The one thing that can get me to think about putting a front brake on my fixed is a hill...more specifically, the very steep kind with a busy intersection at the bottom. I live in a city that was basically built on a series of seven hills. Granted, there is alot of flat terrain on which I feel confident about my abilities, but there have definitely been some downhill moments that have shaken my guts and confidence. Any suggestions from more seasoned riders on hill tactics/technique? I haven't crashed yet, so mabye I should just stop worrying and keep on keepin' on. As far as I know, I am the only one in my city riding brakeless, so I don't have much of a support group from which to gather tips. That said, thanks for your help!

redundancy is your friend...opinions will vary.

there are alot of variables to take in when going downhill. i just try and keep my speed low either by standing and "absorbing" the force or if there is room, slalom. another thing is of course skipping or skidding, which i can't afford to do too often, because good tires are expensive. but i think practicing these type of techniques is important if you're not going to put on a brake. if the hills are really that steep maybe you should just put on a brake.

sounds like you need a brake.

Ive been riding brakeless for the past 2 months and I live in a town such as yours, hills and flat terrain. Im pretty good at keeping a slow pace down hills but I know if an emergency situation arised I would have to dodge it because I wouldnt be able to stop, which could be good or bad. My new bike is coming pretty soon and I opted to keep a front brake on. Not to use but just to have in case of a true emergency stop. I popped my chain going downhill, and brakeless the other day. Lets just say it scared some sense into me.

You can always walk too. Thats what I do when it gets a bit too hairy.

my front brake doesn't get much use really, but it has served me well in the past. there were two occasions where i lost the ability to stop using my feet while approaching busy intersections, and my brake was there.

slightly ot: i saw a bike locked up outside the bar the other day that was a breakless fixed gear with no clips. a whole new level of insanity.

I ride a lot of long hills, and I use a front and rear brake. On long hills, once my cadence gets so high that I can't maintain smooth, continuous pessure on the pedals, I'm not able to control my speed without a brake. In that situation, the front brake makes the bike more unstable, but the rear brake brings it back under control instantly. I actually use the rear brake on the fixie more than the one on the road bike.
No matter how you brake the rear wheel- back pressure, skidding or a caliper- no rear brake will stop as well as any front brake. That is just a result of the laws of physics, and there is no exemption from those laws.

EM

not all of us can ride broken bikes...

my straps are hella loose, don't think they've ever really had an impact on pedaling or braking. I might just not be thinking about it when I use them.

I ride a lot of hills and get plenty of use out of my front brake. I see a few people without brakes in the area and they crawl down hills, fighting the pedals. Different strokes for different folks. I like to ride fast, use 49x16 gearing and I'm too cheap to waste good rubber skidding.

i rode fixed with platforms for over a year. you get good at skids. but yeah its pretty sketch.

I ride w/o brakes, straps, chain, or shoes...I'm FREEEEEEE -eeahh!

Mighta been mine if you live in downtown Toronto I like to ride the ragged edge of disaster

it's hilly where i live, and so i have a front brake - only because of the hills. i've been glad of that more than once.

I was hauling around a corner on the Chester Creek Trail here in Anchorage (paved bike path) and as I rounded the corner there was a big bull moose in the middle of trail. I grabbed the front brake and skidded the rear a bit and made a quick u-turn. If I wouldn't have had the front brake I would of skidded right past (or into) the big bassturd! I think mating season is starting so I didn't want to risk trying to just blow past him.

Man, I hate getting "moosed"

Typical moose. They always hog the multi-use trails. Jerks.

learn how to skid, its not that hard. i have tons of fairly nice tires i got from a local coop and i rotate it regularly so its not too bad but thats how i do it. theres a super crazy steep hill on my way to work that i have to make a right turn on halfway down so i just skid the last 10 yards and do a skid turn at the bottom. skid turns are sweet.

oh yeah and brakeless fixed down a big hill necesitates a helmet, at least in my book

In my business, failures are presumed. So call me a poseur, but I have brakes on the front and back-just in case. I'm much too heavy to be using my legs only when going downhill. I'm getting better at it, but I'll never not have at least a front brake.
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One point: just imagine if the chain broke when going downhill (or if you somehow injured your knee!) A set of brakes sure would be nice at that point...

legs are brakes and bombing hills is alot of fun!

I was riding down a hill once, and my lockring stripped and came off (so the cog followed). I just put my foot on the back tire and stopped. It was a little un-nerving, but that's how we used to stop when I rode brakeless BMX. As far as skidding without clips, skipping seems to be impossible on platforms. I don't even ride my track bike without clipless anymore, clips don't seem to offer nearly as much control.

imagine if this guys puts on a front brake and uses it as a crutch to not learn a decent skid, then the brake fails (whhich i've had happen twice on my nice road bike and ive never broken a chain) and then he cant stop. i think its the same situation. and i think no matter what the theory is if someone gets a front brake their skid wont be near strong enough to rely on, especially going downhill. but thats just my .02

yeah that way works, i had a firend with a brakeless ss that stopped that way. clipless is definitely the way to go; its good stuff

...which is precisely why he shouldn't do it. I have 2 brakes on mine. If one were to learn these types of tricks, sure, take the back one off, but until then I think prudence should rule the day. But then again, I actually enjoy my health...