Why not post a picture of your Fixed/Singlespeed bike

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

is front tyre on in right direction? i agree, lose the rear brake, spoiling the look.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Do your own thing with your brakes buddy, what ever makes you happy. I'll never 'lose' my rear brake despite riding fixed gear. Even if you don't use it day to day, you might just need that extra stopping power one day, and it can't stop you if it's in your shed can it?

 

[wheres_my_beard]

Do your own thing with your brakes buddy, what ever makes you happy. I'll never 'lose' my rear brake despite riding fixed gear. Even if you don't use it day to day, you might just need that extra stopping power one day, and it can't stop you if it's in your shed can it?

Each to their own

 

[smokeysmoo]

Each to their own

Absolutely spot on WMB But a lot of fixed gear riders do try and force the, "Thou must not run a back brake when riding fixed gear or your wheels will fall off and your brains will turn into chain lube" mantra and TBH it gets on my brace and bits.

I'm not suggesting anyone on this thread was doing that, but it definately goes on, and I'm sure there are many impressionable people who have heard that same mantra and gone and removed their back brake as they think it's the cool hipster thing to do - when the truth is it serves no benefit to remove it, and if it is there it might just assist in preventing you eating a windscreen one day.
You say, "Each to their own", I say, "Absolutely bang on my mate"
Ride fixed, ride fast, ride safe

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Absolutely spot on WMB But a lot of fixed gear riders do try and force the, "Thou must not run a back brake when riding fixed gear or your wheels will fall off and your brains will turn into chain lube" mantra and TBH it gets on my brace and bits.

I'm not suggesting anyone on this thread was doing that, but it definately goes on, and I'm sure there are many impressionable people who have heard that same mantra and gone and removed their back brake as they think it's the cool hipster thing to do - when the truth is it serves no benefit to remove it, and if it is there it might just assist in preventing you eating a windscreen one day.
You say, "Each to their own", I say, "Absolutely bang on my mate"
Ride fixed, ride fast, ride safe

is this anecdotal or evidence based?

from the late great sheldon brown.....


Braking

ome fixed-gear riders ride on the road without brakes. This is a bad idea. I know, I've tried it. If you do it, and have any sense of self-preservation at all, it will cause you to go much slower than you otherwise could, every time you go through an intersection, or pass a driveway. The need for constant extra vigilance takes a great deal of the fun out of cycling.

You really should have a front brake. A front brake, all by itself, will stop a bicycle as fast as it is possible to stop. This is true because when you are applying the front brake to the maximum, there is no weight on the rear wheel, so it has no traction.

One of the wonderful things about fixed-gear riding is that the direct feel you get for rear-wheel traction teaches you exactly how hard you can apply the front brake without quite lifting the rear wheel off of the ground.

This is a very valuable lesson for any cyclist who likes to go fast; it could save your life.

There is really no need for a rear brake on a fixed-gear bicycle. By applying back-pressure on the pedals, you can supply all the braking that the rear wheel really needs. In fact, it is fairly easy to lock up the rear wheel and make it skid, unless you are running a rather high gear.

 

[Nigel182]

Nicely done. I like where you're placed your 'puter.

If you're riding fixed you may want to get rid of the rear brake and lever, which will help de-clutter your bars.

More importantly, how does it ride?

Cheers...it rides like a dream....and I always lusted after the bike as a kid, but parents couldn't afford it.....
Oh well thanks to the joys of second/third Childhood or mid age crisis (Choose your own answer there...!!!)

It's singlespeed so both brakes and when fixed will be both as have been know to suffer brake failure once and don't want to again.

Think i'll try it out tonight with the lights... then maybe think about a FNRttC on it sometime.

 

[Nigel182]

is front tyre on in right direction? i agree, lose the rear brake, spoiling the look.

made me look haha...and yep it's on correct although in the pic it don't look right...must be the magic of digital cameras.....if it was 35mm would have taken over a week and a trip to Boot's to see the result..

Not in it for the look wanna be able to stop easy enough always had bike with 2 brakes.

