Originally Posted by junioroverlord
Well as an avid brake user that has just gone brakeless within the past week I'm going to have to say its really not as big a deal as you might think. I realized how little I actually have to stop. Yeah theres lots of slowing down that you have to do whilest cycling but actually having to stop really quickly just doesn't happen. Now when I rode with a brake I used it for everything and honestly thought that there was no way I could ride safely without one, then I went a few days out of necessity without a brake and realized that its not less safe than riding with a brake.
Believe it or not I can stop just as fast as someone properly braking without the prospect of panic braking and flipping over my bars. I think its unfair to relate riding brakeless to riding without a helmet or riding in a car without a seatbelt. Perhaps riding brakeless is more dangerous than riding with a brake but its not THAT much more dangerous, you guys are acting like we have no means to stop.
Oh and I've had my lockring unthread on me going down a really steep hill and I'm alive to tell the story. Once again, not that big a deal, all I did was not panic and put my foot down, and ta dah! I stopped.
no, you cannot stop just as fast as someone with a brake. not even close. where do people get this idea?
as someone who has ridden both brakeless and braked more than most people have ridden either, in heavy traffic 90% of the time, i can tell you that EVERYONE who uses a front brake can stop much more quickly than those who do not. read sheldon brown, do the research, or just think it out.
i get a kick out of riding brakeless. i like the feel, i like the look, i like the challenge. but i know i cannot stop as easily as with a brake. that is why i ride more slowly and carefully w/o a brake.