mangpress

amen

RichPugh

I can go the same speed regardless... Magically, I can stop faster and easier with a brake. I like math and science and physics and stuff...

RichPugh

p.s., in the spirit of debate, I dont have a NEED for a brake on the street, I simply prefer one

Sixty Fiver

I had a young fellow come into the shop today to work on his fixed gear and while my partner and I were appraising his bike we both mentioned, that among other things, he needed a brake.

He said that because he was "young" he didn't need a brake although it may verty well have been an issue of finances as much as anything else.

We explained in detail why the two old fixed gear riding guys rocked brakes (safety, speed, easier on the knees and tyres... ) and then told him that we'd set him up with a brake...for free.

Once we finished the build (with a brake) we went out back to test the bike and brakes and the fellow was stunned at how fast I can stop a bike and how much faster I can stop it with brakes.

I would consider him to be a convert.

jerseybmx

ok so my bmx is brakeless... and i can't lock up my back wheel to skid... and i stop just fine on that.


so naturally, my fixed is brakeless... but i can use my pedals to stop... i consider it an upgrade to brakes.

hell my road bike would be brakeless if i wasn't so lazy as to install downtube or barend shifters.


oh yea and rarely do i wear a helmet...


here comes the safety patrol flaming

beeftech

flame flame flame flame flame flame flame flame flame

anthegreat1

nah i don't know u, so as long as you don't hit me i don't care how you ride. if you kill yourself i'll never know

jerseybmx

hahahaha i love it.

if not young and reckless.. what else would i be?

anthegreat1

smart, responsible, considerate . . . . . . i'm young too but i don't have time to be reckless

deathhare

too busy making ugly t-shirts?

Wotan

You don't know how to trackstand.

RichPugh

I'm 34 and I have never worn a helmet doing anything (aside from riding my motorcycle which is required by local law) unless required by skatepark regulations and even then I was instructed to not take my helmet off while skating in the park. Its my choice just like it should be on a motorcycle... albeit smarter and safer to wear one, I choose not to. Brakes however are just kinda fun. Running 'No brakes' is fun also, just a different kind of fun. Brakes = Apples, Helmet = Oranges. I prefer apples over oranges and you cant compare the benefits.

beeftech

Well after a week of brakeless, reckless, city fun, mine gets cabled back up tomorrow.
Thanks for the fun guys.

Shame my bike probably wont see pavement again till it arrives in NY... sob sob sob.

samwell

I'd be interested to know the gear ratios for you fellows without brakes.

My two cents: I like riding a pretty high one (52/16) but there's a couple steep hills around me that I just don't have the muscle to control the whole way down, so I have to have brakes.

Suttree

87.7 gear inches is kinda at the upper end of the range most people are pushing, you could
go down. Some people run way lower gears, 68 thereabouts. I run about 72.

elTwitcho

I run 70 even with brakes. It seems alot of fixed gear riders just don't like spinning efficient cadences, unless I'm incorrect and they actually are riding around at 39 mph cruising speed...

J A Holman

Muscle control?

ahah you mean strength, natch

anthegreat1

no. thats why their ugly

bartonfink

Do you have medical insurance?

If you don't, then when you crush your apples and oranges, I'm the one paying for it.

stakes is high

key difference: when riding a brakeless bmx, you're generally dependent on jamming your foot onto the rear tire to stop. through the years, i actually found this to be a faster way to stop than using brakes. you're also on a smaller bike and, chances are (on average...), not going as fast as you would be on your fixed gear. i'm not so sure that skidding is as quick for stopping as foot jamming the tire.... though that's not really an option on a fixed gear.

that being said, i should get a brake on my fixed gear. i just don't really have the money right now. i've been riding without one for months now without incident (knock on wood...) but i know i should probably get a brake for emergencies.

dutret

You should take the time to learn how to ride a bike then.

Sixty Fiver

My road bike runs a brake and I normally spin at nearly 100 rpm with 78 gear inches (52:18)... stopping my bike from nearly 50 plus kmh is far easier with a brake.

hahabark

This is STILL going?

Jabba Degrassi

There's this thing called object permanence, it is an awareness that objects continue to exist even when they are no longer visible. Most people develop this ability before their first birthday.

tepr

its crazy, when a jackass starts a jackass thread on bfssfg, it develops into a 13 page ****storm of idiocy