Brake or no brake on a fixed gear bike?

Question or stupid question?

--------------------------------
do you like to skid stop? - then no brakes
do you like to skid stop with security? front brake
do you not like to skid stop? - front and rear brakes

I do not skid stop so I have front & rear brakes.

cheese or no cheese?

cheese i always say

I gave up dairy along with Gluten so I am going to say no cheese, especially since vegan cheese is kind of gross.





I miss cheese.


---------
Also, to hijack this stupid thread, did you give any thought to the NYC century ride?

No brake, no helmet.

First off, welcome to BFSSFG.

Second, just a heads up: 'brakes vs no brakes' is one of the oldest debates in the fixed gear world and there really isn't a right answer. If you want to read up on what others think, make some popcorn and use the search function. Or alternatively, watch the same debate go down here.

I'm going to assume that you want to go brakeless and are just looking for a valid reason to tell others why you choose not to run brakes. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but am simply going off of what 99% of people ask that question are really looking for. If you really want to ride without brakes, no one here is going to judge you for it. Just remember a couple things:

-make sure you have a good quality lockring
-foot retention
-backup plan if you drop your chain
-be sensible about your choice of gearing on the street
-when you fall, try and keep your hands on the bars as you fall.

If you're new to fixed gear, i'd say keep a front brake. You always have the choice to not use it. If you're more concerned about street cred and/or clean lines being ruined by a brake, then nothing I or anyone here can say will change your mind.

Hope this helps.
(FWIW i rode brakeless and had fun until my knees stopped having fun because old)

(Also if street cred, then go ****** brake like DA/Red/Record/PlanetX)

Brakes. A front brake is bare minimal.

Would you risk life, limb, and future for the sake of looking cool?
Seems like a bad trade to me.

I ride brake less and there's no real reason to ride brake less. I think it kind of makes you one with the bike idk some corny stuff but it will require a larger tire budget. There's no problem with riding with brakes but if its you're first fixed gear I would recommend them. I like brake less and I'm going to continue to ride brake less until I snap a chain and go into traffic.

Does having brakes on your bike actually prevent you from doing anything that having no brakes would otherwise let you do? Other than looking cool.

There is no good reason not to run brakes.

can't barspin for the girlies.

Ahhh, yes..I really was trying to think of something, but that definitely is one of them.

Also, no tail whips when taking your fixie down the half pipe

A disc brake with cables routed down the steerer would work; as seen on redline bikes.

Girls don't care about barspins.

Barspins are stupid.

These are facts.

+1, what the heck is that stuff anyway?

if you have a deathwish, run brakeless, unless youre just going to putz out of your loft on like 55 gi and lock up in front of the bar or better yet drive from the suburbs with your bike in the back, park somewhere and take it out and ride around the corner to the bar.... if youre riding fast, and if youre riding distances, id recommend at least a front brake, and also knees get tired, and wallets get tired of buying tires


so basically everything everyone else said but less funny

Troll or no troll?

Nah Scrod, you're not a troll, a tad grumpy at times but not a troll

As for the OP's question about brakes. I don't give a stuff about your safety, you make your decisions and you wear your own scars, but you can never stop as quickly without brakes as you can with brakes and that puts other people at risk. Hurt yourself if you like, but if you run into a child because you couldn't stop, you're a prick, not cool, just a low-life prick.

i definitely want to do it, i just have to see what my check looks like next week to see if i can afford to fix my car and register too

vegan cheese is gross btw.

My, my the trolls are out again, who let them out this time?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No brakes

BUT - only if you ride clippless AND lube your chain with the PROPER lube AND wear bibs while doing it.

Personally, I prefer Handbraekes...

Brake. Can stop. Want to.

Brakes are death!

front & back.

Fixie with front and back brake is supreme performance imo. You get the sweet back pressure of a fixie on corners (I liken it to downshifting in an automobile) and double pressure on stopping.

do yourself a favor a run a brake, was riding brakeless yesterday and my cog slipped, into a busy intersection, luckily I weaved through several speeding cars and about clipped a bumper, but I was reminded why i have a brake on my everyday bike. plus my neck hurt from clamping up and jaw hurt from clench and I almost crapped my knickers.

for true inspriration here you go why to not ride brakeless, dont be like this guy,