# Fixie beginner



## bungyb69 (6 Jun 2020)

I've just bought a fixie bike with a fixed gear but on the other side of the wheel there is a thread so I can fit a free wheel cog I'm just stuck as to what I need to get? 16t?


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## DCLane (6 Jun 2020)

The cog varies depending whether you live on the flat / want speed (14-16T) or in a hilly area / want steady (17-19T). It's your choice.


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## bungyb69 (6 Jun 2020)

My commute is mainly flat! With a bit of an incline either side! Are they mainly all the same diameter to fit on the wheel?


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## DCLane (6 Jun 2020)

bungyb69 said:


> My commute is mainly flat! With a bit of an incline either side! Are they mainly all the same diameter to fit on the wheel?



They will fit either side and are the same diameter. Just make sure to get one for a road bike rather than BMX as they are different.


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## bungyb69 (6 Jun 2020)




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## bungyb69 (6 Jun 2020)

So this is the bike I want it to go on


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## Sharky (6 Jun 2020)

Do you have rear brake? Would be illegal in the UK to ride with just one brake.


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## bungyb69 (6 Jun 2020)

That's the plan! I literally got it this morning I haven't even rode it yet!


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## Cycleops (7 Jun 2020)

That’s a proper hipster’s bike that is. Not sure if the fixed wheel counts as a brake but I’d fit one just to be safe.


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## DCLane (7 Jun 2020)

Sharky said:


> Do you have rear brake? Would be illegal in the UK to ride with just one brake.



You're legal as long as the rear is fixed as that counts as a brake. If you use the freewheel you need a rear brake - which is advised anyway.


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## bungyb69 (7 Jun 2020)

Cycleops said:


> That’s a proper hipster’s bike that is. Not sure if the fixed wheel counts as a brake but I’d fit one just to be safe.


The back wheel is the brake and I've had a front brake fitted! UK law states that you only need a front if your riding a fixed gear bike but when I add a freewheel cog I shall be adding a back brake at the same time 👍🏻


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## smokeysmoo (7 Jun 2020)

After you've ridden it fixed for a while, if your happy with the gearing just count the teeth and buy the same in a single speed.

+1 for a rear brake, fixed or not IMO


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## bungyb69 (7 Jun 2020)

smokeysmoo said:


> After you've ridden it fixed for a while, if your happy with the gearing just count the teeth and buy the same in a single speed.
> 
> +1 for a rear brake, fixed or not IMO


Nice one thank you pal! My question was are they just an average size diameter or is there a big variety! The most I've seen are an 18teeth with a 34 diameter


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## smokeysmoo (7 Jun 2020)

bungyb69 said:


> Nice one thank you pal! My question was are they just an average size diameter or is there a big variety! The most I've seen are an 18teeth with a 34 diameter


THIS would fit and is available in 16, 17 & 18T 👍


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## bungyb69 (7 Jun 2020)

smokeysmoo said:


> THIS would fit and is available in 16, 17 & 18T 👍


Exactly the answer I was looking for


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## Sharky (7 Jun 2020)

Velosolo are a good source of single speed stuff. I use Dicta freewheels. Cheap, but that means you can easily experiment with different sizes. They have not let me down.


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## bungyb69 (7 Jun 2020)

Sharky said:


> Velosolo are a good source of single speed stuff. I use Dicta freewheels. Cheap, but that means you can easily experiment with different sizes. They have not let me down.


Thank you so much I'll have a look! I'm just getting in to the fixie side of bikes been riding mountain/road for years but thought I'm literally using the same gear back and to for work


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## silva (7 Jun 2020)

If you mount a freewheel it's possible that your chainline changes and you need to move/place spacers to correct it


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## Sharky (7 Jun 2020)

silva said:


> If you mount a freewheel it's possible that your chainline changes and you need to move/place spacers to correct it


Probably not. If it is a flip/flop wheel, it should have been built for a fixed one side and a SS the other.


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## bungyb69 (7 Jun 2020)

Sharky said:


> Probably not. If it is a flip/flop wheel, it should have been built ir a fixed one side and a SS the other.


It is a flip flop wheel the guy in the shop told me but he wanted to charge me £40 to put one on but lve been on the Web and you can get them for half that price and it just screws on


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## Sharky (7 Jun 2020)

bungyb69 said:


> It is a flip flop wheel the guy in the shop told me but he wanted to charge me £40 to put one on but lve been on the Web and you can get them for half that price and it just screws on


And Dicta ones are less than a tenner, but need to sort a back brake before you go SS.


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## midlife (7 Jun 2020)

I think somebody mentioned Dicta.... Six quid, or Sunrace about the same.


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## bungyb69 (7 Jun 2020)

Sharky said:


> And Dicta ones are less than a tenner, but need to sort a back brake before you go SS.


I'm going to get them both at the same time


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## silva (7 Jun 2020)

I didn't know that a flip flop wheel is defined as a fixed and a freewheel combination, I thought it was a gear choice, rather less practical due to different chain lengths.


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## bungyb69 (7 Jun 2020)

silva said:


> I didn't know that a flip flop wheel is defined as a fixed and a freewheel combination, I thought it was a gear choice.


1 side is fixed the other is free wheel therefore change them around and its a flip flop 🤣


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## midlife (7 Jun 2020)

You can get double fixed hubs, fixed cogs both sides.


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## Sharky (7 Jun 2020)

On the fixed side, it should have two threaded sections. One for the sprocket and one for a lock ring with anti clockwise thread. 
If a pure track wheel, it could be the same or might just have a slightly wider threaded section for a screw on freewheel.


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## bungyb69 (7 Jun 2020)

Just an update guys been out only did 6 miles and I've never been so scared in my life!! freewheel will be fitted tomorrow aswell as a back brake, it's the constant pedalling and then you forget and nearly go over the bars ☠️💀☠️


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## Sharky (7 Jun 2020)

It takes a bit longer then 6 miles to get used to a fixed, but we'll worth it once you've mastered it. 
But a single speed (freewheel) can be just as exhilarating. 

Enjoy


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## bungyb69 (7 Jun 2020)

Sharky said:


> It takes a bit longer then 6 miles to get used to a fixed, but we'll worth it once you've mastered it.
> But a single speed (freewheel) can be just as exhilarating.
> 
> Enjoy


I've never been so scared and it takes a lot!! It was the fact my head was saying slow down as I was going down hill and my legs were saying I'm trying to lol


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## Sharky (7 Jun 2020)

bungyb69 said:


> I've never been so scared and it takes a lot!! It was the fact my head was saying slow down as I was going down hill and my legs were saying I'm trying to lol


You have to relax!

However, will admit that I switched to a SS freewheel for my training/leisure bike. I found on a low fixed gear, it is the descents that are the most demanding and puts a strain on the arms and shoulders as well. With a freewheel you can go as fast as gravity allows and you have time to recover on a descent. On the same loops. My SS is often faster than my geared bike.

I have another bike with a 50x14 or 15 fixed that I use for timetrials. The bigger gear doesn't run out of revs and is fine on the descents.


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## bungyb69 (7 Jun 2020)

I can't wait to try it with the freewheel and see the difference tbf! I've never tried a fixed before, I wanted something I could fly to work on but as I've found with my road bike I was always staying in the same gear!


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## silva (8 Jun 2020)

The difference between fixed and freewheel is dat with the latter you can't push back to slowdown or maintain balance and that it's a potential problem in a case water in it > sticky grease or frost > walk further. That's it. That's all.


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## bungyb69 (8 Jun 2020)

silva said:


> The difference between fixed and freewheel is dat with the latter you can't push back to slowdown or maintain balance and that it's a potential problem in a case water in it > sticky grease or frost > walk further. That's it. That's all.


Walk?? I ride a road bike every day my balance is good because I'm always on the pedals at traffic lights balancing!!


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## rogerzilla (8 Jun 2020)

Fixed only scares me on a long hill when the front brake starts to smell!


