Current Projects chat and miscellany

What an embarrassing first post but...

This was like my first real experience riding a fixed gear bike. My friend had just converted his bike, so I tried it out. (It is like a 19" frame [sorry, I'm American] and I am 6'4".. so this thing is tiny) He lives near a little hill type thing so I get the great idea in my head of running the bike down that, while peddling as fast as I could (I figured I would be fine, because the bike had a front brake --- little did I know it barely worked whatsoever)

So I'm screaming down this incline, and I get the brilliant idea in my head to take my feet off the pedals... and well... yeah. I was an inch from going face first into a very sinister looking thorn bush.

Lesson learned.

actually there are several ways to stop your bike in this situation

1. Take one of your feet and lightly jam it between the frame and the rear wheel causing the sole of the shoe to rub against the tyre making your rear wheel slow down. Make sure you dont jam it too hard the rear wheel will crush your toes agiainst the frame.

2. Handbrake as i call it is when you reach out with one of your hands to the front wheel and grab it to stop it. Gloves advised, make sure you're above the legal drinking limit to be dumb enough to do this.

3. Bite your arm off and stick it into your front wheel.