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General: "Brakeless" vs Brakes

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    • CommentAuthormeatroll
    • CommentTimeNov 2nd 2008 edited
     
    mentioning this debate outside of this thread should lead to automatic ban, hahaha.

    anyway all i have to add to this discussion, is that if/when you do decide to ride brakeless, it is very important to know how to stop yourself SHOULD your chain snap/cog come loose/toestrap break/et cetera. i've met way too many people who have never even thought about this.

    the best method IMO is the "ted shred", where you put your foot on your back tire, right behind your seatstays. this will not work if you have a regular fender there, however if you have a seatpost mounted fender you can probably kick it out of the way.

    there's a few other methods in this bikeforums post but as i said, i think the ted shred is most effective.


    EDIT: i'm totally confused as to why it looks like i'm the OP of this thread and it says i posted an hour ago when i posted less than a minute ago, but hey, whatevs.
    • CommentAuthort0dk0n
    • CommentTimeNov 2nd 2008 edited
     
    I got the idea in another post I will not mention from fellow Velospace user Meatroll. This post is created for the sole intention to keep any arguments, justifications, theories, etc about riding brakeless or with brakes in one central post. People now don't have to flood every thread with the same old story. I personally prefer to ride with a front brake, but I have respect for those that can safely ride without one. People that ride without one when they first start on the other hand is idiotic in my opinion. It's fine to try out once in awhile when you're starting, but riding that way everywhere might prove troublesome and you might hurt someone or yourself severely if you can't stop effectively.

    EDIT: Haha, I was hoping an op would move you to the top since it was your idea. The reason it says you posted an hour ago is probably because its counting the beginning of this thread, when I started it an hour ago.
    • CommentAuthorJ Juicy
    • CommentTimeNov 2nd 2008
     
    brakes=safer
    brakeless=more fun

    you decide
    • CommentAuthorCONDENADO
    • CommentTimeNov 3rd 2008
     
    EVER BRAKELESS !!!!!!
  5.  
    Brakeless for sure.
  7.  
    heres a simply way to put it"
    brakes- condom, safe
    brakeless - no condom, not safe but more fun but you will eventually get fucked over

    I ride brakeless =) so far so good!
    • CommentAuthorZ4N5H1N
    • CommentTimeNov 5th 2008
     
    I like brakes.

    And freewheels.

    And gears.

    ;)
  9.  
    why is it more fun to ride brakeless?
  10.  
    brakeless freewheeling down the hill at 50 mph fun fun fun
  11.  
    brakeless...
    but my knees are starting to get pissed..
    • CommentAuthormeatroll
    • CommentTimeNov 7th 2008
     
    Posted By: Kamikaze Kidbrakeless...
    but my knees are starting to get pissed..


    taking a daily supplement combining glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM can help with this. so does stretching before riding, and maybe gearing down a bit. adding a brake would still make a huge difference on top of that but that's up to you.
  13.  
    i ride with the brakes cut...

    everybody tells me to get a front brake just incase, but i am stubborn and will have to learn the hard way.

    i havent learned yet and have the scars to show it.

    but without brakes you feel so much more free and able.
    • CommentAuthorroadie
    • CommentTimeNov 7th 2008
     
    front brake only for the road. no brakes at the 'drome. fixed 4ever!
  15.  
    Posted By: t0dk0nIt's fine to try out once in awhile when you're starting, but riding that way everywhere might prove troublesome and you might hurt someone or yourself severely if you can't stop effectively.


    anyone trying to say that riding without breaks is way unsafe obviously doesn't know how to ride w/o them. practice makes perfect.
  16.  
    in my personal opinion brakeless = safer, my reason being i'm always watching one step ahead and remaining much more alert to my surroundings. i also feel alot more confident in my own two legs bringing me to a safe stop than a brake. thats the reason i ride fixed, the bike becomes an extension of your body and reacts almost telepathically to whatever your riding situation may be. really though this only applies to experienced riders. brakes are a choice, if you are just learning and dont want to a brake then ride around in a parking lot for a few days til your are confident in all the tecniques of stopping.
  17.  
    Since I started riding fixed, I've never had a brake on any of my bikes. I tried riding my friends road bike recently and nearly ate shit because my brain did not think fast enough to reach out and grab this lever to slow down. When you ride brakeless, you think with your legs, and it's your legs that make you go, and make you stop. Very simple. I find that I can react and slow down faster with my legs, then I can reach out and remember to squeeze a little lever to slow down.

