I'm 58 and most of my riding is fixed gear. I do have front and rear brakes, seldom used but glad to have them when I need them. I don't do clipless on the fixed gear, but rather slotted cleats; no problem loosening the strap or snugging up again -- often quicker than the young-uns with their clipless pedals.

But cars developed anti-lock brakes so that the front wheels wouldn't lock up under slippery conditions. Bikes have no such feature and the front wheel will lock much easier in wet than dry pavement.

It's virtually impossible to lock a front bicycle wheel on any surface short of oily glass.

I acknowledged that grip will be less in the wet. That doesn't mean the solution is to stop using your primary brake because you might induce a skid. Before ABS did you ever hear of anyone advocating using only the rear brake to stop a car?

Learn to modulate your brakes in dry and wet conditions. It's a crucial skill for safe riding.

]Maybe a slight exaggeration. And of course, it is possible to lose traction without actually locking the wheel.

My argument for using some back brake in the wet isn't just about locking up the front, it is about allowing one to modulate the front brake a little more. I certainly wouldn't go to mainly back brake except on surfaces that were loose or icy, rather than wet.

Some of the stuff posted in this thread is just astonishing.

Go to this thread in the Long Distance forum for some excellent tips on riding fixed gear:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...d-Gear-Century

Forget about the fact that it is in the LD forum. The thread has been developed by people who ride FG a lot, and know what they are talking about.

LOL. We've rather lost track of the fact that it was originally about riding FG...

Agreed. I was sidetracked by a couple of posters that advocated having only a front brake on bikes that coast or using only the front brake in slippery conditions. Maybe there was a misunderstanding regarding my use of a rear brake. I would by no means apply only the rear brake except to scrub off speed or to compliment the front brake in coming to a stop. That's my personal preference. On a fixed gear bike I believe that there is no need for a rear brake since the rear wheel can be controlled by the rotation of the crank.
Anyway, I intend to keep riding fixed gear since it is a new experience for me and a change of pace to my geared bike. Variety in life keeps me going.

You gotta be kidding.

No, I am not kidding. If you watch the track sprinters, cadences of 180-200 are commonplace. The BMX champions can spin at >180 out of the saddle. On a rest day during the 2012 TdF, team Sky had a small-ring sprint competition for fun, and to keep their legs loose. Cavendish tweeted that he had won with a cadence of 227.

Downhill on my FG I start to get lumpy, and therefore nervous, at around 150. But I don't do enough work on leg speed, I'm lazy about it.

I wonder how many members of this 50+ forum can spin 150. I do not come close.

Probably a minority. But it isn't about age, it is just practice.

Have a long way to go before I attempt that especially since I've never done a century before on any bike. I don't even like riding a motorcycle for a hundred miles.

This data from my fixed gear spin bike at the health club. Peak cadence looks impressive but it was only for a few seconds during several attempts at getting impressive numbers.

Hi,

Whatever you think the system essentially removes the option of using
the back brake only, not giving the rider that option. Racers don't like it.
That is the safety feature of the system, no back braking only.

The rider can go all front brake on the front lever, or use the rear
lever for both, and use both to modulate front to rear braking.

I have no idea as to what options the rider has you
are implying they have under different conditions.

rgds, sreten.

Did you actually go an look at the thread? Forget that it's also about riding a century.

I am not so sure about this. You might be able to moderate your speed at lower cadences, but once you get above 100rpm on a downhill... well go out and try it, then report back to me.

FWIW, my FG has front and rear brakes. Always has, always will.

Hi,

Essentially a FG doesn't need a rear brake. Riding a FG with no front
brake (stupid) is very different to a FG bike with a good front brake.

Using the front in anger makes locking up the rear on your legs easy.

rgds, sreten.

The reason the rear brake on a motorcycle is less effective is because of weight transfer to the front of the bike during braking. This lightens the rear wheel, making the rear tend to lock easily in hard braking. I suppose this same principle would apply to bicycles, too.

I read the OP and your post and it seems to me the dominant topic in those two posts was how to ride a century on a fixed gear. I didn't read beyond those two posts.

I, for one, would never attempt 100rpm on a downhill on a fixed gear. There are those that do.

This system was never meant for racers and I know that racers removed it. We are going to have to agree to disagree. Your contention that a rear brake is of no use is implausible to me. I roadraced motorcycles in my youth and I always used both and believed everyone else did also.
My contention that fixed gear bikes do not need a rear brake is based on my belief that most fixed gear riders use their bikes as commuters or ride on fairly level ground around suburbs or city streets and don't attain the kind of speeds that one would on a geared bike. You have to go up a hill to come down the other side and I don't think most fixed gear bikes are setup to climb. I've been wrong before and there are always exceptions.

I bought a late 1980's Tommasini Super Prestige a few years back from a kid who butchered the bike by taking out the original Dura Ace components and converting it to a fixed gear. I put in a freewheel and rode the SS side for a couple of years. Never rode the fixed side. Just sold the bike a few months ago.

If this thread was started a year or so ago, I may still have that bike. This thread has gotten me keen on riding a fixed gear.

Maybe we should start a 50+ fixed gear forum!