Originally Posted by
makeinu
Am I the only one that feels that hand brakes are dangerous in traffic?
In emergency situations it's obviously best to be ready to engage the brakes. However, it's also important to keep a good grip on the handlebars, not just for accurate steering, but also for applying lots of body english.
It seems to me that it's a bit of a conflict to simultaneously try to use the hands for steering, and for braking, and for balancing and I feel much safer knowing I can use a coaster brake to (at least partially) delegate braking to the feet (which aren't being used to pedal during emergency maneuvers anyway).
Now I know a rear brake does not provide maximum stopping power, but a bicycle is not a train and stopping isn't always the best course of action for collision avoidance.
I disagree. A good grip on the handlebars is not only not important it's bad. You should have a light grip.
Braking and doing harsh maneuvers at once also sounds like it's often a bad idea. Sounds like a good way to lose most of your traction and end up sliding out.
Also, I mostly steer my bike with my body's balance not my hands.
Being able to stop like a car is occasionally important. Many many accidents are caused by attempts to miss the accident instead of just getting slowed down as much as possible. People change lanes right into other cars they forgot were there, or brake too late while they check their blind spot.
If you're in a lane and the car in front of you slams its brakes your only shot of stopping is a front and rear brake and good skills at applying them. You may not be able to safely swerve around it.
Supposedly there's a group of people who ride with no brakes on a fixie. I haven't really met any of these people, I don't think they exist in my small city. But I'm guessing it's about "being hardcore" and saving money on rims.