Brakeless riding in Birmingham?

I never said I was superior you moron.
You should wind your neck in before it gets you into trouble

Is that a threat? Bring it, son.

Keyboard warrior I am, yep. At least I can admit it.

I'm just saying it generally, you'll say something to someone oneday and they wont take it as lightly as I do. People are entitled to an opinion, but sometimes they are best kept to yourself.

Brilliant.
But a bit harsh on the kid non?

I think that thing has been around since the dawn of the internet. I was surprised no-one else had posted it. But i'm a cold hearted bastard so I did.

It's a forum, people use them for discussion. Sometimes discussions involve argument.

Thanks for that piece of wisdom daylightbombings, really useful advice there wise man.

Anyway, it's the weekend. Have fun everybody, ride safe.

I ride sans brake and I crashed once and smashed my face up... no biggy, I'm fucking solid.

I'm pretty much a twat but I'll be quite honest and say I personally think a track bike should look like one... plus thousands of people have been riding brakeless bikes in cities all over the world decades before 'Fixie skidders' got popular and a long, long time before I even knew what the fuck I was talking about.

The crux is this:
Ride without a brake if you want to but it is stupid - it is however YOUR choice.

One more thing - Brakes DO make you faster, no question. But I ride for fun and not to race... If I ride with people who are using a brake I'll let them go because I'd rather live and keep my exceptionally handsome face intact.

That is all.

i broke my front (and only) brake off setting up for feb critical mass... no option but to continue, obviously! so i set off very tentatively, with the wind behind me. and was extra extra cautious.
obviously i intended to fix the brake as soon as poss, but a day turned into a week and a week turned into 3 months. by then new muscles had developed, and my experience and view of cycling had reached an almost profound level!
the amount of caution needed to ride without brakes some say take some joy out of riding but i disagree. the initial care i took when riding brakeless did not wane, but simply developed into a heightened sense of awareness of every sight and sound.
When riding brakeless you are constantly aware of all possible escape routes, and your concentration is further ahead of the bike.

having no brakes also showed me the bike in a way had never quite seen before. as a rolling machine, nothing more. Just wheels, seat, somewhere to put your hands and somewhere to put your feet, if you want to roll faster or slower you don't even need to push or fight with brakes, you just have to intend it!

A friend was incredulous at how i managed to stop in time with such limited braking power, which i found hard to explain via "i don't go as fast" and "i try not to stop" until i had a go on their bike. The brakes were so worn down that it took longer to stop on his bike than on mine! geared cyclists employ the same process as brakeless riders - if your brakes aren't very good, you start braking earlier, and don't rush up to junctions. you only need to slow down if you are already going too fast. the trick is to extend your horizons beyond the nearest car, and roll! -

I took this brakeless bike for a 30 mile ride from bristol to pilton in somerset - i didn't even think about it i had got so used to riding in birmingham. the hills were so steep that i had no control over the speed of my bike, by the rotations of the pedals i reckon i must have hit at 35/40 mph on thin potholed country lanes with blind corners at the bottom. thinking back makes me cringe. no helmet would have saved me.

fortunately one of my customers donated me an old peugot racer frame complete with brakes the day after i got back :) i now go twice as fast!!

bikes are cool, brakes or not. use your common sense and approach the road with an open mind, open eyes and open ears.

x

I lost my chain today at 30+mph (the machine said 30.8, but that sounds anal)
The bike started skipping as the rpm got too much for my legs, and threw the chain.
I've not ridden enough for the last 4 years,that should read 'at all'.
Perhaps I should also have taken more care when I changed the wheel too.

I like my brake.

Off to set my chain tension correctly...

P

brakeless=>organ donor.

Carry on, I may need you someday :)

I did infact find the downside of brakeless riding on tuesday when my fixed cog after two years of faithfull service decided to come undone!
Thank the lord for thick soled trainers!!!