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(32 years old)
anything i should know about other that the obvious?
hubs, pro max? chain? i've alread aquired an @ss of steel.

spider-man

Tighten the lockring and cog! Hubs are people too!

ink1373

do it slow. keep the brake on for a while and don't use it. if you manage to ride for a month or two like this, and still perform your emergency stops adequately, then take it off.

jumping into it isn't a good idea. it can be done, but it needs to be done well.

michaelnel

My first fixie has no brakes, and I can't wait to get a brake on there. Scary stuff, this no brakes biz.

GetOutOfNJ

make sure your chain is a-okay. mine broke skidding towards in intersection a month ago (= sucks)

huhenio

Get a front "emergency" brake ... and use it sparingly.

Alexi

47-18 is your friend...

stendhalian

i'm 34...just do whatever the hell you want. you've earned it!!

onetwentyeight 

you learn the timing of how much momentum you have and how much time it takes you to backpedal to a stop. Learn how to skip, its about the fastest you can stop on a fixed gear. If your frame is a little small, you have an advantage as it makes doing skids to the side a lot easier (think powersliding on a bike). Take care of your knees. USE CHAIN TENSIONERS. They're just one more thing that will prevent your hub from slipping in the drops when under a lot of pressure. Use 1/8th for your drive train. Use locktite on your lockring. Get a burly chain. Safety first!

spud

48 x 15 is a better friend

Sin-A-Matic

I ride 48x16 and have been riding for several months now. I haven't bothered trying to learn how to skip or skid, but I'm going to teach myself once I get my back put back together.

Is riding brakeless possible without being able to skip or skid? I'm not asking because I'm going to try it, but I couldn't stop on a downhill without a brake if my life depended on it. Is skipping the only option when going down a hill?

onetwentyeight 

for starting out??? 48x15 is around 84 gear inches... maybe 48x18

sr20det

don't skimp on parts.
& slowly change to higher geared cogs.
take it slow & don't rush.
and also tell us how to get steel hard asses.

roscoenyc57

thats a good gear for around here.... it'll help you get the feel of it.

spud

i started out 53 x 17

thelung

Just go fool around in an empty parking lot and you will be skidding and skipping in a few days at most.

Sin-A-Matic

Yeah, I'm looking forward to learning. I was nervous to try it at first but after reading up here, I'm not that conerned anymore.

onetwentyeight 

You can do it, but I recommend learning how to skip at least. Just for poeice of mind. I commute daily on a breakless bike, and i almost never have to skip or skid, its all about understanding your limits and how fast you can slow down with back pedaling. Ride smart. Worst case scenario just jerk up with your strong leg and youll initiate a ghetto skid. Don't recommend doing it if you're not comfortable with it, but its doable. I rode with a brake for about 7 months till I realized I wasnt using it and I switched to breakless and mostly only because my new frame was undrilled, otherwise I'd probably leave on a front brake for peace of mind. I know its not as "cool" or sleek looking, but cars around here are a wee bit unpredictable at times...

rvabiker

First and foremost don't listen to a thing onetwentyeight said. 1/8" is not going to do a thing for the durability of your drivetrain except maybe weaken it (see sheldon brown). Chain Tensioners are not worth the money in my opinion and shouldn't be looked at as something that will make your bike safer.

I never put a brake on my bike becuase I couldn't afford it when I got my surly. Baptism by fire...I say if you want to learn, take it off and ride around. You will learn quick, I promise you that.

onetwentyeight 

I've found 1/8th chains to be better made and much stronger than a standard road chain, admitedly that may just be because I've spent more money on a quality chain now that i ride 1/8th. I have had 3/32 chains break on me however, take that as you will. I feel a lot more comfortable putting power in 1/8th. I've seen bikes without chain tensioners pull a hard skid and the hub slipped to one side because the bolts weren't tightened enough. It gives me peace of mind, plus it makes it alot easier to dial in a proper chain tension.

edit: i know a lot of people who ride brakeless and none of them run 3 / 32. Just saying.

alexhays

get a 18/19 on the back and skidding will be easier, as will slowly down downhill etc

Sin-A-Matic

Good idea. I think I'll do that.

sr20det

helmet.

46x17

Chain width has nothing to do with strength. I rode 3/32 chains with no brakes for a year with zero problems. Many track racers even ride 3/32 because they are lighter. The only reason I switched to 1/8 was because it was hard to find 3/32 by 144 chainrings locally and because the fat chain just looks nicer. KMC makes a very good 3/32 chain. Businesscycles has them.

Regarding firs time brakeless. Make sure your drive train is tiptop and then just listen to your bicycle it will tell you how to ride you will feel what to do.

HereNT

I'm going to second ink1373 on this - it's a learning curve. I first went brakeless when I had a rusty brake seize up on me when I used it in the middle of winter for the first time in months. I keep kicking myself a little for not having one on my winter bike, because it's actually made to accept one. It helps on the long downhills, and I've just been too lazy to go find a long reach brake...

Other than that, downhill is doable, but often you'll find that you're going slower than you would be if you were walking down the hill, just trying to keep it from going out of control. I'm not too proud too admit that there are hills that I've climbed that I walked down the other side.

Skipping is a neccessary skill, but you shouldn't rely on it too much. What you want to focus more on is the timing of how you ride. I think I remember [165] being told that if he was riding brakeless he better have 'a good pair of gloves and long streetvision' (quote may be wrong - it was quite awhile ago on his blog.) It's true, even if I got the wording wrong. You need to be more aware, and adjust cadence and speed constantly to the conditions that you are in. The good pair of gloves is for one of the only quick outs that you have - reach down, grab the front wheel with your palm, try not to lose fingers...

Thankfully, I've never had to use that.

The other important thing is to make sure that your drive train is always at optimum tension and durability. Keep it clean, keep it tight. I've thrown a chain before coming up to a red light when I was having too much fun skipping instead of just backpedalling and maintaining speed like I should have. It's not fun to be suddently coasting towards cross traffic. I knew my chain was loose, but hadn't felt like adjusting the tension. Regardless of the 1/8 vs 3/32 debate in this thread, proper tension, which tensioners do give you, is a great thing. It also helps with trackstands.

I hope this helps some. I'm only 30, but with the abuse I've put my body through, I'm guessing I'm really at least 40...