http://img361.imageshack.us/img361/3595/bfa600rz2.jpg

Sturmey-Archer BF, 90mm drum brake. They also have a few other flavors. You can have a front brake and still use your precious non-machined rims.

Don't ride a brake, and then crash your front wheel, realize that you wasted too much money on a heavy velocity and get normal cheap bike parts that you don't feel bad about losing and getting stolen.

i knew there was some little slice of life missing...now i realize it was dutret's posts.

somebody go find juvikyle and let's talk about money!

But why not ask those who tried learning FG without any brakes, and died trying? I bet their story would be much more educational. Apart, of course, the obvious reason, that they're pushing up the roses.

get it non-machined and put a brake on it. if you have an old front wheel slap it on and try not to use your brake until you get used to riding. after a while put the non-machined wheel back on and only use the brake for extreme emergancys! this is what i did and i've still never used a brake even when i first got started.

You'll notice that you care way less about the aestetics of a bike once you actually start riding it. When its just a fetishized dream in your head your imagination tends to get a little bit out of control caring about things like non-machined sidewalls and no brakes. Practicality is the word once you're actually rolling. Get double machined rims even if you're not going to run a brake. But run a brake. Its not a fashion show. And stop stirring the pot.

+1, very sound advice-

Respect.

I started out brakeless from day one and haven't died yet.

That said, my next bike will have a front brake and yours should too. No reason not to, and plenty of reasons that you should.

You can always take it off. One day your brake may break, and you may be too lazy to get a new one. Thats what happened to me, but that was after I basically stopped using the brake. I know when I started out I thought the idea of riding brakeless was terrifying and dumb. After riding about 2 years brakeless I'm just about to put one back on. I wouldn't really say I'm pro, or anti brake, but I've definitely stopped caring about aesthetics as much. My everyday bike is so freaking ugly now after all the practical crap I've stuck on it. Meanwhile my super pimped cyclops track is basically useless on the road in comparison to my commuter. Machined sidewalls look great in my opinion, as they tend to catch the light and sparkle in contrast to the tire and rest of the rim. Bomb hills, hit corners fast, hammer everywhere. A brake lets you do this and I frankly miss that.

im not even going to read the other bullcrap thats between the first post and mine. with that, screw what everyone else says(the negative stuff). honestly, i know of a good handful of people who took the jump in brakeless land. they survived sure, but they lack something else, skill. i think its fine to ride without a hand brake but during the first few months where you are developing your riding style, street awareness and muscles the last thing that should be thrown into the mix is manually slowing the bike down. i rode for about a year and half before i took the brake off. hand brakeless riding is stupid, energy wasting, awesome, fun, energizing and very tiring all at once.

as far as the rime are concerned...do both, one non machined and one machined in the front. think for yourself.

brakeless from the start, although there were a few moments where one would have been nice, like the time i almost went down the on ramp to I76

^details?

^pics
?

^videos?

^Telepathic transmissions of the actual experience of this event?

(TTISWTTOTAEOTE)

haha

thanks for my first sig

finally something that applies to all threads here

Reading this thread was almost worth it for that acronym. But not quite.

(RTTWAWIFTA.BTQ)

I think its actually .BNQ not BTQ

well you wouldnt think it is pwned but it is

canadian logic does not apply on the intarweb

barspins!

...:rolleyes: