fixed bikes and brakes

[biggs682]

ok frame i have used does not have a drilled rear bridge for brake mount , what is the legal requirement for brakes on a fixed gear bike , i have a front brake and would feel happier fitting one .

i have seen a kit on flea bay that seams to contain a set of plates and a caliper for around £30 , expensive seeing as i have loads of calipers sitting around that i could use , any ideas ?

 

[HovR]

I believe the official wording is something along the lines of "A braking mechanism for both front and rear wheels". It's a big vague, but I think the general consensus is that the fixed gear counts as a braking mechanism for the rear wheel.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

^^sorry, but it's quite clear, only a front brake is required on a bike with fixed gearing. dead simple. rear are pretty much useless in an emergency situation. saint sheldon has it all explained.

 

[HovR]

^^sorry, but it's quite clear, only a front brake is required on a bike with fixed gearing. dead simple. rear are pretty much useless in an emergency situation. saint sheldon has it all explained.

I wouldn't know - I don't ride fixed. I'm just passing on what I've read else where in the forum.

 

[Boris Bajic]

^^sorry, but it's quite clear, only a front brake is required on a bike with fixed gearing. dead simple. rear are pretty much useless in an emergency situation. saint sheldon has it all explained.

Yes and no.

I ride my fixopholous fixed-gear fixie bicycle in and around the Malvern Hills and the Beacons with 69" gearing.

I frequently descend on steepish gradients at 150-160 RPM and more, into mid-30s MPH.

At those pedal speeds, my limited skill would make any attempt at braking with the pedals both comical and ineffective.

Around town, in traffic or on flat or rolling A-Roads, I barely touch the rear brake... but on a fast descent I wouldn't be without it.

At first build I removed it, partly to reduce the gubbins to an absolute minimum. One fast descent later, I was back in the workshop re-attaching the lever, caliper and cabling.

The law requires only a front brake on a fixed-gear bicycle, but 35mph on steep hills is less suicidal at my skill level with a rear brake.

 

[musa]

If you feel you need one then buy all means do the work to the frame no ones gonna call the BSO police

 

[wheres_my_beard]

ok frame i have used does not have a drilled rear bridge for brake mount , what is the legal requirement for brakes on a fixed gear bike , i have a front brake and would feel happier fitting one .

i have seen a kit on flea bay that seams to contain a set of plates and a caliper for around £30 , expensive seeing as i have loads of calipers sitting around that i could use , any ideas ?

Is this the kind of thing you mean?

You could easily save yourself a few bucks (euros, pounds, clams or whatever) by cutting out some plates yourself and use a set of your own calipers. It doesn't look like a huge amount of skill would be needed, although you wouldn't get the same finish unless you had them powdercoated or did a nice spray job on them.

If you have a good front brake you should be fine in most situations without a back brake though.

 

[biggs682]

thats them wheres_my_beard have tried a couple of diferant ways of attaching a caliper to no avail

 

[colly]

Buy a suitable bridge, drill a hole in it and braze it on. You know you want to.

On the other hand Bob Jacksons will fit a new brake bridge for you for less than 30 quid. I'm sure someone closer to you could do it for about the same.
http://www.bobjacksoncycles.co.uk/repairs_pl.php

 

[HovR]

Argos Cycles in Bristol will fit a new brake bridge for £45, although they may be able to drill the old one?

 

[Ian H]

If there's a bridge between the seat stays, it can almost certainly be drilled.

 

[3narf]

If there's a bridge between the seat stays, it can almost certainly be drilled.

...badly

 

[Pennine-Paul]

Save yourself the hassle,You don't need a rear brake,
In fact you can lockup the back wheel.
just feather your front brakes on steepish hills
keep your speed down to a reasonable level then sprint the last
30-40 metres and you'll fly up the other side

 

[biggs682]

at the moment just taking it easy but its awkward as most of my journey involves making left turns , and as i have the brake lever on the lhs it makes ot awkward for braking before turning , so will swap lever over to other side and see how it goes

 

[wheres_my_beard]

at the moment just taking it easy but its awkward as most of my journey involves making left turns , and as i have the brake lever on the lhs it makes ot awkward for braking before turning , so will swap lever over to other side and see how it goes

I'm not sure my brain could cope with fixed wheel and the brake lever on the wrong side of the bars!!

You could get a cable splitter and run a R and L lever for the front brake to cover all signalling and turns.