The Ultimate Brakeless/Front/Rear/How many brakes? thread

Nice post, would read again... But what tools do you need to put a new brake cable? Spanner/Allen key for the bolt connecting the cable to brakes?

I'd recommend carrying one.

Had a spanner, but needed something to cut the metre long cable I bought

The same incident sent me brakeless.

Had a spanner, but needed something to cut the metre long cable I bought

Could just wrap the excess until you can cut it. Or, for comedy value*, dangling it off the bike and see if you can get passing cars to pull your brakes on for you.

*for people watching, not yourself

The same incident sent me brakeless.

A sex change made me go brakless.

Deep Purple - Strange Kind of Woman - YouTube

I'd been riding brakeless for a few months and finding it fun but yesterday I decided that I should probably attach a front brake as it as getting wet and stuff, I went for a ride and the only time I touched the brake was to check how well it was working. I did feel a lot safer with the extra reassurance of the brake and I didn't feel like the ride was any less fun because of it. The main reason I can see not to have brake on the road is aesthetics, which I understand, but my bike is fairly hideously functional looking anyway.

This^

A second brake is purely in case your other brake fails.

I've snapped a cable and a chain - I'll always need a brake, unless...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs581.ash2/150358_1661765511613_1461471903_31671531_7889792_n.jpg

When riding brakeless/ slowing a FG without a brake, are you slowing down at the fastest possible rate at the point just before you start skidding? In other words, when you start skidding can you be sure you can't be slowing any faster?

When riding brakeless/ slowing a FG without a brake, are you slowing down at the fastest possible rate at the point just before you start skidding?

Probably, although it depends on whether you change your weight distribution after initiating the skid. Assuming you don't, the maximum coefficient of friction happens when the wheel is revolving slightly slower than it would be if rolling with no slip. The exact optimal slip rate would need to be determined by experiment for the specific friction pair under examination, but it's in the region of 5% of the true forward speed for rubber tyres on dry tarmac.

It's worth bearing in mind that not only can no human achieve this by leg-braking a fixed wheel bicycle, but even if they could, and did so with their weight shifted to the rear to maximise the normal load at the tyre/road interface, they would still only achieve a deceleration anybody can easily manage with a hand operated caliper brake operating on the front wheel, and about half the rate a moderately skilled rider can achieve by modulating the front brake to maintain the bicycle at the tipping point where the rear wheel is about to leave the ground.

Basically, yes just before skidding is the best without brakes, but a front brake is the best way to stop suddenly.

a concrete wall is the best way to stop suddenly.

ftfy

No point using half measures if you're in a hurry.
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZjhxuhTmGk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZjhxuhTmGk[/ame
]

if you do whip skids you'll always stop in time b/c it makes the whole world slow down to admire how cool you look, this is much more efficient than just trying to slow yourself quicker

1 x brake for me, which I was bloody glad of this morning. Police car screaming up behind, moved over and looked back to see where it was, looked back to the road to see the car in front hard braked, hard. Slammed on my front brake and did probably the best sitting down nose wheelie in the history of humanity, stopping just before I hit the back of it.

that is one of my fave videos ever ^^^
the fact the plane just disappears into the ether upon contact some vapourisation / some small shards shoot off,

i haven't ever seen any video of the planes after everything stops the wreckage or whats left behind but i'm guessing there isn't too much
does anyone know if there is footage of 10 mins after impact ?

There is something captivating about plane crash videos. Not sure what it is, the worst one is the Ukranian Air show disaster video when it literally ploughs into the crowd. The full length video is not for the faint hearted as it shows decapitated body parts lying around the field. It's pretty grim :(

that took three re-reads. thanks though.

Probably, although it depends on whether you change your weight distribution after initiating the skid. Assuming you don't, the maximum coefficient of friction happens when the wheel is revolving slightly slower than it would be if rolling with no slip. The exact optimal slip rate would need to be determined by experiment for the specific friction pair under examination, but it's in the region of 5% of the true forward speed for rubber tyres on dry tarmac.

It's worth bearing in mind that not only can no human achieve this by leg-braking a fixed wheel bicycle, but even if they could, and did so with their weight shifted to the rear to maximise the normal load at the tyre/road interface, they would still only achieve a deceleration anybody can easily manage with a hand operated caliper brake operating on the front wheel, and about half the rate a moderately skilled rider can achieve by modulating the front brake to maintain the bicycle at the tipping point where the rear wheel is about to leave the ground.

kl, makes sense.

if you do whip skids you'll always stop in time b/c it makes the whole world slow down to admire how cool you look, this is much more efficient than just trying to slow yourself quicker

yeah, i'm a long way from being comfortable riding brakeless. (edit: not that i plan to)

i am just keen to know when i am at a point when i can't be doing anything more with my legs.

Basically, yes just before skidding is the best without brakes, but a front brake is the best way to stop suddenly.

I rode brakeless for a while, rode SS with one & both brakes. My current SS just has a single front brake, never had any problems, never snapped a cable etc.

why thank you for your wonderful insight

there are plenty of people who have snapped brake cables, so having a 2nd brake mechanism is strongly suggested, and is a legal requirement

I rode brakeless for a while, rode SS with one & both brakes. My current SS just has a single front brake, never had any problems, never snapped a cable etc.

The important question is, if you were going down a hill at 20mph and your cable did snap, what would you do?

It's also worth measuring how long you've been riding for, if it's twenty to thirty years than maybe you expierence is good, but of it's not maybe you've just not been riding long enough to experience a cable snap?

#snapped2brakecablesandachainwhilstridingbrakeless

#snapped2brakecablesandachainwhilstridingbrakeless

you snapped 2 brake cables whilst riding brakless? skills

I fitted a front brake to my formerly brakeless Fuji a few weeks ago and I've been enjoying riding it much more. I rarely use the brake at all, still preferring to use my legs to slow down 90% of the time, but I feel that I can ride faster because I know I can stop faster, I don't have to worry about cars pulling out of junctions unexpectededly as much etc.

FWIW I've had a coaster brake fail and almost jam up on me. I have also had a chain jump off when riding fixed. Both of these could be put down to user error but the truth is you never really know what's going to happen, so better safe than sorry.

In any event it's usually true that the better you can break the faster you are able ride. The only times I've ridden brakeless it's had to be so hideously slow. But maybe that's a skillz ting.