Originally Posted by jrowedc
Come on. If he didn't maintain his straps, do you think he would've maintained a mechanical brake? Given a poorly maintained laminated strap and a poorly maintained handbrake, I'd put my money on the strap every time.
oh, please. If every ignorant Huffy rider needed to care for primitive leather straps-- as opposed to primitive single-pul cantis with rusted everything, loose bolts and bad pads-- there'd be a lot more dead cyclists.
Fixed is a boutique hobby. If you're running antiquated systems (fixed gear, clips/straps. brakeless), then it follows that you keep an eye on what you know to be important.
One cannot anticipate leather snapping mid-stop unless damage had been noted beforehand. I guess if I were brakeless, I'd pay way more attention to strap adjustment and quality.
And even though I run a brake-- it's never the first reaction.