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Sorry to hear you were knocked down, I was knocked down earlier this year whilst commuting to work. In my case no amount of brakes would have made a difference, the driver drover straight into me. Was the reason you were knocked down due to you inability to stop or were there other factors involved? Being hit does bring your confidence down but I found it's just a steeper learning curve, a case of assessing what went wrong and how to avoid it in future. I'm still riding track bikes everyday, rain shine and in rush hour. It took a while to build back up to the amount and confidence I was riding before but I think now I'm a far more aware and generally a better rider because of it. Rather than adding another brake which won't do a great deal on a commute unless you legs are minsed as the front brake does probably 70+% of your braking, the rear is just there to keep the back end in check. If you would personally feel more confident with a rear brake then go for it, if thats what you need to do in order to get back on the road then so be it. Aesthetics aren't everything, there is no point having a bike that looks great but your too petrified to ride it.
On the flip side, have you considered doing some cycle training? I think this would be a better idea overall than simply adding a rear brake, a cycle instructor will coach you and enable you to ride in full confidence.
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Because an appeal of fixed wheels is that they allow/make for a very stripped down bike, the lack of "stuff" on the bike can be immensely satisfying. One less brake to think about, just the reliable feedback and ability to lockup from your legs.
If I was going to ride far enough, or down steep enough hills that I would need the assistance of a rear brake, then why on earth would I want to even ride fixed?
This is why it is considered odd. The front brake does a lot on a fixed, a rear brake kind of just kills your flow with the rear wheel.
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it's edscoble who has this
Just quoting you because you said don't, but both edscoble and I are fans of the two caliper fixie don't-need-to-skidder
i guess a good pair of front brake calipers and some grippy pads will keep your rear wheel off the ground if used carefully / properly
In dry conditions.
In wet weather, brake pad effectiveness degrades faster than tyre grip, so you can actually get some use out of a back brake. When conditions get even worse (wet leaves, ice etc.), you can use the rear more to maintain stability and add braking when your front would be locking up.
Because an appeal of fixed wheels is that they allow/make for a very stripped down bike. One less brake to think about, just the reliable feedback and ability to lockup from your legs, a rear brake kind of just kills your flow with the rear wheel.
Really, really, really and furthermore, really? Biggest pile of tosh you've ever posted, and you set the bar pretty high.
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^^^ This. Other than for purely aesthetic reasons, I've never seen the upside in not having brakes on a bike used on the road. There is, after all, no reason why you have to use them if using them is not necessary or appropriate, and the additional weight is hardly significant. I've got F&R brakes on my road-fixed-bike (track-fixed-bike obviously has none). Sometimes I use them. Sometimes I don't. I can honestly think of no occasions whatsoever when I've returned from a ride thinking 'Damn, that ride would have been better without brakes'.
Mind you, my failure to appreciate the upsides of riding on the roads with no brakes could be because riding brakeless is cool and stylish, two things I've never deluded myself I might be.
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You get bored of the helmet debate or something, tester?
I'm not new to this, I haz 24 posts in this thread!
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@danstuff your use of up chevrons is confusing. I believe that the rule is one chevron for each post above to count to get to the one that you are referring to. Hence your post begins as you agreeing with dfp but then goes on to contradict him.
I bore myself.
^ This (like that?)
Because an appeal of fixed wheels is that they allow/make for a very stripped down bike, the lack of "stuff" on the bike can be immensely satisfying. One less brake to think about, just the reliable feedback and ability to lockup from your legs.
Well, not being able to lock up from my legs is one reason that I have a rear brake, plus locking up is a crap way to stop. It's uncontrolled, it eats tyres and you have to wait for your legs to hit the right position before you can even get into your skid.
A fixed bike has a lot less stuff than a road bike anyway. You've already lost two derailleurs, at least one chainring, a bunch of sprockets and quite a lot of chain. This gives you a radically different experience from a road bike, even if you have two brakes. An second brake is hardly a whole heap of stuff, especially if you've got drop-bar levers on it anyway because you like the "hoods" position.