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## Juan Kog (8 Jun 2020)

Keep at it , fixed does get less scary and you won't believe it now ,but you will actually enjoy it. Back brake, I know it's not cool, freewheel or fixed leave it on . May get shot down on this but l find freewheel can take a small difference on chain line . Above all don't forget when you're back on gears. I did once ,I was in traffic not in a hurry ,primary position, hands on top of bars following a bus .bus slows down l push back on pedals ,sudden heart stopping moment . No I didn't hit the bus ,but it was close.


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## bungyb69 (8 Jun 2020)

I literally was shaking when I got home it was so intense! I kept think I'm going fall at any moment


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## biggs682 (8 Jun 2020)

bungyb69 said:


> I literally was shaking when I got home it was so intense! I kept think I'm going fall at any moment



And people think it's easy


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## bungyb69 (8 Jun 2020)

biggs682 said:


> And people think it's easy


It's a proper art! I could balance great it was the stopping and forgetting to constantly pedal


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## ColinJ (8 Jun 2020)

bungyb69 said:


> I've never been so scared and it takes a lot!! It was the fact my head was saying slow down as I was going down hill and my legs were saying I'm trying to lol





Sharky said:


> I found on a low fixed gear, it is the descents that are the most demanding and puts a strain on the arms and shoulders as well.


I did a few forum rides with @Pennine-Paul. On all but one he rode fixed (he hated the time he rode a geared bike and swore that he wouldn't do it again...). He got up even quite steep Yorkshire/Lancashire hills on fixed without complaining but I remember him suddenly groaning when he spotted a sign on one ride. I said not to worry - it was 13% _*down*_hill; he pointed out that I had never descended a steep hill on fixed...!


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## bungyb69 (8 Jun 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I did a few forum rides with @Pennine-Paul. On all but one he rode fixed (he hated the time he rode a geared bike and swore that he wouldn't do it again...). He got up even quite steep Yorkshire/Lancashire hills on fixed without complaining but I remember him suddenly groaning when he spotted a sign on one ride. I said not to worry - it was 13% _*down*_hill; he pointed out that I had never descended a steep hill on fixed...!
> 
> View attachment 528375


I rode up a hill a say rode I flow upit but then coming down it's scary because being silly I put my old spds on it thinking this is easy never ridden one because! Hence it's now got a freewheel and a back brake


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## Sharky (8 Jun 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I said not to worry - it was 13% _*down*_hill; he pointed out that I had never descended a steep hill on fixed...!



Yes, it is the descents that are more scary than the climbs.
Once I clocked 44mph at the start of a 10 on the Tonbridge bypass. It has a "gift" ski slope start and I was bouncing all over the place and I was on a 95" fixed.


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## rogerzilla (8 Jun 2020)

That's a mere 154rpm. Learn to spin, man!


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## Pennine-Paul (13 Jun 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I did a few forum rides with @Pennine-Paul. On all but one he rode fixed (he hated the time he rode a geared bike and swore that he wouldn't do it again...).
> Well after 20 years of riding mainly fixed gear {been riding single speed on my commute to work,as it's less than a mile it was taking me longer to change into my cycling gear than it was to ride home on flats!} I found a Tifosi cyclocross frame the same size as the Tifosi track frame I have been riding on Ebay,so it was a simple matter to change over forks,saddle and seatpost and add a singlespeed kit on to the freehub,just waiting on a cable hanger for the rear canti's and I'll be mobile again,next month I'll be fitting Gears!!


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## bungyb69 (18 Jun 2020)

Well guys it's back with new brakes front and back! A lovely freewheel fitted I even changed the bar tape to black fizik it's fantastic, rode it to work and loved every single moment


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## silva (20 Jun 2020)

bungyb69 said:


> I've never been so scared and it takes a lot!! It was the fact my head was saying slow down as I was going down hill and my legs were saying I'm trying to lol


I really don't get this. Are you sure there wasn't a big dog hunting you or so?
Because, if there is any big benefit of fixed gear, it's that it HELPS you to slow down. ON TOP of using the brakes, you can resist the pedals, slowing down even faster.
Just stand up, and everytime a crank comes up behind the bottom bracket, resist using that leg, using as back the other leg and arms on the handlebars. It's easier (but somewhat less effective) to concentrate on / use a same leg to resist. I bring a song in my mind when doing it (Links zu links zu links 2 3 4 links - rammstein).


