yesterday i put some origin8 risers on my bike and took my brake off. i like the risers so far, and no brake hasn't been a problem. today i rode about ten miles with my friend matt and my bike just felt ten times better. anyone else feel this once they took their brake off?

were you that self conscious about running a brake on a fixed gear?

i think maybe your ego feels better than your bike does.

put the brake back on, live forever

You ever hear of Icarus?

if by feel better you mean are forced to go significantly slower, then yes

brake = worry free ripping through town
no brake = thoughts of death the whole time I ride

wasn't self conscious and it probably was just me ego. i'm gonna die because of having no break. i worry every second i'm on my bike now.

just pullin your chain. The first time I rode fixed was on my friend's brakeless bike, it was a strange sensation to not have brakes.

My two days of brakeless riding were riddled with worry and hassle. Brakeless is just not for me.

See, judging by your post, you're obviously not. And that's what's going to lead to you getting hit by a car. A parked one at that.

So you changed to a more comfortable bar setup and removed the brake at the same time; and now attribute the change in feeling to the brake not being there????

Because we all know how the lever and caliper are really heavy and affect the aerodynamics!