go brakeless! freewheel brakeless is the new fixie!

That's only true if you're new to using just a front brake. If you get your arms straight and stiff enough you won't have any problems. I don't even use the rear brake on my road bike anymore.

I'd say go with only a front brake. I ride my track bike with only a front brake/SS sometimes and it's MUCH safer feeling than my SS with just a rear coaster brake. Then again theres a lot greater chance of a front caliper brake failing that a quality coaster brake.

wait, wait-- describe. i'm this close to feeling like a pompous ******.

brakeless!

Both.

Sorry, but I have to say from experience that slamming on BOTH brakes will STILL send you flying over the top of your bars. When stopping so quickly all your weight is shifted forward and the back wheel will do nothing.

I really wouldn't want someone else to get an extra scar because they thought slamming on both brakes means they would magically stick to the ground.

Also, on a non-fixed bike you should have two brakes in case one fails. This may seem rare, but its more likely that you don't hear about it simply because people have two brakes usually. I have seen dozens of friend's bikes this year that have one working brake and one malfunctioning brake. Slightly rotated pad on one side, a not so tight bolt holding the fraying cable, extreme friction due to cable path, unadjusted after wearing the pads and not enough gripping power with the lever hitting the bars, etc.

Riding safe is cool!

Practicing your hockey stop lately?

Or maybe that "Use your leg" suggestion is more effective? (OUCH!?) Perhaps they meant "Shoe".

Not any easier than if you slam on both the front and back simultaneously, because if you do that, all your weight will transfer forward, and then it's just like slamming on the front. If you just slam on the back, it'll transfer weight forward until the weight on the rear becomes so little that it skids - something that makes for long "braking" distances. It's not especially easy to do an endo; as someone else said, brace with your arms. That helps keep your system's (you + bike) center of gravity between the hubs and therefore you from going over. Really, though, it just comes down to practicing keeping your center of gravity where it should be by means of body positioning and lever regulation. Having good toe-in on your calipers helps with the latter immensly.

I think you have that bit backwards. Weight transfer makes the direction you're decellerating into grip more. In a truly quick stop, the front brake is doing ALL of the work. Case in point: "stoppies" are examples of getting awfully close to maximum potential deceleration.

Yeah I was backwards with that. Thanks!

I ride just front on a SS, and I'm A'OK...perfectly safe as long as the brake is maintained and you know your bike.

I like having two breaks on my singlespeed.

I mostly only use one but what the hell.
I'm not that desperate to look cool i'm afraid.

Beat me to it.

You don't want any breaks really though.

I'd rather have brakes

I'm kind of chubby and I ride in the city a lot (usually commuting to Temple and stopping in CC for Reading Terminal goodness or something else I need to pick up). Besides that, not me. :D

I'm just doing it to see if anybody catches me at this point.

both.

and white people love correct grammar, and much more so, correct spelling... we also loves bikes.

stuffwhitepeoplelike.com

Get used to it.

Thanks for the rational answers
 

As well I just made the move to an SS and my more experienced highly competitive friends had made me question 2 v. 1
-Tom

For what its worth -

When I'm not biking around, I drive my scooter everywhere. I've only had a front (disc) brake for quite a while, since I broke my rear (drum) brake handle. Recently, I bought a new brake lever and reattached it to my scooter.. since then, I rarely use my rear brake, as I've learned to use the front more efficiently.

I ride a motor cycle and the quickest way to flip it is to use your front brake. In braking it is rear brake to slow and then front brake and rear to stop.

Everyone should love correct grammar and spelling, regardless of skin color. Those that don't are idiots and should be treated as such.

Don't slam on your brakes; modulate them. When you brake, make sure your weight is on the back wheel.

If you can't control your front brake when slowing so as to avoid an endo, how do you expect to not endo when you decide it's really time to stop? *boggle*

If the traction limit of your front tire is sufficient to flip you over the bars, then your rear brake will not help you stop faster. Unless, of course, you are unable to control your braking power so as to not cause an endo. That would be an issue of poor setup or lack of experience, not an argument against a front brake being more capable or appropriate to use. Like has been said before, learn to modulate (or more simply to control) your brakes and you won't endo except in exceptional cases such as unexpected piles of tacky glue, sand pits, potholes, roots etc.

But seriously, doesn't anyone know why you would have a rear brake? It's for those cases where you can't endo because of insufficient traction. This can be caused by poor road conditions, good CG position (from a braking perspective) or even just being in a corner. It's when you can't endo that you want a rear brake to improve your deceleration.

p.s. i have ridden motorcycles as well, and it's all the same theory. at this level, even cars are the same.

huh?

Don't get me wrong, I use both brakes while stopping.. but my front brake does 95% of the work. I've had to jam my brakes in a few instances, and I've never felt like I was going to endo.

note: on my scooter :D