I'm running front/rear brakes right now with cheapie platforms that I tore off my Giant so I could ride the new IRO. I'm planning on getting Shimano clipless/platform pedals soon but if I had to rely solely on brakes and not skidding (say I'm panic braking or I decided not to wear the cleats that day), would it be safe to use just front brakes? I'm used to using my front brake only so it'd be a change but I'd eventually get used to it.

My beater errand bike that I keep at work (old Bianchi Pista) has standard platforms, no clips/straps. I run a front brake too. No problem.

+1. My rain/grocery bike has a front brake only and no cages. I also ride a bit of a lower gear, but I've never had any trouble with it.

3 questions to ask yourself
1) what's my gearing?
2) do i live near big hills?
3) how fast do i like to go?

if the answers are not too high, nope, and leisurely, then you'll be fine... if otherwise, then "safe" is a relative term.

1) 46x17
2) I live in a flat area and I never venture out onto the foothills with my fixie
3) On the flats, I go as fast as my legs can possibly spin.

Question (I'm not used to road brakes, been using standard (vbrakes?) all my life)

How close is are the brake pads supposed to be to the rim? Right now if I flip the brake release lever up and yank the wheel out, it'll touch the tire but still give it just enough room to easily slip out. The problem is, my lever pull length feels really long. Maybe I should just experiment with it later tomorrow.

If you try to haul it on fixed without pedal attachment and you're not used to it, you will meat tenderize your legs sooner or later. This hurts. A lot. Can be gory too.

Brake pads should be as close to the rim as you can get them without them rubbing when you pedal hard and the wheel deflects a bit. Don't go by the quick releases, with the brakes dialed in it may rub a little even with them open. Also, many road brakes don't have a reach adjustment, so people with small hands may run the brake a little more open so that they can get a stronger, more closed grip on the brake.

That fast spinning is gonna get dicey without cages. I would chill out when you ride without your cleats, or else you might wind up with a pedal-shaped indent in one or both shins.

I've been riding fixed since I got the bike a couple weeks ago. Headed into the shop to get a SS cog on the flip side of the hub and decided that a fixed/fixed hub would've been better. But it's already too late to change it.

My next question is, when riding SS, I need both brakes right? So I was thinking, why don't I just leave the rear brake on? Unless I plan on riding fixed only (which sounds tempting), I might as well leave both on.

Everyone knows the SS side is the flop side and the fixed side is the flip side. Get yer werds rite.

Quit using suicide pedals. Riding with those is dangerous, pointless and shows a complete lack of understanding of bicycles and fixed-gears.

Yes, there are some people who can pull it off. You're not one of them.

Sorry if this is harsh, but I think some tough love is in order.

If you can't lock up your rear wheel reliably you need two brakes.

I'm not a proponent of this by any means (although I will ride with sandals down to Blockbuster), but it's still safer and more logical than single speed with only a front brake.

No way Jose. SS with just a front is good for just about all occassions except with you've got slippery conditions. Fixed with no foot retention is good for anything as long as you don't go to fast. Most folks encounter the latter more than the former.

Either way both are bad.

Safe and doable on Albany's hills in the dead of winter.

I dont get how people can feel safe without something holding their feet to the pedals.

Power grips and some MKS pedals are next on my list after a topeak morph pump.

Oh +many to the powergrips.

Here's my question. I ride a road bike right now with cheapie toe clips just to get used to them. How the hell do you guys get your feet in the cages while you're riding? I put one in, start riding, then when I'm going I coast to put the second one in. I dont see how I'm going to do this on fixed. For the past couple weeks I've been pedalling everywhere in one gear to get used to doing it. The one thing i cant do is put my feet in the cages and pedal.

^^^ just keep on practicing....

Practice. However, if your pedals don't have little tabs on the back to help you kick them around, it can be tough. If you just bolted clips onto old rectangular road pedals, this might well be the case. Put a little bolt in the back of the pedal so that the end sticks out and you have something that will catch on the sole of your shoe and it will be a lot easier to kick around.

its really not a big deal. Break free from the Bondage of toe straps and ride your bike like millions have since the dawn of the bicycle.

lulz, In this particular instance I can appreciate a small amount of bondage

I figured that's what the little tab was for. Still, I can see myself smashing into the ground a couple times until I get it started. There are only 2-3 stops I always have to stop at on my way back from class, so I'll have a lot of practice clipping in, and probably falling down.

I ride SS in New York w/ a front brake and no clips and it's just fine. Just make sure the brake works and you trust it. The front brake does most of the work anyway, even when you have both. Whoever said one brake isn't great in the rain has a good point as well.
Z