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Some riders even do away with brakes entirely, instead relying on a trick called skid-stopping, in which the rider uses his own (fallible) physical strength to stop the pedals and the wheel. If you think this sounds stupid, that’s because it is.

Riding a fixed gear puts pressures on the body that are unnatural. The constant motion can wear out knees and allow acids to build up in leg muscles. If you think you’re going to ride fixed your whole life, I’ve got news for you: your knees are going to wear out after a few years of riding.

But even if personal health isn’t a factor, there are a myriad of others reasons why you shouldn’t choose a fixed gear. Fixed gear bicycles have inherent mechanical properties that make them unsuitable and unsafe for riding in a city. The fact that it is more inconvenient and challenging to stop means that sometimes fixed riders just don’t; it encourages the rider to ignore traffic signals such as street lights and stop signs. I can’t count the times I’ve seen a fixed gear blow through a busy intersection on a red light or run a stop sign right in front of a line of cars.

Additionally, there is an issue of stopping control. Whether on a busy campus or in rush-hour traffic, the ability to stop your movement at a split-second’s notice is pivotal. Relying on fancy tricks to stop when you have less than a second to both perceive and respond to danger is ridiculous. Even for fixed gears with brakes, the sudden application of a brake to a fixed riding system is jarring and has the potential to hurl the rider straight over the handlebars. Imagine if cars weren’t able to stop on a dime; bikers love to ***** about ******* drivers, but it’s possible to be a jerk on a bike too. If bikers want to be able to use roadways, they need to have brakes and they need to be able to stop. Period. If you want to make choices that have negative consequences for you, like not wearing a helmet, fine. But being unable to stop endangers everyone on the road.

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