This is why it is considered odd. The front brake does a lot on a fixed, a rear brake kind of just kills your flow with the rear wheel.
Don't use it other than in emergencies then. That's basically what Sheldon recommends anyway. -
OP sorry to hear you got knocked off - was it because you couldn't stop in time or something, were you riding to close to the back of a car? The whole experience would be pretty disorienting for you that's for sure, but as you didn't say what happened we don't know if it was your fault or someone else's ie are you ascribing your lack of a rear brake to the accident when in fact it was because you don't check over your shoulder enough? Or it could also just be bad timing around a shit driving that's got nothing to do with your lack of a rear brake? You see what I'm getting at? Riding fixed means you have rear braking ability and a front handbrake so you have to ride within that context/skillset. If you're doing so then I wouldn't say that adding a rear handbrake to your fixed would prevent you getting knocked off.
I was riding along a very wide path trying to get from one main road to another through a local nature park. It is widely used by cyclists and commuters (it is a legitimate 'Green Wheel' cycle way) - it was a wet day and there was almost nobody else around.
I was riding along when I saw a group of 4 adults up ahead taking up the whole path. I called ahead and they all moved to the left, I started to pass on the right and when I had about half a meter to a meter of stopping time a woman from the group suddenly without looking walked into my path. I collided with her and was knocked to the ground with her on top of me skidding on my handlebars, pedal, hip and wrist. She was absolutely fine but my wheels are buckled, need new bar tape and I'm still sore.I ride the path several times a week and make sure people are aware of me by shouting ahead and waiting for them to move over. I wasn't going very fast but I was left with very little time to stop.
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Really, really, really and furthermore, really? Biggest pile of tosh you've ever posted, and you set the bar pretty high.
^That quote is a fucking bold quote!
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I was riding along a very wide path trying to get from one main road to another through a local nature park. It is widely used by cyclists and commuters (it is a legitimate 'Green Wheel' cycle way) - it was a wet day and there was almost nobody else around.
I was riding along when I saw a group of 4 adults up ahead taking up the whole path. I called ahead and they all moved to the left, I started to pass on the right and when I had about half a meter to a meter of stopping time a woman from the group suddenly without looking walked into my path. I collided with her and was knocked to the ground with her on top of me skidding on my handlebars, pedal, hip and wrist. She was absolutely fine but my wheels are buckled, need new bar tape and I'm still sore.I ride the path several times a week and make sure people are aware of me by shouting ahead and waiting for them to move over. I wasn't going very fast but I was left with very little time to stop.
maybe get a bell
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And that's the story of how the screaming banshee mk2 was born
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So only recently i've started riding fixed
gear bike with a front brake...and as a
result i've started noticing more fixie
riders, and i find myself looking at bikes
with no brakes or front brakes...for
aesthetic inspiration, but also looking at
the way the riders ride and hoping to
pickup technique through watching.but i'm starting to notice a trend, which
i am seeing a lot of...guys riding single
speed bikes but only having a front brake!maybe i'm missing something here...but i
would have assumed that if your riding
single speed (which i use to) the back
brake is of utmost importance...more
important than a front brake.are these guys just trying to have the fixie
look without riding fixie???to me it just looks like a massive accident
waiting to happen!thoughts?
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no most of your braking should be done with the front regardless of fixed or not , if you only go for one brake make it your front you won't just go over the bars like you'd think , it does look so much better too than having a cable all over your lovely frame
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How stale can Friday popcorn be?
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oh, a haiku. nice.
chris_tim
TTM
DFP
hippy
gbj_tester
Brommers
Lynchman
mashton
ffm
alexellis
furious_tiles
Sumo
umno
NurseHolliday
sammyz
burritoguy
dancing james
JB
1000archangels
hael
BRM
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About
The Ultimate Brakeless/Front/Rear/How many brakes? thread
Posted by
Serk rode/rides fixed with front and rear brakes, he was a big fan of the additional control it gave him, I cannot see the harm in trying it and seeing if it makes you feel safer.