http://www.ridethetrack.com/

Beginner sessions every Saturday. ;)

We know who we are & why we do it. :)

I imagine the false sense of security a person must have going faster than they would without a brake, only to squeeze their front brake in a panic moment & fly over the handlebars or lock up the front wheel & skid face first into the ground. To answer my own question, this is what I think. I would never ride any bike with only a front brake for that very reason.

1. looks fun.
2. looks safe.

not much to hate about it

And those people will learn how incorrect they are soon enough. But to assume that ALL fixed-gear riders who ride with a brake share that mindset is just as bad as assuming that...

That's what I'm on about; the prejudice (on both sides of this issue) frustrates me.

If you are going to ride brakeless you should practice the ted shred for situations like this, and keep a better eye on your chain tension.




I ride brakeless and when friends I know ask me about getting into, I always tell them they should definitely throw a brake on for awhile. Even I think having a brake makes sense, but I do also feel that riding brakeless gives you a differnt concept on riding. Its certainly not as practical, but to me makes it funner. This is BF, the general consensus here has always been ride a brake, no need to fight over it more.

I should have stated that this happened back in 1996. When I built my first track bike (non-conversion) & used a chain masterlink.

+1

i actually got my centurion frame that i converted out of the dump xD
it rides really nicely, is fun, and looks like a beater... which it is.

Jesus Christ, would you please cut the bull**** and get a f'ing clue? All the trolling, thinly veiled insults, and the verbal diarrhea and misinformation that you spew are the reasons why no one can take you seriously.

O.P. needs to read up on Sheldon's theories on this. I have and still do ride fixed with and without a brake and think that a brake is the way of a serious cyclist. You call it a false sense of security, it is more like being able to go as fast as you want, whenever. I love brakeless riding but only in the city when you dont get as much room to break out and really build up speed, especially downhill.

i dont even look at those two options,

i just judge them by their skin color.







bwahahahahhahaha
jk.

>.>
<.<



1 - conversion, i think - this guy/girl has not heard of the mercier kilo tt
2 - brake ("you're ruining the scene man!!!" hahahahaha. i think, wow this guy is smarter than most")

1. same as above, why does this person have an old piece of junk when track geo is so much cooler? mixed with feelings of "i love my kilo"

2. i think "well at least they're not ruining tires."

but seriously, i just agree, as always, with peabody.

It's not the bike that tweaks me.... it's the rider/owner, and the extent some go to be part of their little clique. If I see a guy, pants rolled up, t-shirt, fixed and cruising downtown... nice bike!

If I see a guy, pants super-tight, rolled up, ****ty american apparel shirt, ascot or hankerchief, mutton chops connected to a mustache, vintage cycling cap, no helmut, practicing "bmx tricks", well... he looks like a tool and a riding cliche.

Same with other bikes though, roadie in spandex, no biggie. Roadie in full on super-pro gear, shaved legs, riding a $5000 bike while cruising at slow-pokey 15mph at a park? tool. If you want to ride like your on The Tour, head outside the city and but out a 100 miles at 20+ mph.

Anyway.... I'm sure I look like an idiot to tons of people I pass. I'm sure we all look like idiots to someone.

it depends on whether they're riding it or walking it while sipping a soy latte in wicker park

brakes are a GOOD IDEA, especially in the city where stupid things happen incessantly.

Keirin racers (professionals) have a brake for insurance purposes if they get into an accident training on the road.

1) I get stoked when I see a conversion. You rarely see a conversion here in Japan. Most people with a conversion out here probably know a lot more than that kid who bought his keirin bike off of that Japanese auction site.

2) I check the rest of the bike to see if they are a serious enthusiast out training or a hipster. I have never ridden fixed with brakes. But I am seriously thinking of buying a Panasonic FP39 (their road training track frame set up for both front and rear brakes). Sometimes I really feel limited going down hills on narrower roads with traffic. Going down hills is the only part my geared Crosscheck is better than my track bike because of the brakes.

1. There goes a guy with some possible mechanical skills.
2. There goes a guy with some possible idea of safety.

There's two things I see:

For every dozen hipsters that get into bikes to use them as their latest fashion accessory, we'll snag at least one or two of them for life.

and,

It should be noted that most hipsters don't even think they're hipsters. ;)

I love how this is a story about how you learned not to use a masterlink, not a story about how you learned having a brake for emergencies isn't a bad idea! It seems like the skill that was necessary to mastering was grabbing onto bus windows with both hands in a 2 foot gap. If I can master that I can ride brakeless?

To answer the question:
1. What kinda frame is that?
2. What kinda lever they runnin'?

!. Humm, a FG conversion
2. Ok.


Now if I had a third thought...

3. Hipster wanabe post neo-messenger core.

KIDDING!
..relax.

When I got my first fixed gear (a conversion) I left the brake on and loved it. I rode for 6 months and practiced not using my brakes, skidding, skipping, etc. Then i eventually I got good enough and bought a entry level track bike. I removed the brake and I did fine. I got better and better. 6 months later I pretty much mastered riding brakeless (well, at least I felt that way). But here is what I noticed about me riding brakeless:

1) I had to keep my gear ratio lower for control and skidding. This resulted in slower riding.
2) I had to ride generally slower for safety reasons - I could never all-out-sprint in traffic.
3) I had to pay attention to every car's potential move and anticipate everything far in advance.
4) I had to begin my slowing down on hills sometimes a full block before the bottom.
5) In general I didnt enjoy biking as much. I missed going fast.

I hated going so slow. Then after getting murdered in my 2nd race I decided to change everything on just one bike. I put a brake on again and increased that bike's gear ratio. Wow, it was fun to ride fast again. I could now wait until the last second to brake and I could ride at any speed. Thats the part i missed the most. I like to ride at 48x15 or even 48x14 in traffic. Now i have brakes on both my bikes.

I don't admire brakeless bikes anymore. When i see a brakeless bike I see people who are chained to riding with restrictions. I feel a brake allows you to do whatever kind of riding at whatever speeds you like. Thats just my opinion.

+1.

+6

hell yes +1

What a turd.

perfect. this should be in the bikeforums.net ss/fg banner above.

I think,"****! I should be riding my bike too!" :rolleyes: Yeah, I dont give a flying **** what anyones riding as long as theyre having fun doing it :thumb:

Ride Among Us seems to have nailed it for me and a few other folks... I hate anything that slows me down and strangely enough, that device that helps me stop faster also lets me ride faster than I would if I didn't have it.

I really admire the younger folks here who have made the decision to run a brake and not bend to peer pressure...

the op of this thread (bigbris1) has quickly catapulted himself from "i've never heard of this guy" status to "my least favorite person on all of bikeforums" status, with his ignorant question and judgmental comments.

good job buddy! nice thread!

+ 1,000,000

I don't see anything wrong with conversions either. Sometimes it seems as though this forum is more obsessed with bikes as subject matter for photographs than it is with actually riding them.