You can give your dad my number... I'll straighten him out for ya.

QFT....but brakeless is still cool.

after reading this thread I'll I can hear is:

And we all know how this ended. That being said, you'll be fine.

Ummm,....i think if you want to always go FAST maybe so!

However, i commute on a fixie that is geared low (61 Gear Inches) because i have some long hills on one of my regular routes for a few miles. Normally i doubt i hit 10 mph on the flats.

My favorite pedals are the late 1980's Shimano Deore XT wide MTB pedals, PD-M730

I have 5 sets of them on various bikes,...two of which are fixed gear in that gear inch range. I NEVER feel unsafe or that my feet will come flying off the pedals. On downhills i use the front brake and rear leg power,....always in control.

My 1977 schwinn paramount i converted to fixie i have front and rear brake,......and use the same MTB pedals.

Guess i'm saying speed is a BIG consideration before you make a blanket statement like that. Commute at a realistic speed and you don't need to clip or strap in.

If you just pootle around at lower speeds you can get away with flat pedals but if you are going to spin like a gerbil on crack, foot retention is essential.

My reasonable commuting speed is 30kmh / 19 mph... I spin in the mid 90's.

I will occasionally ride the FG with sneakers when I'm just riding with the kids. Any other time, I feel like I absolutely need to have my feet attached.

10mph is a "realistic commuting speed"? Are you climbing a mountain both ways or something? I have a couple hills on my way to workand back and average around 17mph without trying to cat6 it.

I ride brakeless without a helmet and I'm still here.

How many more skids do you have left in you ?

A few more since I'm no longer riding monster gears

Was thinking that perhaps you just had the biggest set of them all and just threw those into the wheel to stop to save those knees.

Listen, in my area my main commutes are 5-10 miles round trip, usually 2 times a day each. The ONLY sane route is traveling along the little used (by pedestrians) sidewalks bordering the 4 lane highway. Traffic is supposed to be maxed out at 40mph, but often hits 50 mph.

With NO pretected bike lane and several street crossers and a few bikers killed over the last few years, i'm ONLY riding the sidewalk route. I think the police understand that too, as in the last few years i've never been questioned by them although i pass them regularly.

Top speed is not that important on these relatively short commutes, but safety is! I slow down to a crawl whenever i pass the occasional dog walker and such,....so i suppose that's a factor also in no complaints filed.

Because the sidewalk is not smooth, speed is limited also and i probably get a better workout because of it! Lots of up and down ramps, with concrete separating cracks and uneven spots.

You can race along all you want in the road,......but my odds of getting "hit" or crashing are way less than yours. At almost 57 my racing days are over anyway.

Commuting is more about getting there and back anyway,....and not so much how fast. And i doubt you're doing that average speed on a low geared flat platform pedaled fixie???

Can't stop...don't want to...

Noooooooooooo. I can't believe you reminded me of those lost hours, and the $1.07 that I'll never get back from Redbox.

+1 to everything here.

I ride and race road bikes and fixed gear bikes. There are times I wish I could modulate my speed with my legs on my road bike, maybe just out of habit, I dunno.

Wear a helmet, slap on a front brake, and get some foot retention. You'll be just as safe as the dude next to you riding a freewheel.

I rode my fixed gear brakeless last Sunday...


















....at the velodrome.