Brakeless.

[Chuffy]

im not saying you shouldnt have a front brake, im merely pointing out the benefits of braking with your legs. For me I have front brake but try to use my legs as much as poss, only use front brake when I really need to. Doin it the hard way doesnt mean do it the hard way and no other way

Fairy snuff.

It's the guys who don't bother with brakes because they ruin the purity, maaan, and anyway, I've got ninja skillz. Those are the guys who get on my tits.

 

[dudi]

thedude, how do you find the corner at the bottom of Birkfield Drive without brakes?

I've been using mine less and less recently, trying to get used to just spiining away down hills. but Birkfield and Belmont are the two hills round here I have to use the brake on...

 

[BentMikey]

'Advanced stopping skills'? WTF? Is squeezing a brake lever too mundane or something?

Well, I'm not arguing with your pov - I also have brakes on my fixed wheel. OTOH, the skill difference between the average skater with a heelbrake, and those without is very clear. Is this partly a result of not having a brake, or is it the other way around where they have no brake because of their skill level?

This is why I'm not poo-pooing the idea that riding brakeless makes you more skilled. It's not my choice, but it's also clear that the real deal brakeless riders tend to be of a high skill level, excluding the wannabes of course.

 

[ASC1951]

it's also clear that the real deal brakeless riders tend to be of a high skill level

The ones you see, maybe - the rest are still in hospital.

 

[Dayvo]

I certainly wouldn't fancy my chances in Court.

Why would you be riding a fixed in a court room?

 

[Mr Phoebus]

Why would you be riding a fixed in a court room?

To really piss-off Judge Bruce Morgan, that's why!

 

[Thedude]

thedude, how do you find the corner at the bottom of Birkfield Drive without brakes?

I've been using mine less and less recently, trying to get used to just spiining away down hills. but Birkfield and Belmont are the two hills round here I have to use the brake on...

The corner is fine, I can slow myself down enough for me to safely corner without fear of the dreaded peddle strike. However it's the following short hill just before the black bridge that always gets me. Stopping half way down the slope (because of the traffic lights) is a nightmare. Word of warning NEVER go down Willoby(spl?) hill! It almost killed me a few days ago!

I cycled to southwold a few days ago and felt proud that I did it a)without brakes and my feet never touched the ground as I developing my trackstanding skills quite rapidly.

Hows your 'Colnago?'

 

[dudi]

haha my 'colnago' is going well. got some new wheels on order so once they arrive it'll be totally finished.

I noticed you don't have your orange front wheel any more, a casualty of your collision?

 

[Thedude]

Yep. The wheel snapped and the forks bent back. I got some new forks and managed to get a black rim very cheaply. I also got a new Bareknuckle frame which im going to build up soon. Looks the same as my current frame but with a higher BB height so peddle strike will no longer be an issue.

 

[GrahamG]

Haha! I knew this would attract a few replies over the weekend. (That wasn't me reason for posting!)

Interesting views, especially the skates analogy.

One comment I forgot to include - I've never seen anyone riding brakeless here in the rain or on a wet road. Dry days only so perhaps they are sensibly just taking them out where/when they know they're not going to have issues.

 

[BentMikey]

Funnily enough when we skate London to Brighton BHF ride, most cyclists ask us about going uphills, and only a very few clued up ones about the downhills. Uphills are relatively easy - just dig deep and work. 2.2kg skates are less weight than a 6 or 7kg soot bike, and a lot less still than the average bike.

 

[Greenbank]

Being risk averse I wouldn't want to go out on a long/hilly ride with anything but front and rear brakes. I've had a brake cable snap on me once before and I wouldn't want to have to rely on my legs alone to stop me on a prolonged 1:6 descent.

Flattish commuting I'd possibly consider no rear brake.

Riding brakeless is, as someone put it above, just foolhardy macho bullshit.

 

[peekay76]

I have front and rear brakes on my fixed. I don't know when I last used the back brake and I'm getting quite proficient and stopping for lights etc. but just using the legs. I commute through traffic and there's very often a moment when someone in a car causes me to need to brake suddenly, how do you guys with no brakes deal with this?

 

[Joe24]

I have front and rear brakes on my fixed. I don't know when I last used the back brake and I'm getting quite proficient and stopping for lights etc. but just using the legs. I commute through traffic and there's very often a moment when someone in a car causes me to need to brake suddenly, how do you guys with no brakes deal with this?

They would go around them, skid or go into them i think

 

[Notsoblue]

Funnily enough when we skate London to Brighton BHF ride, most cyclists ask us about going uphills, and only a very few clued up ones about the downhills. Uphills are relatively easy - just dig deep and work. 2.2kg skates are less weight than a 6 or 7kg soot bike, and a lot less still than the average bike.

How *do* you go a significant downhill with skates?