One brake Single-Speed fools

At least you won't be able to hear the bollocks now!

No back brake, meh. It's up to them, and I don't anticipate crashing with one. I do, however, worry about the amount of FG riders I see with no foot retention. Er...?

At least you won't be able to hear the bollocks now!

I'm my own worst enemy when it comes to talking shit.

barspins. mmmmmting like.

I was sitting outside the Southbank centre waiting for Critical Mass to form, watching the early arrivals in order to spot friends when they turned up.
There was a chap on what looked to be a nice track bike, running brakeless.
Then he started freewheeling, which confused me slightly, until I spotted the coaster brake arm attached to the non-drive chain stay.
So, he has, presumably, the braking ability of nobrakes, but the ease of use of a coaster brake.
Plus his bike has the super clean nobrakes look.

That reminds me of my "Budapest bike" I used to ride when I lived there...
2 brakes: a coaster brake, and a **crazy **front brake, I don't know how you call those, with no cable, just metal bits articulated from the handle bars, but instead of pulling breakpads onto the rim like on vintage dutch bikes, it was a massive rubber block pushing directly onto the tyre...!!!! Absolutely unefficient when it rains, it was also making the whole bike vibrating if the tyre was not properly inflated... I was never using it... Nice bike though, must be 60 years old, I brought it back from Hungary and I still have it at my grand mother, for when I go visit her.

Szia

Loic

The overriding argument for me is that the law requires a bicycle to have two independent brakes on it, so a singlespeed with only a front brake or a brakeless fixeed wheel bike are both illegal on the public highway.

If people wish to ride them on the road then fine, so be it, I can't influence that. However, they do need to realise that if ever in an accident the fact that their bike does not have two brakes could be used by the other party in the accident as a factor in determining contributory negligence (or even fault in extreme circumstances) and reduce any compensation due to them.

Basically, like helmet wearing, it comes down to personal responsibility. Ride what you like but be aware of the potential implications of your choices and take responsibility for them.

I would argue that there's no more of a chance of me saving myself from a pedestrian walking out in front of me on Oxford St with brakes than without them. I would, if I cared what anyone else thought about how I roll.

But to the trained eye, you look like a cunt? Discuss...

Erm, I wouldn't call SS riders cunts. We all like riding and if you ride SS, gears, whatever it's fine. The SS people that ride without a rear brake I would call stupid, but that's just my opinion.

Wanna know who are cunts? The "serious" cyclists. The ones with all the dayglo lycra shit who get in my way. A typical scenario is something like this:

I pass dayglo twat who is riding slow at a stupid cadence. He then shifts gear, pedals like a mental and overtakes me. As soon as he has done that, he STOPS PEDALLING. Then he rolls along in front of me blocking up the gaps I would have taken.

Case in point, Tower Bridge. This happens to me a lot, Tower Bridge is really slow traffic and I often overtake cars going South. However, there is always some idiot on an all-carbon bike or similar trying to prove himself. So he overtakes, then freewheels down the other side, closing up the gaps. Soooo annoying.

simple, go faster, don't let yourself get overtaken, then you are officially the coolest dude around, P.S. CrazyJames is my hero and he rules!

Oh and also, the "serious" cyclists who try and remonstrate with me for ignoring lights. As in "that was quite dangerous what you did there, what if there had been a pedestrian?"

Fuck off. I have never hit a pedestrian, I am always careful, especially near HGVs. If the light is red though and there is nothing to stop me, I will ride through. In fact this is often safer, because an HGV can't see you if you are down the left or directly in front, waiting for the lights.

I also hate cyclists who stop down the left side of a vehicle at lights rather than going in front, endangering themselves and everyone behind them. Again it's normally "serious" cyclists or clueless weekenders who do this. For this reason I normally ride the high side - if the light changes I can signal in and be seen, rather than come up the left and get stuck in a blind spot because Mr. Serious decided he would stop next to a bus.

Oh and also, the "serious" cyclists who try and remonstrate with me for ignoring lights. As in "that was quite dangerous what you did there, what if there had been a pedestrian?"

