Originally Posted by
cyccommute
The same argument could be made for a freewheeling bike. If your foot slips off at 20, 30 or 40 mph or while sprinting...usually done out of saddle..., you are probably in big trouble.
The only difference is that on a FG the cranks are spinning non-stop, moving your legs and pushing you up, which means you're much more likely to have your shoe slip off, loose control and/or get thrown off the bike if you don't have foot retention. Especially when standing out of the saddle or riding aggressively.
Originally Posted by
cycocommute
And, no there isn't that much difference between fixed gear and freewheel bikes. Backpedaling to stop may look cool but it's just a skid which is dumb no matter what kind of bike you ride. I also see lots and lots of fixie riders who aren't using toe clips around here. I don't think they are too bright but it can be done.
Backpedaling doesn't mean you have to lock the rear wheel and skid. You can stop by gradually applying backpressure and slow to a stop without skidding, just like using brakes. I don't skid when I use brakes and I don't skid stop when riding fixed, I like to get as much mileage out of my tires as I can. Stopping through backpedaling is very difficult unless you have some type of foot retention, even the kids and teens I see on brakeless fixies use power grips with their BMX pedals.