bikessuck

hmm still seems pretty pointless to me. I doubt your bike is gonna feel any different if u have a brake on it. I don't think the transmission thing really goes with what you're saying. an auto or manual trans don't really change a cars performance and safety characteristics as much as riding with or without brakes on a bike.

frantik

manual is more efficient than automatic

if you want to do a proper car analogy, a fixed gear with no brakes is like driving in 3rd gear all the time with no brakes.

i think the only reason to ride brakeless is because brakeless bikes look badass.. or i guess if you want to do bar spins.

here in San Jose tons of people have fixies.. but i rarely see anybody with brakes. the bikes look cool, but only get used for tricks or very slow cruising

hairnet

It feels different. Try it out on a ride around the block

docboyd

actually they use a diff form of engine braking most often which is an exhaust brake...i dont care to explain just google it

liberalswine

They use a form of double clutching to prevent shock load

bleedingapple

speak for yourself

This

bikessuck

no it doesnt, the bike is set up exactly the same except for a small hunk of metal hanging off the fork crown. I mean you don't even have to use it if u really like braking with your feet. just have it there for emergencies.

yeah I believe it's called the jake brake

Ken Cox

If you want to ride brakeless, gear down to 72 gear inches or less (I recommend 63 gear inches, 45 X 19 X 28mm).

Ride 5,000 miles a year for four years with a front brake.

Ride the fourth year with a front brake and without using your brake or skidding.

If you use your brake or skid during the fourth year, keep riding with a brake until you can easily get around without any adrenaline-inducing surprises, without using your brake, and without skidding.

Accept the fact that if you want to ride really fast, you need a front brake.

No shame in having a front brake.

Skidding comes nowhere near stopping a bike as quickly as does a front brake.

In my line of work, we have a saying: "You can cheat death a thousand times, but death only has to win once."

If you ride at all, it doesn't take long to use up those thousand times.

After many years of riding, I ride brakeless, but I ride at 63 gear inches and I go downhill no faster than I can go up the same hill.

If you can't live with that, ride with a brake.

Scrodzilla

I think hairnet means it "feels" different (which I agree with).

Kenickie

how else are they going to get experience if you don't ride around?

.....

hairnet

you do it with a brake so you dont eat **** in emergencies or resort to stupid moves (which can take down other riders) because of your lack of experience. This is why I avoid brakeless riders for the most part. I know a few real good ones, but most just suck at it and put me in danger when I'm around them (yes I have been in sketchy situations because of these noobies)

EpicSchwinn

nvm

pylea

I get that brakeless looks and feels badass but it just seems infinitely more practical to run a front brake for emergencies anyway. I rarely use mine but I like knowing that I can if I need to. I'm too pretty to die.

Squirrelli

Pretty girls can run brakless and not die too, you know.

us sqrls are too cute to die but our average life span is like 3 years...

pylea

I was just being facetious about that last part.

My kitten saw his first squirrel the other day, he made this cute "ahh why are you so far away, I want to play with you" noise.

Squirrelli

Your kitten is adorable and such a natural model with his heart-melting faces.

JesusBananas

Mmhm. "Play."

Squirrelli

I was going to comment on that as well.

pylea

^_____^

plowmanjoe

automatics have closed the gap. automatic transmissions now have as many or more gears than manuals. i'm reffering to manuals as the kind of transmissions where there's a clutch pedal.

I'm referring to the feel of driving manual vs automatic. obviously they don't match up functionality wise. just speaking on the control and feedback you get when driving a manual and riding a fixed gear. brakeless just adds to it. it forces you to use back pedaling and forces you to bike in a different manner.

if i wanted to go faster, i would have to be able to stop faster. i'm not riding brakeless because it's the most efficient way of getting around. i guess it's like climbing without a harness, or tightrope walking without a net.

lvleph

Saw some bro today riding without clips and brakeless. Stupid people.

hairnet

I saw someone like that drop their chain on a descent in Silver Lake. GOOD TIMES!

lvleph

Saw another bro riding without clips and brakeless. This time the moron was going downhill. Good thing I was paying attention, because otherwise he would have had a nice trip over the hood of my car and straight to the hospital. And he probably will continue to ride that way. It was funny watching him try to stop.

RunningPirate

You mean like Ted Shred?

Bone Machine