European mystery fixie tour

Hey fellas.

I'm about to embark on a little 3 month tour of Europe on my sweet fixie..

I'm wondering if there is a site or similar resource with laws of cycling in other countries, as I know there are places where you have to have a brake/helmet/bell etc. I will be riding with a front brake and will be wearing a helmet, but I don't want to be caught out somewhere and fined or have my bike confiscated (ala Berlin brakeless)

Cheers!

try here mate http://www.ecf.com/376_1 hope it helps.

I would rather hope your bike has at least one manual brake in addition to the fixed drive chain if you are touring - though not sure if that is enough for Berlin.

Cheers Welsh, I think that site might come in handy.

Prancer, I will definitely be running a front brake, I would have thought a front brake and fixed wheel would be enough for Berlin, although I'm not certain.
What are the laws in the UK regarding brakes?

wouldn't worry about that^

"we RLJ all day, you no gets catched, old bill are fucking jokes"

i'm not aware of a law about braking systems on our roads. but then ignorance is no defence

UK is two brakes - fixed drive train counts as one of them

Not sure about berlin

Berlin = front and rear brakes, bell and lights (even during the day). Going there tomorrow and apparently there's a crackdown at the moment. Sheesh you'd think they'd descended from Nazis or .... oh...oh yeah...

In Germany, a bike needs two brakes that work independantly. There were two court decisions about the question whether a fixed wheel counts as a brake. In Bonn (western germany), a local court accepted the fixed drivetrain as one brake. In Berlin, they decided that this is not the case.

In reality, usually you won't get in trouble in Berlin with only a working front brake and a fixed wheel. No guarantee for that, however.

The only country in Europe where you really risk your bike with that setup to be confiscated is Switzerland. If you plan to go there, you really should add a second mechanical brake for the rear wheel.

Greetings from Berlin...

Berlin = front and rear brakes, bell and lights (even during the day). Going there tomorrow and apparently there's a crackdown at the moment. Sheesh you'd think they'd descended from Nazis or .... oh...oh yeah...

I never had lights on during the day.

I did take a bell - someone told me the French required bells and I found in Germany it's expected you will bell pedestrians on shared paths, etc.

http://bicyclegermany.com/german_laws.htm

http://andrewhammel.typepad.com/german_joys/2006/01/the_awesome_pow.html

@Shinigami:

Same procedure as every year. Each spring they start massive cyclist controls. Usually about a dozen "traps" are set up at changing locations in the city. Preferable at traffic lights that are really useless - where nobody would even think about stopping when red because nobody crosses the entire day. Bike controls are usually set up at places with small bike paths along large roads. To minimize the risk to get caught in that kind of trap, simply don't use bike paths. It's more dangerous than riding on the regular road anyway.

But the time of massive bike controls is already over. They did that at the beginning of April and in the easter holiday weeks - and easter holidays end with this weekend.

@hippy:

The legal situation is not really accurately described on that web page. There are better ones.

Sorry Hippy, I meant they are supposed to be fitted even if they aren't on.

Two-five what's happening in Berlin at the moment, really excited. Going to head straight to Huhnerhaus by Gorli park.

@Shinigami:

If you ride some kind of racing bike, lights don't need to be attached permanently, but you have to carry a set of lights with you.

A racing bike by German law is a bike with a weight of less than 11 kg.

Ahh, and what do you mean with "what's happening"? Something special in mind?

Damn Germany sounds harsh... I'm expecting to be spending a fair bit of time there as my GF is over there studying, she's sponsored by RedBull and just got given a Leader.. I'll have to fill her in on the brake issue. (don't think they're drilled...oops)

Seems like I'll be running two brakes then as I will be going to Switzerland, might as well just run SS??

@GazzaMaxx:

No, not really "harsh". It's just that spring time control issue. And in some parts of the city the "hipster problem" - people on (fixed wheel) bikes who don't have any cycling practice at all. That's probably the reason why Berlin police has intensivated controls especially of fixie riders. In the last years, there were several nasty accidents with fixed wheel cyclists involved - and the unability of the riders to handle their bikes probably was partly reason that those accidents happened.

@hippy:
The legal situation is not really accurately described on that web page. There are better ones.

It might be useful to post them, no?

Sorry Hippy, I meant they are supposed to be fitted even if they aren't on.

I was there in '05 for riding around Germany for maybe a month and didn't have a single incident other than a fine for using the wrong ticket on the Berlin tube (no bike with me).
I guess you'd just have to be unlucky. Bells really are useful over there though - unlike the knobend peds here people appreciate them and pay attention to them.

Ahh, and what do you mean with "what's happening"? Something special in mind?

I mean, "Where's the party at?" We're coming to smash it up!

@hippy:

This one is more accurate: http://www.bikexprt.com/bikepol/facil/sidepath/germanlaw.htm

@Shinigami:

Hmm... party. Everywhere, all the time? Kreuzberg and Friedrichshain are full of interesting locations (clubs, bars, spontaneous parties in parks etc.), lots of fun especially in the summer months. Don't know what exactly you're looking for.

I'm not really a good party guide. Sometimes after work I'm hanging out in Kreuzberg for an evening beer, but won't stay there all night. And yes, there are some places in Kreuzberg where the city really is awake 24 hours a day. You can get good and cheap pizza at 5 o'clock in the morning at Schlesisches Tor if you are hungry...

Anyway, have fun in Berlin. If you see a courier with a large black Bagaboo bag without company advertisement, two-way radio and a brown, dirty Surly Steamroller with rotten chain, that might be me.

^ That link doesn't say anything about lights or brakes and only mentions bells once in terms of not using one to scatter peds.

don't get caught out in France; in poor visibility (darkness, bad weather) you must wear a high-viz vest when cycling outside of builtup areas.

What constitutes the high-viz vest is a bit vague and open to interpretation, but I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of the gendarme so probably worth looking into.

So I've decided just to go single speed with two brakes (obv..) and a bell! Just to cover my ass if any authorities decide they like the look of me.

What kind of pedals would be the best option? Obviously cleats would be ideal but if I'm looking at weight saving would clips/straps be better? So I don't have to carry around another pair of shoes in my panniers?

+any tips on stealth camping, Ive got a Topeak Bikamper so it's not exactly inconspicuous!