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Fixies and Rear Brakes

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Fixies and Rear Brakes

Old 03-17-10, 03:03 AM
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Nooooooooo eugen nooooooo! Lol
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Old 03-17-10, 02:57 PM
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Hey muckymucky, the rear brake is just to keep the cops away, right? And you'd use a front brake if the fork was drilled, right? Is the Leader your GF's? Just wondering.
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Old 03-17-10, 05:17 PM
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Originally Posted by TejanoTrackie
Hey muckymucky, the rear brake is just to keep the cops away, right? And you'd use a front brake if the fork was drilled, right? Is the Leader your GF's? Just wondering.
lmao, are you serious? It's muckymucky, if he had his way, none of his bikes would have ever touched brakes of any kind.
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Old 03-17-10, 05:29 PM
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yea defintely tejano~ if i ever get a factory drilled concept fork~ i think i'd get some mavics with machine surfaces and finally own a front brake setup. so fingers crossed for some future concept/super pista forks that are pre-drilled~

and nah leader is some kid's new bike i tested at Apex Cycles (our local LBS). gf has no bike yet, iro heidi soon is the plan.

Last edited by muckymucky; 03-17-10 at 05:44 PM.
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Old 03-17-10, 05:35 PM
  #30  
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If you do that, you should put both levers on the seatpost.
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Old 03-18-10, 08:38 AM
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Originally Posted by TejanoTrackie
Hey Bobby, Sixty Fiver is not an internet cyclist, he's a real world been there done that cyclist, and doesn't need or deserve your snarky attitude. Are you really interested in intelligent give and take, or are you just someone trying to stir up trouble here?
This struck me as a very witty response to an unnecessarily dismissive and condescending remark.
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Old 03-18-10, 08:51 AM
  #32  
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My commuter is a '76 fuji track, undrilled so I run a front kierin brake. My "cafe" bike is a '79 raleigh track, on which I run a rear kierin brake. I wanted to keep the front clean looking, but still have some sort of brake option. The rear brake is useful as I can stop quicker using it + my legs than with my legs alone. Though not as quick as with a front brake. It is also useful on steep descents when I don't feel like fighting to stay in control the whole way down with my legs alone.



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Old 03-18-10, 09:00 AM
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norskagent - Those are some beautiful bikes.

I only have one fg with a rear brake (it also has a front brake) and as a long distance bike that rear brake is great for bleeding off speed and keeping my front wheel from melting on descents.
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Old 03-18-10, 10:41 AM
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Originally Posted by shinyandfree
This struck me as a very witty response to an unnecessarily dismissive and condescending remark.
I'd imagine there's a distinct correlation between things you find witty and your misunderstanding of the term. If you read the thread in chronological order, you will notice that Sixty Fiver issued the first dismissive quip. In an effort to observe the golden rule, I offered up a dismissive quip of my own. For some reason it was only mine that seemed to draw the ire of Tejano. I'll chalk it up to the fact that Sixty Fiver seems to be a "regular" here while I seem to be a "newb", thus some forum members feel a defensive allegiance to Mr. Fiver.

All in all that's neither here nor there, and I honestly feel a bit silly even continuing this tangential discussion considering this is a bike forum, and not some bulletin board set up to facilitate petty squabbles between anonymous internet subscribers.

EDIT: Shinyandfree - if you were referring to my comment as witty and I misunderstood, please disregard the precipitous post!
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Old 03-18-10, 11:58 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by mihlbach
If you have a good front brake, the rear brake (no matter what type) is basically useless for an emergency stop. A rear brake is more useful for modulating speed or when conditions render use the front brake dangerous (loose gravel). I've ridden fixies with a front and rear brake and with only a front brake. I don't find the rear brake to be of much use. Backpedaling on a fixed gear is basically an appropriate surrogate for a rear caliper. I'll use the rear brake from time to time if I'm being lazy and don't feel like backpedaling to modulate speed, but I really don't feel that its necessary.
3 more of these then /thread
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Old 03-18-10, 03:06 PM
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It was only 30 stitches mucky. And yea some of us use rear brakes because we don't feel like drilling holes in our carbon forks.
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Old 03-18-10, 03:16 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by flyingjew
It was only 30 stitches mucky. And yea some of us use rear brakes because we don't feel like drilling holes in our carbon forks.
clearly you are using the wrong tool for the job at hand.

just because you can hammer in a screw with a wrench, doesn't mean you should.
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Old 03-18-10, 03:18 PM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by AEO
clearly you are using the wrong tool for the job at hand.

just because you can hammer in a screw with a wrench, doesn't mean you should.
Wow, that was beautifully put.
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Old 03-18-10, 08:41 PM
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Originally Posted by AEO
clearly you are using the wrong tool for the job at hand.

just because you can hammer in a screw with a wrench, doesn't mean you should.
seriously~
qft~
you are my new signature.
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Old 03-19-10, 01:40 PM
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Front and rear brakes work for me. It's nice to be able to give my hands a break on long downhills and I use the tops of my break levers alot. My rides are pretty long.
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Old 03-19-10, 04:12 PM
  #41  
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My post count now reflects how many miles I used to ride in a year.
I love this. Whats it work out to, about a $1.15 a mile? I used to have an RB-2 with an old Cateye on it, very fun when payday came around. Had to do the math myself though....
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Old 03-19-10, 05:58 PM
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Originally Posted by TL179
I love this. Whats it work out to, about a $1.15 a mile? I used to have an RB-2 with an old Cateye on it, very fun when payday came around. Had to do the math myself though....
With payments, insurance, and upkeep running my newish van used to run me $8000.00 a year and even the old Nissan Sentra had to burn a little fuel.