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## silva (20 Jun 2020)

bungyb69 said:


> I literally was shaking when I got home it was so intense! I kept think I'm going fall at any moment


I had to laugh so hard reading this that I felt of my chair here lol.
Edit - some advice: see the bike as a horse and you as the rider it has to obey.


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## bungyb69 (20 Jun 2020)

silva said:


> I had to laugh so hard reading this that I felt of my chair here lol.
> Edit - some advice: see the bike as a horse and you as the rider it has to obey.


I know I'm a big wuss I'd never ridden one! I kept forgetting I couldn't stop peddling it just felt really strange! But now I love my single speed been on it every day back and forth to work!


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## skudupnorth (26 Jun 2020)

You will get used to it if you keep at it, I’ve done some serious mileage fixed including 200k Audax’s and @ColinJ mega rides 😁 My Boardman Fixie is my favourite bike out of the three I own


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## Juan Kog (27 Jun 2020)

Nice to see a fixed set up for serious mileage, mudguards ,saddlebag and two large bottles. Although you do realise that classic combo brooks and Carradice mark you out as a cycling old fart. Not one of those cycling is the new golf mamil types .( I'm a brooks / Carradice oldfart myself)


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## skudupnorth (27 Jun 2020)

Juan Kog said:


> Nice to see a fixed set up for serious mileage, mudguards ,saddlebag and two large bottles. Although you do realise that classic combo brooks and Carradice mark you out as a cycling old fart. Not one of those cycling is the new golf mamil types .( I'm a brooks / Carradice oldfart myself)





Juan Kog said:


> Nice to see a fixed set up for serious mileage, mudguards ,saddlebag and two large bottles. Although you do realise that classic combo brooks and Carradice mark you out as a cycling old fart. Not one of those cycling is the new golf mamil types .( I'm a brooks / Carradice oldfart myself)


Thankyou, this was a cheeky 60 miler that day


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## Juan Kog (27 Jun 2020)

Hi scudupnorth ,we both ride boardman fixeds , know that fixed is not just for looking cool round town . Not embarrassed to been seen with brooks and Carradice and from your profile both Skoda owners. You know what this means? This is just like Rick and Louis in the final scene in Casablanca.


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## Ian H (27 Jun 2020)

Go to page 38. https://issuu.com/audax-uk/docs/arrivee_130_autumn_2015


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## rogerzilla (27 Jun 2020)

I've done the Dunwich Dynamo on fixed three times (I also started it on fixed in 2007 but the rain caused me to exercise my bailout option...the bike was not at fault). Four times on a geared bike. Wouldn't do it on gears again. Best run was last year, on a track bike the same age as me.


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## Juan Kog (27 Jun 2020)

Hi Ian H in the mid nineties the club I rode with had winter fixed group ,age wise we were 40 and above and geared in the mid sixties ,mid sixties was also the age of some. We were joined by a young man called Steven who was already a keen audax rider and riding 80 inch plus . He proceeded to slaughter us on the hills. I wonder what happened to him.


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## ColinJ (27 Jun 2020)

Juan Kog said:


> Hi Ian H in the mid nineties the club I rode with had winter fixed group ,age wise we were 40 and above and geared in the mid sixties ,mid sixties was also the age of some. We were joined by a young man called Steven who was already a keen audax rider and riding 80 inch plus . He proceeded to slaughter us on the hills. I wonder what happened to him.


I must be slow today... I have only just realised where your forum name comes from!


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## bungyb69 (28 Jun 2020)

ColinJ said:


> I must be slow today... I have only just realised where your forum name comes from!


