Your rhymes are fresh, yo.

Illiteracy aside. Most kids are saying this ^. I don't believe a dropout type, or brake, can determine legitimacy of intent. Ride or die, ftw. . .

1. Hey, a bike.

2. Hey, a brake.

1. f cars !
2. silly

umm......you need to learn how brakes work?

never heard anything like this. in fact, it sounds really bizarre.



oh yeah, for the original two questions:

1. nice! and then I usually check what was converted and how.
2. nice! and then I usually check how brakes were added and what parts they used.

You would be amazed at how many people don't know how to use their brakes properly.

When bikes come in to our shop I always check the brakes and see countless bikes with rear brakes that are worn down to nothing and front brakes that appear to have seen no use whatsoever.

I give a lot of on the spot braking clinics.

Reasons I ride a conversion with a brake on the street:
1. I can run full coverage fenders
2. My track bike lives at the velodrome
3. Squared off tires don't handle very well
4. My knees are not replaceable
5. Slowing down a block before a light while bombing a hill is not my favourite activity

Does my conversion make me cheap? I don't think so. I own two fixed gears, one for the track, one for the street. I had the chance to build the street bike around a track frame. Track frames don't take full fenders. You don't want to ride in the winter in Vancouver with no fenders.

That being said, my track bike is nicer than my conversion and I like the way it handles more. What it comes down to is that I can't reasonably shell out for a third fixed gear bike to ride around on(especially since my stable consists of 4 right now), I can't shell out all the time for new tires, and I definitely can't and have absolutely no desire to shell out for knee replacement surgery.

65'er<-----and you are a good man for it!

you are right to point out that it isn't just not understanding how brakes work (and by extension how to use them to stop effectively) a lot of time people have their bike's brakes so poorly maintained they wouldn't help much anyway.

perhaps for those few fearful and lazy souls, brakeless is the best answer.

it's not. having trouble reading it?

Ride or die, ftw
 

FTW ,ftw

1. seeing other FG / SS conversions is what inspired me to start working on my first one last week. It's a great way to learn all about how to work on a bike, since I've had to true the wheels, repack the hubs, put on a new chain, etc. etc. Definitely a fun way to get "deeper" into the world of biking.

Sure, if I was rich I'd get "deeper" by buying a $2000 Keirin bike. but i'm not there yet, financially or skills-wise, so I'm having fun with what I've got to work with. I don't understand the snobby attitude of some of the posters here against conversions. I don't see anything negative about it, especially since the bikes that are being converted generally have a low value and weren't getting any love to start with.

2. i ride SS so brakes are essential.

i've never been critical of anyone's bike, so long as it looks like it's the right size for them and they are having fun riding it!

What I hear from a lot of people is that they are afraid to use their front brake because they envision themselves flying over the handlebars...

When this happens I bring down the fixed gear (I always have one at the shop) and we head out the back lane so I can demonstrate high speed panic stops on a bike that only has a front brake.

Besides being really fun to ride, my fg bikes are also good teaching tools.

i just like to ride my bike.

i ride brakeless, i've never ridden a track bike with a brake, but i don't really care if other people do. at the same time, new york city doesn't really have many hills so it's not a big deal. if someone yelled at me causing me to turn around while i was riding down one of the few hills through heavy traffic, i would not be very happy with them, and would definitely not feel any sort of camaraderie due to the fact that they also had no brake.

hmm, and as far as conversions go, i don't really like them personally, but thats more due to the fact that i always picture the wheels popping out resulting in a major crash. i'd rather see a wide variety of conversions than a million stock kilos or whatever bikes direct has on special though. its just more interesting.

man this thread is so full of 1337ness.

gets better in the last few pages though...i personally don't care. not more than a few months ago, if i saw someone without brakes my first thought would be, "Whoa, legit." now the issue's become so pretentious with people with more money than skillz proclaiming "Brakeless for life!" or "Brakes are for *******!" for street cred, whilst having no concept of the importance of cadence in choosing gearing, the shape of an efficient pedaling arc, etc. IMO, do what you want...brakes are perfectly logical, but power to you if you choose to ride without one. though probably the best response i've seen so far is this...

(props on the Misfits reference, btw :D)

I don't recall seeing a fixed gear bike w/o brakes here in Pittsburgh. The reason is we have nothing but hills, the roads suck and most drivers and peds are clueless.

My current fixed gear bike is brakeless, but it is ridden from my house to the bus stop 1.5 miles away. I know the route well and I'm fine without it. I used to have a Madison that I rode brakeless when doing the 7 mile circuit at a nearby park, but would put the brake on when riding on the roaf with friends in urban areas. I knew my skill level and respected the fact that I'm not able to handle and situation. I rarely reached for the lever, but a few stop signs at the bottom of some steep hills made me happy to have it.

I prefer brakeless riding but I understand the increased contol and added security of a properly-adjusted, properly used front brake.

That said, Any bike with a single cog in the rear gets my attention and I have to get a closer look. About the brake thing, I don't think about it. To each his or her own.

There's nothing more aesthetically pleasing (IMHO) than a well set-up track bike. the high-saddle, the low drops, huge chainring, and severely narrow tires look really good, regardless of their performance.

On the streets, however, even the zen-like fixie flow sensation can't prevent you from getting run over by an SUV-driving soccer mom who's doing her makeup, drinking a non-fat mochaccino, yelling on the phone, and yelling at her kids. I'll take brakes, pleasethankyou.

The idea of a conversion does not bother me unless the frame is a valuable classic road race frame. I often see bikes that would be better served being restored with period-correct parts instead languishing as some kid's beater. Seeing a classic track frame treated in the same fashion is just as bad from a bike historian's perspective.

The idea that riding a fixed-gear bike without brakes puts you in some elite company over those who prefer brakes is just a desparate attempt to separate yourself and establish an identity via something that you enjoy but that has also become popular among a crowd you don't want to identify with.

1. Hey, a bike!
1. Hey, a smart person on the bike!

I'm so glad to be over 30. Many things become much easier.

I'd be scornful if I saw a classic Merckx with the braze-ons filed off, but other than that, it doesn't matter. Bikes go through phases just as much as their owners. Given a few years, someone on a conversion will likely put gears on it eventually, or sell it to someone who will.

isnt mentioning hipster.. the hipster thing to do?!

1. He should get a Kilo TT and paint it green.

2. He should take the brake off because that's what all the cool kids are doing.

(1) Why don't they possess a clearly superior mass-produced, Internet-purchased Taiwanese wannabe Windsor, preferably powder coated a neon color?
(2) They must like living and going fast. (Yes, brakes help you go faster.)

...thats quite a picture you have...

Hey, that looks like my bike.
(PDG Series-5 conversion, still running both brakes)