Still each to their own...otherwise we'd all be Sheep....

Do what YOU enjoy and enjoy what YOU do is my Mantra.

 

[wheres_my_beard]

Gravel or other slippy surfaces make having just a front brake hairy.

The only time I've come off my fixed gear bike (so far) was when the front wheel slid out from under me was on impacted snow/ice (on slick 23mm tyres ) so I super wary of slippy surfaces.

 

[smokeysmoo]

is this anecdotal or evidence based?

from the late great sheldon brown.....


Braking

ome fixed-gear riders ride on the road without brakes. This is a bad idea. I know, I've tried it. If you do it, and have any sense of self-preservation at all, it will cause you to go much slower than you otherwise could, every time you go through an intersection, or pass a driveway. The need for constant extra vigilance takes a great deal of the fun out of cycling.

You really should have a front brake. A front brake, all by itself, will stop a bicycle as fast as it is possible to stop. This is true because when you are applying the front brake to the maximum, there is no weight on the rear wheel, so it has no traction.

One of the wonderful things about fixed-gear riding is that the direct feel you get for rear-wheel traction teaches you exactly how hard you can apply the front brake without quite lifting the rear wheel off of the ground.

This is a very valuable lesson for any cyclist who likes to go fast; it could save your life. "So can having two brakes"

There is really no need for a rear brake on a fixed-gear bicycle, (in Sheldon's experience). By applying back-pressure on the pedals, you can supply all the braking that the rear wheel really needs. In fact, it is fairly easy to lock up the rear wheel and make it skid, unless you are running a rather high gear. (I can't @ 48:20, but I haven't tried too hard as skidding's not my thing).

Just because Sheldon says so doesn't mean it suits everyone. I'm not saying it's not the case, but I'm not agreeing that it is either. I find I stop better if I need to use both brakes rather than just the front one, and as the use of two brakes has stopped me before disaster ensued on more than one occasion, in my personal case it's evidence based. With that cleared up I refer you to my earlier point, each to their own.
Ride safe

 

[Christopher]

1983 Dawes Windsor, running 42x17. Pedals are old-style Look 296s, nice big solid platform, ideal for fixed. Pretty basic bike buts gets me to work (eventually).

 

[wheres_my_beard]

No brake pads, Christopher?? Interesting choice.

 

[smokeysmoo]

No brake pads?? Interesting choice.

Now that's extreme on a new level

 

[Rob3rt]

People should just ride as many brakes as they think they need. If anything it gives confidence and peace of mind, even if the rear is completelly redundant which for me, it is.

I dont run rear brakes, I find them utterly redundant on a fixed gear bike, I barely touch the rear brake on my geared bike never mind riding fixed, where I am able to slow down in a controlled way using nothing but my legs and sitting up into the wind resistance, if there is an emergency, I'll hit the front brake whilst shifting my weight backward, just the same as riding my geared bike. As for the front wheel slipping out from under you and needing the rear brake, well you should get pretty good feedback of your traction via the drivetrain in order to make some educated speed modifications before putting yourself in a situation where the front end is likely to go. In that case where there is no stopping the front end going, the back brake is unlikely to save you.

This is just how I prefer to ride and as far as I am concerned, I am road legal and completelly comfortable this way, others might not be, they should ride a bike that they are comfortable riding on.

Many purpose built fixed gear bikes do not accept a rear brake, they simply arent drilled for it, its a simple design consideration, just like how they traditionally have higher bottom brackets. My last bike was drilled but it had no braze on's for routing cables, my current fixed gear bike isnt even drilled.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

before this got into a heated debate over brakes, he asked how it looked. to me and wheres mi beard, the bars looked cluttered and spoiling the look. i stick with this, plus with the levers being so close together, if they had to be used together, won't your hands be a bit close, thus giving you less control?

 

[Rob3rt]

Yes they would ^^ just like the silly riser bars hipsters ride do (lets try to avoid this debate though )!

IMO, whilst it doesnt play to my tastes, the bike looks fine bar the brake levers so close to the stem.