on their fixed gear?

I do, but its because my bike is a conversion and I just started riding this bike so I wanted to keep the ability to run my flip flop hub on the single speed side.

if you are talking about running a single brake, itd be smarter to run just a front brake

nope, I mean in addition, I'm thinking I might like to keep both my breaks cuz I've got a flip flop hub and I'd kind of like to keep the option of Single Speed open....plus thinking it could potentially be useful in emergencies...?

The only Bikes Direct SS/FGs I'd consider are the Dawes, the Messenger, and the Uno, precisely because they're the only ones there with front and back brakes pre-installed.

aah. in that case, yeah thats the reason i got a motobecane messenger

Hey,

I have seen some people in Japan running solely rear brakes. I always thought that was stupid, but I have been thinking about on and off for some time. Now I recall they were using those aerodynamic spokes (with no hole) which cannot fit the front brake. ... I suppose having one of any form is better than having none (for safty point of view).

T

P.S. You guys shouldn't go single brake on SS. If you do, you have only one single system of braking; and if that fails you have no backup. I seem some people doing it, and it scares me.

I run both brakes, I like the security of having both, plus my bike is a "suicide hub" conversion so I don't do a lot of backpedalling (although I have done some and haven't managed to "die" yet so...) but having a back up isn't a bad idea and doesn't really add that much weight.

Get rid of it. Braking power and stoppage ability comes all in the front.

If you're running a crazy high ratio so you can't skid or you can't mount a front I suppose it could help but otherwise I don't really see a whole lot of point.

Currently I'm running only a front brake, but when I receive my custom frame and build it up with a flip-flop rear hub, I will have both brakes, even if I'm running on the fixed side. I'll have drop bars and I want brake hoods for added hand placement. Both brakes will not only be more functional but also look better in this regard.

how is it smarter to only run 1 brake? Have you tried braking with two before? Yes it is redundant, but it's not like it's useless because you will still feel a difference. It really becomes nice to have when the weather is bad, when you have a high gear, a lot of hills, or when you're tired and don't want to backpedal. If you have two brake holes why not use em?

So far, since i got my Messenger, i haven't used the rear brake all that much.

It's not too big a deal to back pedal to stop my bike, and i got used to using just the front brake on my last conversion and it was a single speed.

of course if these fail, you're not stuck without ANY options, you can always press your foot of the wheel to get yourself to stop.


When i decide to change handle bars, it'll have only one brake on it, and since i check my bike when i get home, if there are any problems with it, i'll know before i find out the hard way.

Not always so grasshopper, on descents you want back brake more than front for control/stability's sake and the lack of endo possibility if grabbing a handful of front...

if you're thinking of using the ss, def's stick with two brakes.

anyone run disc brakes?

I've got both front and rear, but they came stock on the bike. The rear really doesn't get used much (just for trimming speed on crazy descents). I also keep it around because I seem to be one of the only people I know who actually flip-flops his flip-flop hub.

Yes, sometimes I convert to SS.

Yeah, I'm turning my flip-flop into a winter commuter soon, and I'll have two brakes even if I ride it fixed.

It's good in the snow just to have that extra stopping power.

I do. My FG isn't a track bike; it's a road bike that happens to have a single gear, usually fixed, sometimes freewheeled.

generally true, but i bet you dont check the brake cable inside the housing. i had a fairly new (like 6 months old) brake cable fail on me in the spring. that was a painful wreck. it had snapped just past where it entered the housing from the hood.

If sportbikes are any comparison (even weight distribution and forward leaning stance are similar) then approximately 70% of your breaking power comes from the front. This means 26 foot stopping distance with just the front is approximately 20 feet with just the front. Not a huge distance but it could mean hitting an unforeseen obstacle or not, or slowing enough to avoid the object. Just my .02, my brakes suck but Im taking it pretty slow until I can fix them.

obviously you ride a lot of steep twisty hills... try it sometime with some wet leaves covering the road or some snow/ice on a freewheel bike with only a front brake and tell me how fun it was.

i will always run at least two brakes; of course the fixed rear wheel counts as one. i am not at all opposed to three forms of stopping.

there is a reason on cars that the front brake is larger than the rear brakes.....

Also good for dissipating heat between wheels on long descents. I've blown out due to overheating the by running just a front. If I plan on running that route, I use a bike with two brakes.