i just figured out what it is. its really just 'paying full attention.'

i but a brake on my bike and now im a reckless moron. im crushing the hell out of my gear even when lights are red and traffic will not allow. im only skidding to scrub speed now but im threshold braking so hard im like a unicycle. i swear to god i was probably safer without.
anyone ever put a brake on and feel this way?

I seem to be a slower cyclist without a brake. I pay the same attention but I dont feel less safe with a front brake... but I do pedal downhills much faster regardless of the stop expected at the bottom. I just know I can stop faster and easier so I go faster... its a lie when people say they can stop as easy or as fast without a brake.

I think ZEN is achieved when paying very little attention. it's what you feel the moment before hitting a car haha.

Just man up and zen with out a brake. Honestly, you don't need one.

No

No brakes, no mistakes! Fixed till I die!

it's more that paying attention...it's being fully conscious of your environment and being able to react and make split second decisions without even thinking about it...it's knowing what you and your bike are fully capable of and applying that knowledge to every second of your ride to get the most out of it...it's when riding becomes not just an activity but an instinct...

it's being in the zone...

you know you've reached zen when you feel invincible and you can ride as fast as you want because you know wholeheartedly that you can handle anything the road throws at you...

the line between zen and just riding like a reckless jackass is skill...

are you seriously blaming your recklessness on the brake?

Zen? I've got some zen in my balls that you might enjoy.

there are two types of posters on bikeforums: those who get the joke and those who do not.

and peabody, i zenned your moms.


lulz @rich 'it's what you feel the moment before hitting a car haha.'....

Unless you're riding with a track fork that won't allow a brake, I'd put one on there. Brakeless=skids and skipping (yea you can do it with out it but sometimes you gotta if you're riding fast and desperately need to scrub off speed) Tires=$$$. I finally threw a brake on after realizing that. I still hardly use it because I'm so used to using my legs, but its nice to know its there if **** goes wrong and living in Connecticut I can finally bomb those hills without worrying what will happen to me If the light turns red or a car pulls out in front of me...

Zen is using one finger on the brake

oy.

I am one of those that didn't get the joke, becasue it didn't sound like a joke.
So who got the joke?

I think 91MF is the joke.

Ooo, burn

the joke is that this is still being debated.

everytime somebody argues about having brakes on your bike, god kills 5 small cute animals

*crying*

my question was: for those of you who originally rode brakeless and then threw on a brake, did you find you were even more 'daring' than previous?

the joke was: i was implying that i was safer without a brake - obviously not true. although, i really dont see the problem with riding brakeless. bigbris stopped two runaway busses riding brakeless one time.

the moral of the story: riding brakeless saves lives.

i am serious.

i know someone who lived by the mentality that brake mean "go as fast i want because i can "stop" quicker than you brakeless 'fools'"...... well that guy hit a car last year and messed up his bike and his face.

You've got it.

Yo, I laughed mad hard at this. Funny thing is, some people who witnessed my infamous chain pop situation but didn't realize I couldn't stop otherwise, might have thought this.

Thanks.

If only there were some way of running a brake while maintining one's focus and concentration...

If only..........

"Zen" can be achieved doing anything really. It AIN'T exlusive to a brakeless fixed gear bicycle.

(or maybe I'm just not doing it right )

Since you explained it I will answer it honestly

"my question was: for those of you who originally rode brakeless and then threw on a brake, did you find you were even more 'daring' than previous?"

-I originally started riding track bikes brakeless and still do. My bike cannot take a brake unless I change the fork and/or modify the frame for a rear brake. So I don't know about the more daring part. If your bike can take a brake, why not have one? Just because you have it doesn't mean you have to use it. Forks and/or frames that can take a brake without a brake(s) just looks jackass.

"the joke was: i was implying that i was safer without a brake - obviously not true. although, i really dont see the problem with riding brakeless. bigbris stopped two runaway busses riding brakeless one time."

-The main problem I have about riding brakeless is my limited tire selection and gearing. I have switched to clinchers these days because of this. I prefer running decent tubulars, but since I commute also, I cannot afford to burn through a Corsa Evo CX every month. And I hate cheap(er) tubulars like Rallys. This is why I really want to build a Panasonic that takes a front and rear brake so I can run nice tires. And be able to use the brake going down hills. I feel having both brakes and brake hoods will also help me run a steeper gear so I can climb easier (hoods) and not worry about keeping a low(er) gearing for ease of stopping (brakes).

"the moral of the story: riding brakeless saves lives.

i am serious."

-I feel that riding within your limits and knowing your limits saves lives. I like riding brakeless though.

I am serious

haha

Zen is available for $97