Originally Posted by hkmarks
This guy I know who rides a track bike around town has built a fixed gear mountain bike that he is really proud of. The problem is it's brakeless.... ... brakeless on the trails is a completely different story. I think he just doesn;t realize how unacceptable it would be. How can I bring it up without just coming out and saying he is a jackass if he ever rides it on the trails and then him hetting really defensive about how its just a bigger challange?
There's a difference between something being a bigger challenge and just being outright dangerous and stupid. Lay it out for him:
Skidding on trails is bad. It increases trail erosion and gives other mountain bikers a bad image. Steep, dirt trails, would have to be skidded down in their entirety. This would basically just leave a huge rut, whereas with a front brake, you could roll down at a controlled speed, and not tear up the trail. As far as being more of a challenge, that's just bull**** macho pride. Call him on it.