When I stopped driving and went car free I rode as much as I used to drive and just invested in more food to keep my engine running smoothly.

Now that my commute is 30 steps from my back door I ride for fun and utilitarian purposes.
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Old 03-19-10, 08:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Sixty Fiver
With payments, insurance, and upkeep running my newish van used to run me $8000.00 a year and even the old Nissan Sentra had to burn a little fuel.

When I stopped driving and went car free I rode as much as I used to drive and just invested in more food to keep my engine running smoothly.

Now that my commute is 30 steps from my back door I ride for fun and utilitarian purposes.
Lucky!! That's an awesome commute... did you move closer to work, or did you just end up getting a job near your residence? Either way... as someone who has to drive on the interstate to get to work, I envy you!

: )
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Old 03-20-10, 12:00 AM
  #44  
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how far away do you have to drive?
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Old 03-20-10, 12:02 PM
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"fixies"
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Old 03-20-10, 12:32 PM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by muckymucky
also helmet please. one of our guys just got 45 stiches above his eye for not having neither~
45 stitches? Was he lobotomized?
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Old 03-21-10, 08:22 AM
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one thing that hasn't been mentioned is what happens in emergency situations when instinct kicks in.
i have had a couple of freak near misses, dogs suddenly in front of me with no warning, and in each instant i grabbed both brakes. and in both instances i know (well I strongly assume) i would have endoed without the back brake. i was very thankful for both brakes. most riders might have better instincts than me, but i feel the body memory of years of two brakes riding comes back to me despite four odd years of leg stopping. something happens in freak situations that takes us back to what our body kinda does on auto pilot...that's why i never feel quite right with just the front.
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Old 03-21-10, 09:15 AM
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Originally Posted by astroman
one thing that hasn't been mentioned is what happens in emergency situations when instinct kicks in.
i have had a couple of freak near misses, dogs suddenly in front of me with no warning, and in each instant i grabbed both brakes. and in both instances i know (well I strongly assume) i would have endoed without the back brake. i was very thankful for both brakes. most riders might have better instincts than me, but i feel the body memory of years of two brakes riding comes back to me despite four odd years of leg stopping. something happens in freak situations that takes us back to what our body kinda does on auto pilot...that's why i never feel quite right with just the front.
With or without the rear brake you will/can endo if you pull too hard on the front brake and/or don't get your body in the correct position, which is as far back and low as possible. The first time I rode an adult bicycle with a front rim caliper brake, a NYC Taxi cut in front of me and I simple grabbed both brakes as hard as I could and did a perfect gymnastics dismount over the bars, landing on my feet facing the front of the bicycle. Bystanders on the sidelines applauded my skillfull feat, but of course it was a 1 in a million outcome. I did everything wrong. I was sitting upright with my hands on the tops of the bars, which were raised tourist style above the height of the saddle. I also had my arms bent, so as soon as I hit the brakes, my weight shifted forward, which decreased the resisting moment to overturning about the front wheel. You can stop hard with a front brake, but it takes practice. Go to a deserted road or parking lot and practice stopping hard with the front brake. Move your body back to the back or even past the back of the saddle, bend your back and straighten your arms so that your body is as low as possible and your locked arms keep your body from shifting forward upon deceleration. Gradually increase the front brake lever force until your legs no longer feel the rear wheel turning as it starts slipping (skidding) or lifting off the ground. This is the maximum braking point for the front wheel. Next practice hypothetical situations where you are casually riding along and see a problem emerging. First, straighten your arms and push back while simultaneously positioning your hand on the front brake lever, and then apply progressive force on the front brake. Finally, use your brakes only as a last resort in abnormal situations, and use evasive maneuvers first.

Concerning dogs. It's my experience that dogs will typically not run in front of your front wheel, and will instead let you pass by and then chase after you either from behind or alongside. So the best tactic is to slow down but not stop and simply hold your line and ride by. If the dog is initially in your path, it will simply move aside and then chase. Most dogs just want to chase and won't get aggressive and start biting unless you start kicking at them or spray them. The faster you go the faster they'll go and vice versa, so there's no point in speeding up.
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Old 03-21-10, 02:36 PM
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i always find this video fun to watch:





Last edited by muckymucky; 03-21-10 at 02:43 PM.
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Old 03-21-10, 03:01 PM
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Originally Posted by Bobby Sixkiller
Lucky!! That's an awesome commute... did you move closer to work, or did you just end up getting a job near your residence? Either way... as someone who has to drive on the interstate to get to work, I envy you!

: )
I recently moved my bike shop from a commercial space that was 2 km away to my garage which is a hop, skip, and a jump from my back door... that is if I could hop skip, or jump.

I live on a busy and well traveled bike route...

Used to ride 30 km a day just to commute and would tack on another 20 for fun and utilitarian purposes.
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