If you put brakes on you won't be a hip hipster, and then your retro New Balance shoes and levis rolled to have cuffs and your wallet chain and your tattoos will be for naught because your bike will give away that you're just a poseur.

In all seriousness riding in the track without brakes is one thing, but riding in the streets is a whole other. I think the brakeless rigs are for either the extremely skilled or the overly bold or the true poseur. Why would you not?

Put brakes on the thing. You don't have to use them, but they'll be there if you need them.

You're hysterical. Keep the hits coming!

They probably already told your mommy, even though you are probably older than they are. People who act knowledgeable on the internet crack me up. "I read somewhere..." (probably in some lame ragazine or written by some other 'net forum idiot) They need to just shut the hell up and ride.

Get a brake, and learn to go around corners with the pedals spinning. Its really easy to get a pedal strike and go down on a fixie.

And yes, no brake is a hipster thing. Don't forget the checkerboard Vans, mens capri pants and mess bag.

I love riding my fixie, on the track. I don't get riding a fixide on the street.

For you, I'd wager that's 100% correct.

They're not man capri's, they're manpris.
And it's not a purse, it's a european carry all!

Pretty much says it all. Having a brake is a must, fixed bike or not.

If you have to ask, you need a brake.

1. I won't ride a brakeless fixie after my friend had his chain fail backpedaling down a hill (he had a front brake, thankfully).
2. In this litigious day and age why would you ever ride on the street without a brake? If you hit someone, whether or not it was your fault, you are looking to get sued.

It was pioneered by bicycle messengers. They put A LOT of miles on their bikes and don't get paid much. It was more cost effective to ride fixed gear bikes.

You're just a regular old barrel of fun.

To the OP: Get some brake levers (yes, two, so you can get a flip flop hub) and two brakes to go with them. I agree with whoever said that they're practically worth it for the ability to ride on the brake hoods.

I have to admit that I personally *never* used the freewheel on my flip-flop hub. But when I eventually sold that fixie on craigslist (had to reduce my stable to 3 bikes due to moving to a smaller place :'(), I think I got a lot more interest and a higher price because it had two brakes and a flip-flop hub.

I had a previous fixie with only one brake, and I liked the two-brake version a lot better because of the hoods AND because the feeling of braking the rear wheel on a fixie is weirdly cool.

Seems like the consensus on this thread is:
* Get the brake(s). You'll be glad you have 'em when you occasionally NEED them.
* Having brakes available won't hinder you in using a fixie to strengthen your legs and improve your cadence
* The only reason not to have brakes is for style.

I think a lot of people responding "get a brake" are making that recommendation based on the assumption that you are a relatively decent human being. Since none of us know you personally, that may not be valid. You could be a complete malignant schm*ck. In that case, I would pass on the whole front brake idea if I were you. First, your friends wouldn't think you were cool and second, being a Junior there is a very good chance that you haven't reproduced yet.

So to recap. If you are a decent person, get a front brake. If you are a malignant schm*ck, go without the front brake. Either way, go out and ride!

Race you around a corner any day, you fixed, me road bike.

Right. Chics love guys that fall down a lot.

I paid $10 for my front brake. How much is your life worth?

Wait, that was a little dramatic. How about, How much would you pay to avoid pain?

Az

Yeah, riding a fixed gear on the street actually DOES make sense, though only in relatively flat areas in my opinion:
* the bike is mechanically simple, and thus cheap and reliable (no worries about derailers, shifters, freewheels, etc.)
* a fixed gear provides EXCELLENT traction feedback on slippery surfaces. I find that I cannot ride my thin-tire road bike on snow at all, and slick pavement is very tricky, but can handle them well with a fixie.
* in city traffic, you can speed up and slow down very smoothly just with your knees, so you're not always braking and then struggling to get up to speed again. And you can trackstand at stop signs and stoplights with just a bit of traffic.
* it's a lot of fun for many people!
* it's good for training to improve your cadence

So riding fixed on the street can actually be very practical I feel. So not having gears may be worth it. But not having a brake is very foolish.

My housemate's boyfriend is a bike messenger in Seattle. He and his buddies have a name for inexperienced FG riders who insist on having no brake - "The Jokers". It's not meant to be a compliment.

If you read my posts I am clearly on the pro-brake side.
I was merely explaining why fixed gear bikes are popular with bicycle messengers.

Get a brake and you won't have to worry about losing your stop stick. And tuck in your shoelaces.

I'm building one and you should really have a front brake on the road. Having to be constantly vigilant takes all the fun out of fixed gear riding. In the velodrome, you dont need brakes because no one else can go faster than you and you can always slow the bike down to a stop. In the real world, that extra margin of safety doesn't exist. So yeah, put on a least a front brake on your bike. If you ride with with a flip flop hub and singlespeed on the other side, you'll need two brakes.

I've got a brake on my track bike, and two on the conversion I built. I can't think of any conceivable reason not to, other than looks. I love bare bars with no levers, but not enough to risk my stopping ability - I'd be riding around at 10 mph if I had not brakes. A cross-top lever or goldfinger gets close to the look without sacrificing the stopification.