Juan cog hehe 1cog 😂🤣😂🤣


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## skudupnorth (28 Jun 2020)

Juan Kog said:


> Hi scudupnorth ,we both ride boardman fixeds , know that fixed is not just for looking cool round town . Not embarrassed to been seen with brooks and Carradice and from your profile both Skoda owners. You know what this means? This is just like Rick and Louis in the final scene in Casablanca.


They are such good bikes and with the added a Brooks and Carradice it is versatile for decent rides out or Audax. It always gets some interest when I ride 200k’s ..... maybe they think I’m mad 😆


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## rogerzilla (28 Jun 2020)

Juan Kog said:


> Hi Ian H in the mid nineties the club I rode with had winter fixed group ,age wise we were 40 and above and geared in the mid sixties ,mid sixties was also the age of some. We were joined by a young man called Steven who was already a keen audax rider and riding 80 inch plus . He proceeded to slaughter us on the hills. I wonder what happened to him.


Sounds like Steve Abraham. I saw him ride up a 1 in 4 hill on 86", break his handlebars with the effort, clamp them back together with a light mount and ride another 80 miles.


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## Juan Kog (28 Jun 2020)

Got it one. I think everyone who has rode with him over the years has a story . Maybe some one should collect them together,it would make very entertaining read.


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## Juan Kog (28 Jun 2020)

I agree skudupnorth mines a 2010 sc comp bought on cycle to work scheme soon realised it was too good for commuting. Carradice, I have a serious addiction,no one needs a barley and super c audax both 9 litre bags,plus nelson long flap ,panniers ,rack bags ,seat packs. I've just got a zip roll bag ,convinced myself it was in effect free , because of the coffee and cake money I saved during lock down.


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## Ian H (28 Jun 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> Sounds like Steve Abraham. I saw him ride up a 1 in 4 hill on 86", break his handlebars with the effort, clamp them back together with a light mount and ride another 80 miles.


Yup, our Steve. I once rode a fixed 600 permanent with him, round the hillier parts of East Anglia (so not that hilly, but some inclines to grind up). I was on 67", he claimed to be on something around 90", but was comfortably ahead of me on any hill. Later that week he rang to say he'd mis-counted the teeth on a cog when preparing the bike and was actually pushing about 104".


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## rogerzilla (28 Jun 2020)

He's the Chuck Norris of cycling.


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## Juan Kog (28 Jun 2020)

rogerzilla said:


> He's the Chuck Norris


. 
No a more plausible explanation he's not human but one of those alien inter galactic shape shifters.


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## silva (28 Jun 2020)

Two saturdays ago I carried 160 roof tiles home with my fixed:






Just another day that was.
And you say you can't even ride one empty???


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## bungyb69 (2 Jul 2020)

Sharky said:


> Do you have rear brake? Would be illegal in the UK to ride with just one brake.


I do now


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## RichardB (29 Oct 2020)

Sharky said:


> Do you have rear brake? Would be illegal in the UK to ride with just one brake.



Not sure that's right. My understanding is that the law requires two independent braking systems on a bike. Hence two front brakes stacked together on older trikes, for example. The rider's ability to resist the rear wheel is considered one braking system, so a single front brake on a fixed gear bike satisfies the law. I'm sure that's how it was in the 1980s when I was riding fixed, but the law may have changed since then.

Having said that, I kept my rear brake and would do so again today. You can't have too much brakes.


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## Sharky (29 Oct 2020)

RichardB said:


> Not sure that's right. My understanding is that the law requires two independent braking systems on a bike. Hence two front brakes stacked together on older trikes, for example. The rider's ability to resist the rear wheel is considered one braking system, so a single front brake on a fixed gear bike satisfies the law. I'm sure that's how it was in the 1980s when I was riding fixed, but the law may have changed since then.
> 
> Having said that, I kept my rear brake and would do so again today. You can't have too much brakes.


You are right. A fixed with front brake is legal. But the op is planning a freewheel instead of a fixed, which would be illegal with just one brake.


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## RichardB (29 Oct 2020)

Sharky said:


> You are right. A fixed with front brake is legal. But the op is planning a freewheel instead of a fixed, which would be illegal with just one brake.



Of course.


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