Has anyone been pulled over for riding brakeless?

While I’m not endorsing or asking for opinions on riding brakeless (there’s lots of both in all kinds of places online), I’m curious:

How many people have actually been stopped by the Police for riding without brakes, and what were the consequences?

Thanks!

Charlie Alliston.

You could FOI the police, they should have records of how many people they have done for having unroadworthy bikes. I'll be honest tho similar to unroadworthy cars I doubt the average police officer knows what to look for.

It's not the sort of thing that is recorded. Don't bother with an FOI request either as the cost to the police of researching it is excessive.
https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/the_number_of_brakeless_bikes_fo

Never been stopped for brakeless in London

Never been able to stop brakeless in London

FTFY ;)

Are you basing a decision on whether or not to ride brakeless on the number of people that have been pulled for it?

Not necessarily, I’m not based in London anyway so the anecdotal evidence from most forum members would be irrelevant to that decision.

I just couldn’t find anything online and find the whole topic quite interesting!

Fair enough.

Fwiw I kinda doubt anyone has ever been pulled solely for brakless riding, it’s too hard to spot and coppers are probably largely unaware its an offence or even something people do.

I’d bet if there have been any fines or penalties issued for it then it’s been to people who have attracted attention to themselves in some other way.

Fair point, but even cops love a sick whip skid though right?!

I've was caught not wearing a seatbelt in a car once, in 1988

I reported for summons two gentlemen in a green Mini van for failing to wear seatbelts, on the day it became a naughty thing. I was a sprog probationer on my "traffic attachment" and did it because I could (had to). I don't know if they went to court though.

I reported for summons two gentlemen in a green Mini van for failing to wear seatbelts, on the day it became a naughty thing.

Could the law be any more specific? :)

Might make for interesting reading to do a poll to see how many people were prompted to fit a brake by the Charlie Alliston fiasco and how many of those people have since reverted to riding brakeless.

I wonder how many fitted a brake because they were worried about getting lifted while just riding along versus concerned about the outcome of being involved in a fatality.

It all only seemed to come to the attention of people outside of the fixed gear community after that incident - I guess it got a lot of media attention which threw brklzz into the limelight a little.

That’s why I ask really, has the attention died down to the same levels as pre-Alliston or has it been permanently heightened because of it?

It is gone and forgotten.

CA was the media bad-guy for 15 minutes until something else came along.

He should have got a better lawyer.

He should have had two brakes.

We were made to get a brake for the company I used to ride for, but loads of us just put one on, got it checked and pulled it off again #stickittotheman

Is the law just a front brake on fixed?

Here it is, I know in Japan it isn't

has the attention died down to the same levels as pre-Alliston or has it been permanently heightened because of it?

I’m in Glasgow not so maybe my opinion is a bit irrelevant but I’ll offer it anyway...

In my experience/opinion, Charlie Alliston had his 15minutes of fame and then he and the whole brakekess fixed thing were forgotten by anyone who isn’t in the ‘fixed scene’ and probably by half those who are too.

I think uk plod don’t really stop bikes unless you are doing something else they’d like to nick you for. Bike stopping is for community support officers, who seem to usually be as thick as shit (apologies to the community support officer community, there must be some of you who ain’t busybody assholes with a power fixation)

Yup.

1 Attachment

Kek, what happened?