want.

People have been running bmx "suicide" for years and years. Go to a skatepark and watch some ride there with no brakes. Nuts.

I've always thought it was insane, but the foot in tire works and it's what they like at the time. I'm all for people being allowed to do what they want as long as it doesn't impact others. Don't crash into me and pay your medical bills and hey, do wtf you want.

Saw one of these guys last year, on the street, in a hill side neighborhood. He barely got slowed down enough to make his turn, by dragging his feet on the ground. This involved blowing through a stop sign he had no hope of stopping for. I don't care what they do at the skatepark, it's when they take it into the streets that scares the bejeezus out of me.

I see a lot of BMX folks bombing down hills without any kind of brakes.

Saw one of these guys last year, on the street, in a hill side neighborhood. He barely got slowed down enough to make his turn, by dragging his feet on the ground. This involved blowing through a stop sign he had no hope of stopping for.

Hahaha. I did this once, in front of two cops. Three speed beach cruiser w/out brakes and I was wearing sandals.

Yeah, I was "pulled over" and a third cruiser showed up to frisk me.

Odd feeling just standing there with the lights flashing and what not. I just stood there.

Riding brakeless isn't just a hip scummy trend for some people. If your riding freestyle theres no point in having a brake. If I feel confident enough to bomb a hill with no brakes don't give me any grief about it.

I see a lot of BMX folks bombing down hills without any kind of brakes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoobomb

Riding brakeless isn't just a hip scummy trend for some people. If your riding freestyle theres no point in having a brake. If I feel confident enough to bomb a hill with no brakes don't give me any grief about it.

My problem is too many freestylers out there who don't seem to know how to stop without brakes. I don't care if somebody wants to be a danger to themselves, but being a danger to other people is what bothers me. Being able to do a quick, controlled panic stop when away from the skatepark is a pretty good point to having brakes, to me.

There was a time when you could tell who the serious freestylers were, because their brakes were dialed in to perfection.

Wrong! Real men don't run, running is for ****

ja ja joke

Riding brakeless isn't just a hip scummy trend for some people. If your riding freestyle theres no point in having a brake. If I feel confident enough to bomb a hill with no brakes don't give me any grief about it.



i don't know man, not only does it suck to see other people's accidents but i kinda get sick at the sight of blood aside from that if you crash into a car you're going to mess with their insurance, not that i'm overly concerned with drivers, but that's another person you're effecting here, god forbid you crash into a child and kill them, i'm sure you're in control in the "skatepark" but to avoid crashing on the street and really ****ing some people up, you need to run brakes

My problem is too many freestylers out there who don't seem to know how to stop without brakes. I don't care if somebody wants to be a danger to themselves, but being a danger to other people is what bothers me. Being able to do a quick, controlled panic stop when away from the skatepark is a pretty good point to having brakes, to me.

There was a time when you could tell who the serious freestylers were, because their brakes were dialed in to perfection.

You are on a 20lb bike. What kind of danger are you going to be to anyone besides yourself? Its not like your driving a 6000lb car.

here's a thought, u can have brakes and still ride brakeless.

here's a thought, u can have brakes and still ride brakeless.

Ya but you dont get that clean, cable-less look