Fuck off. I have never hit a pedestrian, I am always careful, especially near HGVs. If the light is red though and there is nothing to stop me, I will ride through. In fact this is often safer, because an HGV can't see you if you are down the left or directly in front, waiting for the lights.

I also hate cyclists who stop down the left side of a vehicle at lights rather than going in front, endangering themselves and everyone behind them. Again it's normally "serious" cyclists or clueless weekenders who do this. For this reason I normally ride the high side - if the light changes I can signal in and be seen, rather than come up the left and get stuck in a blind spot because Mr. Serious decided he would stop next to a bus.

I think you're derailing this thread with your lack of hared for single brake single speeders, can we get back on topic now please.

simple, go faster, don't let yourself get overtaken, then you are officially the coolest dude around, P.S. CrazyJames is my hero and he rules!

I rarely do, but I tend to ride an economical fairly spinning gear (spinning is far more efficient). So I ride fast and consistently, but if someone wants to switch to a really hard gear and overtake then they can and I can't stop that. Like downhill on London Bridge, if I am spinning and some geared guy decides to switch to a hard gear to overtake, what can I do? What pisses me off is that invariably as soon as they overtake they coast or slow down.

I think you're derailing this thread with your lack of hared for single brake single speeders, can we get back on topic now please.

Sorry James, that was a bit of an off-topic rant! Point taken. I think single brake single speeders are stupid, I don't hate them but at the same time if you run SS a back brake is a very good idea! Apologies if I was turning this into "why I don't like lycra-clad fucktwats".

I rarely do, but I tend to ride an economical fairly spinning gear (spinning is far more efficient). So I ride fast and consistently, but if someone wants to switch to a really hard gear and overtake then they can and I can't stop that. Like downhill on London Bridge, if I am spinning and some geared guy decides to switch to a hard gear to overtake, what can I do? What pisses me off is that invariably as soon as they overtake they coast or slow down.

Up your cadence and blast dem fools!

Sorry James, that was a bit of an off-topic rant! Point taken. I think single brake single speeders are stupid, I don't hate them but at the same time if you run SS a back brake is a very good idea! Apologies if I was turning this into "why I don't like lycra-clad fucktwats".

S'ok dude I was taking the piss, this whole thread is only a repost of my old thread anyways ;)

but if someone wants to switch to a really hard gear and overtake then they can and I can't stop that. Like downhill on London Bridge, if I am spinning and some geared guy decides to switch to a hard gear to overtake, what can I do?

spin faster, do a skid in front of them to make them keep distance, keep your elbows out to not give them room to overtake

hit them, spit at them, spread oil behind you, drop tacks behind you

spin faster, do a skid in front of them to make them keep distance, keep your elbows out to not give them room to overtake

hit them, spit at them, spread oil behind you, drop tacks behind you

That's it! Drop tacks, why did I not think of it before?! Oh so you're serious? Think you can overtake on your carbon only to roll in front of me? Lycra? Eat my tacks! How you like me now?!

spin faster, do a skid in front of them to make them keep distance, keep your elbows out to not give them room to overtake

hit them, spit at them, spread oil behind you, drop tacks behind you

I accuse Dancing James, outside the Kings Arms, last Tuesday, with tacks.

Wigaaaaarn!

Don't worry James, we're still friends; I'm not going to let a little prick come between us.

Dancing James- word to the wise, beware of WiganWill if he comes bearing a candlestick...

Shut your mouth Neil. Oh yeh...

:)

Mmmmph.

And meh.

Yesterday in Bath I bumped into someone riding what I thought was a breakless fixed gear, black BLB frame, red deep V's and bullhorns, the whole hipster shebang. When I started talking to him, however, he got really angsty about the whole thing, until I realised he was running a coaster break and no front break.
Apart from being hell of fakenger, what do people thing about the coaster break only thing? All the coaster breaks I've used haven't seemed secure to me, but meh.

riding coaster brake-only bike is defintely safer than riding a fixed wheel brakeless, my missus ride brakeless with coaster so it's all fine.

Without a front brake? Read the "cons" column in the Sheldon Brown article.