Braking on a fixie
06-25-07 | 02:21 PM
#28
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 266
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by deathhare
Go start a 'brake vs. no brakes' war somewhere else.
And as it was said, the main thing is about common sense, whether you ride brakeless or not. It's very ballsy thing to ride brakeless though. I hope I'll be able to do it someday, just for fun.
And about snapping of the chain. I heard you can stop the bike by putting your gloved hand on a front tire. Does somebody stop it like this?
06-25-07 | 04:32 PM
#29
some new kind of kick
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,542
Likes: 1
From: Smog Valley
Bikes: SOMA Rush, Miyata 912, Kogswell Mod. G, want a porteur bike
Sheldon Brown mentions the mechanics of skidding somewhere on his site--
I find it easier to do than explain but then again I don't do it well--it seems
to take a lot more strenth on the drive side leg than the other. . .
Brown sez:
Skip Stops
rakeless riders generally need to master a technique called the "skip stop." This is a way that you can actually lock up the rear wheel using your legs alone.
You have to really want to do it, you can't be tentative! It's easier when you're going faster.
The lower your gear , the more effectively you can "brake" by resisting with your legs. Despite what some folks will tell you, you can not stop nearly as short this way as you can by using a good front brake.
I find it easier to do than explain but then again I don't do it well--it seems
to take a lot more strenth on the drive side leg than the other. . .
Brown sez:
Skip Stops
rakeless riders generally need to master a technique called the "skip stop." This is a way that you can actually lock up the rear wheel using your legs alone. - If you lock one leg at the bottom of the pedal stroke, as the pedal rises it will start to lift your body upward.
- When the cranks get horizontal, pull up on the front pedal, while pushing down on the rear one.
- Because your body will have acquired upward momentum, when you yank up with the front foot this will temporarily partially unweight the rear wheel, making it possible to initiate a skid.
You have to really want to do it, you can't be tentative! It's easier when you're going faster.
The lower your gear , the more effectively you can "brake" by resisting with your legs. Despite what some folks will tell you, you can not stop nearly as short this way as you can by using a good front brake.
06-25-07 | 05:48 PM
#30
Fattest Thin Man
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 2,648
Likes: 4
From: Directly above the center of the earth
Bikes: Miyata 610, Vinco V, Rocky Mountain Element
Originally Posted by queerpunk
that was probably the cog's fault, not the hub.
Now I have a brake and don't skid any more. I also stop a lot faster and closer to where I want to. Seems like a simple solution to the problem.
Az
