Mainly because I want to learn how to ride brakeless, it seems like it's a lot more natural. It's not gonna be for a while(if at all) with my Madison.

I didn't even know they made shoes for biking(sorry I'm butting in on your conversation, but it sparked my interest). I guess I'll have to look into that since all I own are nice Asics and high top Nikes hahah.

uhhh... schwinns are fail...

Thanks for contributing, not. Get outta here.

I don't think riding breakless is more fun! It's much more fun riding fast when you know you can stop if you need to. I have a front break on my fixed and though I don't use it for every stop, it's nice. I guess you'll figure out if you want it. I haven't been riding fixed for very long either so maybe I'll change my mind later?

Unless you are totally looking for the zen of riding brakeless, listen to this guy:
Get out there on a nice 2% downhill grade and spin up to about 30mph. Then try to stop without using your brake. When you see how many blocks it takes you to get your speed under control, you'll see why it's more fun to ride with a brake.

I rode brakeless for almost a year with a 44/14 setup. That all changed when i was cruising at a good 25 on flat road, and my chain slipped off. only reason i didnt die was the intersection happened to change when i was about 5 feet before it. At least have a front brake for emergencies.

Some guys at Bert's know their stuff. I've been a friend with Luke, a mechanic at the Transit store forever. They tend to chuckle at fg riders unless you seem to have an actual passion for it, they're not fans of people who jump on it because it's in vogue.
Anyways, good to see some Buffalo kids on here.
I went the complete bike route too and picked up a Felt Brougham at Campus, and am quickly as budget allows me to switching stuff out for stuff I like more.

As far as the brakeless part, i have a brake and am yet to use it. But I like having it there if I need it. It's basically a ebrake if anything ever happens like dropping a chain or something...

Haha, well I hope they don't segregate me, because I am just starting out and I guess I don't have an ACTUAL PASSION yet because I haven't even started, but once I start riding, I really want to.

And yeah, true, after all the examples, right, what if you're coming off a steep hill going 30mph easily, and approaching an intersection? Good examples you guys provided.