I sold my Miyata to someone who asked, "you selling that?" on the spot 12 years ago (with bag still strapped on my back full of packages) because I had enough of the no-insurance-dangerous-job-inhaling-box truck fumes all day-career. I walked off the rest of my runs & took a desk job.

I have a family too so now I ride for the enjoyment. Fortunately for me, those in-traffic instincts are still with me all these years later. But I find myself on bike paths & out of traffic all too often.

I don't hate, per se, someone riding with a brake. It's just it seems like they're either too scared to be riding fixed gear, or too lazy.

The other day I saw this guy on a fix going down one of Manhattan's steepest hills sans brake. Man, he was really cranking to slow the bike in traffic. I yelled to him, "yeah! No brake!" His head whipped around quickly & I saw him smile as if all of his effort was not going unnoticed. That's what I'm talking about. There's a dude I can kick it with.

1) "Get your money up" thanks IllSpecialist

2) Handbrakes don't belong on track bikes...even if the track bike is being ridden on the street.

worse than a track bike with a handbrake? A track bike with a freewheel and a handbrake.

^^^ agree, id rather see kids riding bikes... than doing god knows what... My conversion has a front brake on it, i feel that i need it right now since i just build my first FG bike and just started riding not even a month ago. Today i was riding with no problem with out using the brake, if i ever feel that i dont need it anymore ill ditch it. For now i wanna learn, not kill myself...
Plus 160 dollar fine isnt exactly what i need right now(thats for not havng brakes)

You must be the dude in my story above :)

this thread is ********.

I love my hour. But as soon as the next frame in my size rolls along that's not drilled? Man I'm on it.

1. must be poor like me

2. a perfectly logical person

i think brakes should be on street fixed gears. they should not be on track racing bikes. that being said, i'm not going to waste my time complaining when someone doesn't run a brake.

+1

I always ask myself if I should be riding with a brake, especially here in SF. But then I think, well if I need a brake then I have no business riding riding a track bike on the street. Not hating on brakes but if you wanna ride fixed then you should KNOW how to control your bike no matter what the situation.

ha! and you sound like me 20 years ago...

"had enough of the no-insurance-dangerous-job-inhaling-box truck fumes all day-career. I walked off the rest of my runs & took a desk job."

except that I didn't sell my bike :thumb:

When I see a fixed gear with a front brake I am usually quite pleased and in many cases it is a bike I had a part in building at our co-op. If it has fenders and a rack I get downright giddy.

I have little time for theses folks who insist that a fixed gear should be brake-less and up here they are in the minority as most fixed riders here rock a brake or brakes.

The argument that one should be able to control his bike without brakes is so bizzare and illogical that I can't even think of an analogy. Isn't it presumptuous to use the logic that those with brakes DON'T know how to control a bike?

Enjoy your bike purist circlejerk, the rest of the population will go on with more important things to worry about.

(fwiw I have a brakeless Track Pro and it is surly going down 10+ percent grades on 50-60 mile rides.)

No true fixed gear rider...

1. Indifference
2. Wow, an intelligent person.

1. Hey! A bike! Maybe we can be buds.
2. Someone that thinks logically! Maybe we can be buds.

Honestly, thank you so, so very much to all of you on this forum who are levelheaded, normal people that just enjoy riding bikes and helping people with legitimate questions. Bigbris, the fact that you don't realize what a massive, flaming ****pile of trying to impress others you are makes me cry inside. No one gives a rat's ass about your butt-ugly shoes or your money. Maybe one of these days you and your brakeless buddy can go "kick it" together and jack each other off while knowing how krazy your mad skillz are. I don't mind the type of bike someone rides or the setup, it's all about just riding. You can have a brake on your fixed gear and not touch it for weeks if you don't need to, but i'll be the first one to laugh my ass off at your toothless face the first time someone pulls out in front of you and you realize your sick skidzz aren't going to stop you in time. Grow the **** up, for real.

Actually, this was an honest, flameless discussion until you posted.

And you must be related to Ray Charles. Go back to your circle jerk with bigbris and practice your skidzzz

Transation:

1. I have no friends
2. I have no friends

And this is why:

all of my cars are sticks. I could down shift to slow down(back pedal) or I could yank the E-brake(skid). While I do downshift to slow down, using my brakes are much quicker and less stressful on the motor(my legs). In case of emergency I sure as hell don't downshift.

Thank you dueL.

Some people seem to take things personally when I start a thread then accuse me of bashing or flaming them. I'm just trying to gauge where the game is currently.

You can tell when a nerve has been struck because people tend to tell on themselves gratuitously.

Hahaha, yeah bigbris, nail on the head, I have no friends. That's what I care so much about telling everyone how crazy awesome all my rad stuff is, and if anyone has different stuff than me, they must be lame, poor, friendless losers. Thanks for opening my eyes, though.

Damn dude, don't get so upset. It's just the internet.

Well done.

thanks. my goal is to impress and awe the masses

Not sure why you're getting so worked up? Honest opinions were asked for...honest opinions were given. It's sad that you get would get so butthurt from things you read on the internet.

Skids? I can probably count on one hand how many times I've skidded to stop all these years.

Regardless, knowing how to ride brakeless, just riding brakeless and riding with handbrakes are three distinct riding styles to me. And so yes, you're right...it's all about the riding, but if there's no distinction between the three, then how will anyone find information about riding brakeless if they're looking for it?

And you're right, someone can have a brake and never touch it for weeks...but there are also riders out there who ride their fixed just like a road bike, rely on their brake and ride brake-focused. Some of these riders are almost more dangerous than people who know how to ride brakeless.

Judging someone based on whether they use a brake or not is just about as dumb as judging someone based on whether they are riding a conversion or a track frame.

You want to ride brakeless? Good on ya. But don't assume I can't properly control my bike, or that I'm lazy, just because I choose to ride with a brake. That's my call to make based on my riding *preferences*. I respect your choice to ride brakeless; respect my choice to ride with brakes.