Originally Posted by
seau grateau
I find it funny that so many people get up in arms about single brake set-ups on freewheels while simultaneously riding brakeless fixed gears. Considering all this talk about braking effectiveness, wouldn't a single speed with a front caliper brake really be safer than a brakeless FG (a bike that effectively has one inefficient rear brake) and only nominally less safe than a FG with a front brake? If the rider doesn't know how to slow down effectively, the "braking" benefits of a fixed gear are basically null.
An ss with a single front could stop faster than a brakeless fg but the lack of ability to modulate the speed of the rear wheel can make riding in some conditions very hazardous while the fg does offer that rear wheel braking and modulation. Without a front brake a fg does not stop worth sh** and in the old days, many fixed gear bikes had two brakes.