1> friiiiieeeend
2> hey so do i who cares?

this is the gayest thread ever, who cares honestly..stop being so detail oriented and ride. I hate elitist on any subject honestly. I do understand the views of both sides and i think it boils down to personal preference.

We Californians think alike.

well it is unless your wheel wasn't in the dropouts to begin with. The tire will hit the stay before that happens and even if it didn't you can't pull the non-driveside out so the wheel won't go anywhere. If you were a bit stronger and actually had to worry about this problem that would be obvious after the first or second time it happened with trackends.

i see a conversion and say "cool"

i see a front brake and say "he has a front brake"

The only time I looked down on a conversion was seeing a beat up piece of **** conversion with a front arr0sp0ke.

If I see a conversion, I see someone that is good at fixing bikes, and will want to be their friend because they have more knowledge than me. It rules to see people doing DIY stuff.

If I see a brake, I am relieved that the person is smart enough to take precautions. I also think they are probably a better rider because I always assume the person without a brake can't take cool chances, and thus is forced to ride in moderation. That may be a good thing, however, I like taking short cuts and knowing my brake is there just in case something unexpected happens.

:lol:

actually yeah, this is true...it just happened to me on my geared bike. i usually seat the rear wheel all the way back into the dropout, but i tried to move it up a bit just for fun. i didn't seat the axle straight so every rotation or so of the back wheel it made kind of a "rickety" sound...after about 10 miles and shifting into a particular gear, the wheel finally popped out of the dropout and into the left chain stay. bike stopped dead in its tracks but fortunately i could back pedal enough for me to get out of my clips >_o

so yeah, i think you'll know something's funky well before you have any problems.

The funny thing is, I'm pretty sure I've seen posts with BisBris1 declaring his love for his recently (in the last couple of months) acquired Windsor Hour. Nothing against the cheap frame, I've got a Pake I'm building up. It just feels like he's been riding fixed for maybe a few months top. Now he's acting like he's the holder of the sacred flame or something...

oh yeah...

1. I have a conversion
2. it has a front brake (and a back cause it's a SS)

Seriously. It's embarrassing. The brakeless rider killing himself to slow down in traffic is "someone you can kick it with"? You know who I can kick it with? The fellow rider who can ride next to me and NOT crash into me or take me down. That's it. That's the prerequisite to get into the cool kids club. Just be happy to be sharing the road with someone else enjoying the **** out of their bike and actually riding for chrissakes!! I ride with someone who mess'd and worked at bicycle habitat 10 years ago. You think he gives a **** how long people have been riding fixed or whether they're legit[I based on whether they have brakes or not? The true heads, of whom you so proudly proclaim to be a member, stopped caring and seeing a caste system of fg riders a long time ago (if they ever did in the first place). They know we're all cattle to drivers on the road.

Think about this, just be happy that another fixed rider who undoubtedly doesn't have your jedi-like skills (which, you've reminded us, time has failed to erase) will be able to control himself in the lane next to you instead of skidding into you and taking your old school ass out while trying to 'rep it for the tru hedz'.

1) Probably more interesting to look at than a track bike,
2) ....how about this: forget skidding, let's have a STOPPING competition. Anyone who can stop their genuine article "track" bike short of my 10 speed with the Deore V in the front can have my tires to make their wheels round again. Then lets do it again in the rain.

Why exactly are you posting in the fixed gear forum?

I don't like mountain biking, but, you know, I don't go into their forum and try to insult mountain biking.

I'm talking about what a front brake can do, and hence it's unique value, in a gratuitously provocative tone. It is a mountain brake, but the bike spends all its time on the road or on city streets.

also, it's not the fixed gear forum
it's the singlespeed & fixed gear forum

this thread has seriously inspired me to sand off the powdercoat on my rim and install a front brake (as soon as I get a cross lever). honestly I just want to spite the purists.

Why do you think I got PowerGrips initially? Or a top-tube pad? Or hell, for that matter, a Kilo TT?

:lol:

I think you are a newb and you should not care what other people think. Hopefully, other people have the sense to not care what a newb like yourself thinks.

Yes, and even Sheldon Brown thinks no brakes is a dumb idea:

http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html

Oh god, I made the mistake of skimming through this thread and found this gem. This is the funniest/saddest thing I have read in a long time....wow.

edit: I see you guys have been there/done that, I came late to the thread. Still, wow. Just wow. Lol. I think it should be quoted on any and all pages of this thread, it is just that bad.

We're at the top of the cycling food chain because cross welcomes all bikes, and people into the fold. We let the other D-bags tear each other apart because their bikes, or personalities don't fit some stupid set of guidelines. Cross is also the hardest thing you can do on a bike for an hour, so it weeds out the posers/fadscum in a heartbeat. In fact... we'll kick your fu(king @sses on a bike. We also have the best pot.

They are an enthusiast, especially if they did the conversion themselves.
They are smart.

I so love this place.
Conversions rock, like rock & roll.
And breaks, well that's very personal.
Oh yeah, and I love this place...this thread and all!
I'll admit that I'm a hipster, but it doesn't show cause I don't have my outfit yet.

LOL really? ha

fixed gear = cool, but are you sure you can ride that thing?

front brakes = who knows could be the difference between forever pushing flowers, or years to come enjoying your bike

are you asking this to gather information on whether or not you should keep your brakes on or should you install breaks at all, if so i would say yes install breaks, it's common sense better to be safe than sorry

1. Who cares
2. I think it looks better but should be left to those that are really skilled. If I could trust myself to ted shred in panic situations then maybe I'd consider it....well that and improving my skidding skills but that isn't really a stopping alternative as much as it is to control speed especially on hills.

did the OP intend a negative connotation about "conversion" bikes?

was it as fun as you anticipated?

it appears he's neg on both brakes and conversions now that he got the real deal... a bikesdirect windsor.

The OP started this thread with the intent to gather thoughts from other riders, particularly their mindset & unspoken thoughts in relation to other riders.

However, this has turned into a "put yourself [in a category] thread" & people have actually gone on record & have done so. The of people who caught feelings on this thread is immense, laughable at best. There are no underlying "hidden meanings" to any of my threads. Stop telling on yourselves.

Thank you to those who actually answered my question.

um...no! especially once i shifted onto the small chainring and suddenly heard *SQUEAK* and came to violent halt haha.

here's the thing man...first of all, i think almost all of us who posted in this thread did, in fact, answer your question. i don't know if you know this (and most sane people DO know this...), but what you're failing to see here is that the English language carries connotations far beyond just what you write, AND that culture itself carries connotations well beyond what you see and do. this is a DISCUSSION forum. don't act all hurt because people don't exactly agree with you. you didn't come to talk to robots. you came to talk to cyclists :D oh and humans...

No hidden meanings you are quite clear and either completely and totally clueless about pretty much everything regarding bikes or you are a mediocre troll.

By the way do you think that the mm clearance between your filed down brake bridge and tire is "hot" or "sexy"?