fixed bikes and brakes

[biggs682]

stupid question as never heard of that before , so will look into them .

anybody any experiance of using them

 

[Pennine-Paul]

Not used that system but used a dia compe gran compe shot lever
for a while,that allows you to brake with either hand,

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/dia-compe-gran-compe-shot-lever-prod20983/

 

[tyred]

Like Boris, I tend to feather the back brake on steep descents.

I cannot think of a single reason for not having a back brake other than that it's fashionable not to.

 

[wheres_my_beard]

Like Boris, I tend to feather the back brake on steep descents.

I cannot think of a single reason for not having a back brake other than that it's fashionable not to.

I think OP has a good reason not to have a back brake... but is trying to work out how to attach one.

 

[palinurus]

I was going to remove the rear brake on my commuter- one less thing to maintain- but I need the lever because I ride on the hoods most of the time. I could put one of those wee levers that goes on the top but I like braking from the hoods too.

Anyway, that's why I've got a back brake. That and going down bastard steep hills with a bag of compost on the rack.

 

[Ian H]

...That and going down bastard steep hills with a bag of compost on the rack.

Is that to keep the back wheel on the ground?

 

[biggs682]

use to keep a sack of cement in boot of old rs2000 i had moons ago

 

[Boris Bajic]

use to keep a sack of cement in boot of old rs2000 i had moons ago

Working for the UN many moons ago, I used to advise staff driving one of our Hi-Lux pick-ups to keep something heavy over the rear axle.

I see that these days the favoured 'heavy object' over the axle of a pick-up is often a heavy machine gun.

This is not something I would have advised.

 

[totallyfixed]

Might there be two tribes involved in this discussion? The urbanites [sans hills] and The Ruralites. Now it might be hip to skid your back wheel while swerving around traffic in the smoke and earning enough money to replace your tyres weekly but out here in the sticks your life expectancy is on tricky ground if you only have a front brake.
If you turn a really big gear it's easier to keep your speed down when descending but in a smaller gear [as Boris says] with your legs rotating at the speed of a humming birds wings, I can assure you a rear brake is a very useful bit of armoury to have in ones tool kit. If you are one of those who can ride anywhere without a front brake, come and teach me how.

 

[colly]

I have a front and a rear brake...............for no other reason than I am a scaredycat.

 

[Smurfy]

I have front and rear brakes, my current gear is 65", and a typical 30-40 mile ride for me will include two descents of around 600ft that might require me to use brakes. My own experience:

Front brake:
Vastly more powerful than rear brake
Needs to be used gently, or the back end can start drifting around on bumpy descents.
Difficult to modulate enough to use a drag-brake on a long descent

Rear brake:
Nowhere near as powerful as the front brake, but definitely better than nothing if the front brake were to fail part-way down a descent
Rather unnerving when the back wheel locks up momentarily on bumpy descents. This is a fixed-wheel, the pedals aren't supposed to stop!
Easier to use as a drag-brake on long descents when I'm not wanting to do crazy rpm

A lot of rides I just use the front brake.
Sometimes I use both brakes alterrnately to avoid dumping too much heat into one rim, I've heard some people have had blowouts after getting the tyre and tube too hot.
My speed on the same descent can vary a lot from ride to ride. If my eyes are watering then I might want to slow down a lot more so I can see where I'm going and if there's any new potholes.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I ride in all weathers and run both front and back brakes on my fixed, I rarely use the back, the backs there for when its slippery, to much front brake when its slippery is likely to result in a face plant so when I see its slippery I leave the front brake alone and use the the back brake plus leg braking.

 

[biggs682]

guys thanks for all the comments still cant decide what to do , will more than likely get a rr brake , more for safety than other reasons as really enjoy ridint machine

 

[Gaijin]

why would you need a rear brake ? its a fixed gear you are riding.
As long as you wont slam the front brake whilst at your top speed, front brake is safe and enough. No need for rear imo.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

why would you need a rear brake ? its a fixed gear you are riding.
As long as you wont slam the front brake whilst at your top speed, front brake is safe and enough. No need for rear imo.

A back brake is needed on a fixed for when its slippery, use of back brake plus legs is a safer way to stop when its slippery, too much front brake in slippery conditions can lead to a face plant and spoiling your good looks, getting it wrong when using the back brake you have a chance of catching it, and if it goes totally wrong you are most likely to land on your backside, which in my case is well padded.