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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
an old post, a timeless problem.
after uncharacteristically putting my tools down last night as the red mist started to roll in, I slept on the problem. this morning, Tea. And Forums. now i have clawed back a glimmer of hope - thankyou, shows how much of this mechanic business is psycological. I am now equipped with visualisations of hammering the cup into polite submission, or hacking through it like a knife through butter! ;)
Still, iv only just finished my cuppa, and have yet to lay eyes on the offending beast. diazapan should be a staple stock item in my workshop i think.