Single Speeds with only a front brake!?!
11-21-07, 12:15 PM
#77
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good times.
11-21-07, 12:18 PM
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11-21-07, 01:24 PM
#79
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11-21-07, 01:27 PM
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11-21-07, 01:28 PM
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11-21-07, 01:43 PM
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^^ Wrong. Upwards of 80% of your braking power on a motorcycle is from the front brake.
They tell you to NEVER lock your rear (which is instinct in emergency situations) because locking your rear will toss you into a low slide skid which.. a skid on a bicycle is fine and dandy but I dare you to try holding onto a 600lb vehicle while doing one. I was lucky the one time I locked up my rear, .. very lucky. After much quick brake practicing the next time I was in a dangerous situation I kept from locking the rear and put all my effort into the front brake and I stopped much safer and cleaner (stopped so fast I burned brake fluid too)
Proper braking technique on a motorcycle (aside from engine braking) is using front brake while applying a little on your rear for control.
This is why I have my front brake on the right on my SS. Bicycle braking is similar in that braking in your front is far more efficient but since a bicycle is so light the rear brake comes into play more so.
They tell you to NEVER lock your rear (which is instinct in emergency situations) because locking your rear will toss you into a low slide skid which.. a skid on a bicycle is fine and dandy but I dare you to try holding onto a 600lb vehicle while doing one. I was lucky the one time I locked up my rear, .. very lucky. After much quick brake practicing the next time I was in a dangerous situation I kept from locking the rear and put all my effort into the front brake and I stopped much safer and cleaner (stopped so fast I burned brake fluid too)
Proper braking technique on a motorcycle (aside from engine braking) is using front brake while applying a little on your rear for control.
This is why I have my front brake on the right on my SS. Bicycle braking is similar in that braking in your front is far more efficient but since a bicycle is so light the rear brake comes into play more so.
11-21-07, 01:46 PM
#84
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^^ I suggest rereading what I said.
Basically in your statement calling limited back breaking b.s. is a false blanket statement. There are very good reasons why the front brake is the more powerful and the brake that a lot of places are teaching people to use by itself until they understand the bike more and get into more advanced riding / skill levels.
Proper braking technique on a motorcycle (aside from engine braking) is using front brake while applying a little on your rear for control.
11-21-07, 03:23 PM
#85
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lock up the back wheel; no biggie...
lock up the front; BOOM! down you go.
also, if you have two brakes and never use the back one your not stopping as quickly as you can... why?
11-21-07, 03:55 PM
#87
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I actually removed the rear brakes from my car.
Factories put the rear brakes on, because they are totally useless and unnecessary; engineers know this, and that is why they always include them in their designs. I'm pretty sure I'm smarter than the engineers who decided rear brakes were a good and necessary idea. Besides, don't they just add more weight and make it harder to stop? And don't rear brakes look so much more hideous than front brakes? Barf out - gag me with a spoon.
A locked front wheel also provides 0% directional control. How cool!
Factories put the rear brakes on, because they are totally useless and unnecessary; engineers know this, and that is why they always include them in their designs. I'm pretty sure I'm smarter than the engineers who decided rear brakes were a good and necessary idea. Besides, don't they just add more weight and make it harder to stop? And don't rear brakes look so much more hideous than front brakes? Barf out - gag me with a spoon.
A locked front wheel also provides 0% directional control. How cool!
Last edited by Mos6502; 11-21-07 at 04:21 PM.
11-21-07, 04:37 PM
#88
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11-21-07, 05:01 PM
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11-21-07, 05:05 PM
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11-21-07, 05:12 PM
#92
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but in NO WAY does he TELL YOU TO ONLY RUN A FRONT. In https://sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html if you scroll down to "Flip-flop hubs" you will read:
"Also, note that you should have two brakes if you will be using a freewheel."
There, done, fugheddaboutit.
"Also, note that you should have two brakes if you will be using a freewheel."
There, done, fugheddaboutit.
11-21-07, 05:17 PM
#93
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People take that Sheldon Brown article WAY out of context. He absolutely advocates using TWO brakes on any bike with a freewheel.
The point of his article is that the majority of braking force in normal, dry conditions is from the front brake and that proper braking begins with understanding this.
In wet, sandy or otherwise adverse conditions a rear brake is invaluable and will probably save you a lot of skin.
The point of his article is that the majority of braking force in normal, dry conditions is from the front brake and that proper braking begins with understanding this.
In wet, sandy or otherwise adverse conditions a rear brake is invaluable and will probably save you a lot of skin.
11-21-07, 05:27 PM
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I tend to haul around a loaded BoB trailer a lot so having two sets of brakes is vital, even on flat dry roads it takes a lot to get that thing to stop in anything even remotely resembling a short distance.
11-21-07, 05:45 PM
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Hey, I'll never have a freewheel bike (other than a coaster cruiser) with only a front brake. But I think the rhetoric goes pretty crazy in the other direction as well, as in: "OMGz if u dont run 2 breaks the terrorists win!!!!!1!!!111!!!!one!"
11-21-07, 07:03 PM
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^^ I suggest rereading what I said.
Basically in your statement calling limited back breaking b.s. is a false blanket statement. There are very good reasons why the front brake is the more powerful and the brake that a lot of places are teaching people to use by itself until they understand the bike more and get into more advanced riding / skill levels.
Basically in your statement calling limited back breaking b.s. is a false blanket statement. There are very good reasons why the front brake is the more powerful and the brake that a lot of places are teaching people to use by itself until they understand the bike more and get into more advanced riding / skill levels.
11-21-07, 07:07 PM
#98
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. I would still never do it.
11-21-07, 08:12 PM
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The most common ratio those guys run is 74.2 inches. Thatll get you pretty damn fast.
Definitely cant "literally walk off of the moving bike" at that speed. But you can crash hard if you need to.
Not to mention there are such things as hills in the world.
11-21-07, 08:47 PM
#100
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No, i haven't, but have know quite a few sponsored bmx guys, and most of them who took it "seriously" rode at least one brake.
Please, oh please give me some sort of reference or source where you came up with that particular number. this should be good.
I have personally worked in a small bmx shop in NEPA and have never seen, save for brake riding actual RACERS, anyone go over 65gi.
Why do people talk like this?
I have personally worked in a small bmx shop in NEPA and have never seen, save for brake riding actual RACERS, anyone go over 65gi.
Why do people talk like this?
Last edited by time bandit; 11-21-07 at 08:57 PM.