uke

SS/FG bikes with one lever have always looked silly to me. Either go with two or go with none.

jakerock

Sounds good. Thanks for straightening me out. Dont want to look silly!

jpdesjar

no brakes
the word brake looks funny to me for some reason
the skip stop method works well for me, i have had to emergency skid before while biking downtown, my reaction time is good because i used to rollerblade a lot around traffic

i may put the brake back on for the longer rides...someone mentioned conserving energy by not having to back pedal, i like this idea

devilshaircut

For the first time in 2009 I installed a brake. I put it on for the weekend race ... gonna take it back off now. I didn't use it much anyhow.

jakerock

My name is Jake, I use a brake because I live in an area where there are other people.

Scratcher33

Did it hinder your riding?

devilshaircut

No it helped, a lot. I can't say exactly how much faster it made me, but I usually estimate I ride about 3 mph faster with a brake. In this case, it is kind of a moot point though ... mostly it helped me save some strength slowing down ... but the local guy I was following was brakeless so I am sure I didn't take full advantage of having a brake.

jhill44

jakerock

I like bikes - I like bikes too
I like brakes - I dont like brakes
Youre dumb - no YOU are dumb.
I hate you - I hate you.

/thread

devilshaircut

Thing is, of the people I know who also ride brakeless, it's not that we dislike brakes. I think we just, for one reason or another, would prefer to ride brakeless. I don't really think we say riding with a brake is dumb. It's like saying you like vanilla or chocolate ice cream. You don't have to *hate* the other just because you prefer one.

robncircus

Quoted for hilarity. I almost never visit this forum but occasionally browse. I rode brakeless in Boston for 7 years (2 as a FT messenger) before moving to CA. Now that I'm older and a bit more logical, I would definitly use a brake. Oh, and as a roadie (with brakes and *gasp* gears) I PROMISE I can stop faster than brakeless riders. If anyone wants to informally challenge me to a stopping test I'd be glad to oblige. Loser buys beer

Rob

krusty

Just curious if anyone else has noticed this on Kalavinka's website:

"We will refuse any work and/or selling parts to customers arriving on bicycles without brakes."

jakerock

my choice of ice cream never ran into the door of a parked car! he he!

But seriously, I rode brakeless for awhile... on my way to the bike shop to buy some brakes!
It was total zen.

SUPER STEVE

Being brakless is the least of your worries if you are flying into parked cars.

inertiadreamer

It depends, in the Summer time brakeless (so maybe 3-4 months out of the year). Rest of the time I ride with a front brake, hilly & rainy enough in Seattle to make me weary about not having it in case of an emergency.

jakerock

You got me there!

jhaber

Why not get at least one bike per configuration. That's what I have.

devilshaircut

Pretty sure anyone, regardless of whether or not they have a brake, realizes it is faster to stop with a brake.

jhaber

Not as fast as the old stick in the spokes trick.

dsh

If you want to go all physics on it, yeah the brake can be theoretically faster than the stick in the spokes.

That is the say, the coefficient of static friction is always higher than the coefficient of kinetic friction on a given surface.

rexyray

no brake, that what my bike will be. For a FG bike, my men and i used to be brakeless back home. We do it because that's what FG about... Freedom and about expression

McChinken

srsly?

Sixty Fiver

Best way to stop a brake-less bike is by running into a parked zombie.

hairnet

Your icon suites your comment well

Santaria