    It's more important to be 110% aware of your surroundings and what is going to happen ahead of you and what you will do if that car turns or pulls out etc, rather then putting all your faith in some little mechanical thingy as a brake.
  18.  
    word ^. thats pretty much what i said
    • CommentAuthormeatroll
    • CommentTimeNov 9th 2008
     
    ITT:

    :)
    • CommentAuthoro_O
    • CommentTimeNov 14th 2008
     
    i ride with a front brake, but i usually dont use it, i rode brake less the other day and wiped out, I couldn't slow down enough and I took a corner, wasn't able to turn sharlpy enough(roads were super slick) and hit the curb.
    • CommentAuthornunie92
    • CommentTimeNov 15th 2008
     
    brakes are for pussy's
    • CommentAuthorVman
    • CommentTimeNov 15th 2008 edited
     
    race cars have brakes. motorcycles have brakes. trains have brakes.

    my point being: the faster one can stop determines the (increased) speed at which one can go. [
    • CommentAuthorsatapana
    • CommentTimeNov 16th 2008 edited
     
    agreed Vman, exactly why i ride with a brake, i like to ride fast to keep up with the cars so i need to stop fast
    i can remember dozens of times downtown where if i didnt have an oh shit lever i would have died
    besides, i really have nothing to prove and the only time i rode brakeless, i stripped my hub while slowing down (scary as sheit)
    • CommentAuthorj e SS e
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008 edited
     
    I rode brakeless for a year or so when I first got into the fixed gear thing. I'm totally comfortable with it as far as bike handling goes, but it KILLS my knees. I take glucosamine anyway but that doesn't fix the problem which is that riding brakeless kills your knees. It puts a lot of very unnatural pressure at very unnatural angles on your knees. I eventually went with a front brake and it made all the difference. Of course it's not as "cool", but if you think a front brake or absence thereof in any way reflects your machismo, well, stay in school Jr., you still got some learnin' to do.

    Aside from the knee factor, the fact is that with you front brake you can stop considerable faster, and your rear tire will last exponentially longer. But you'll have to live with knowing that not buying a new rear tire every week is for pussies. :D
    • CommentAuthorj e SS e
    • CommentTimeNov 17th 2008 edited
     
    Posted By: terrible_one49Since I started riding fixed, I've never had a brake on any of my bikes. I tried riding my friends road bike recently and nearly ate shit because my brain did not think fast enough to reach out and grab this lever to slow down. When you ride brakeless, you think with your legs, and it's your legs that make you go, and make you stop. Very simple. I find that I can react and slow down faster with my legs, then I can reach out and remember to squeeze a little lever to slow down.

    It's more important to be 110% aware of your surroundings and what is going to happen ahead of you and what you will do if that car turns or pulls out etc, rather then putting all your faith in some little mechanical thingy as a brake.

    You admittedly lack the mental capacity to effectively utilize hand-actuated brakes? And they let you out into the Big World, unsupervised? Scary.
  26.  
    brakes are for pussy's


    ... and people able to use language.
  27.  
    I'm sure he intended to say "brakes are for pussy is."
  28.  
    I ride in a city where no brakes = hassles from the cops. So, I run a brake. Sure is handy when the rear wheel breaks loose in the rain, and that interesection is coming up fast!
  29.  
    You think it's a contraction? Because I thought maybe it was possessive. Note that there's no period. I think he was writing about something belonging to pussy, but was attacked by vampires at the last moment. Or maybe a saber-toothed tiger. Or an elephant. Anyway, something with big teeth.

    Now we'll never know what brakes are for, except that pussy apparently needs them.
    • CommentAuthorAaron C
    • CommentTimeNov 19th 2008
     
    +1

    when i red your comment i nearly fell over laughing. its so true. maybe their was big scary front break that came out of no were and stoled his english language skills.
    • CommentAuthorAaron C
    • CommentTimeNov 19th 2008
     
    or it could have been a dear.
  32.  
    I apologize for putting "pussy" and "teeth" in the same paragraph.

    Anyway, Aaron, I'm more inclined to believe that it was a beer.
    • CommentAuthorSkidMark
    • CommentTimeNov 20th 2008
     
    Please stop. If you want to run brakes, run them. If you don't know how to stop without them, run brakes. If you know what you are doing and don't need them, don't run them. If you've never ridden a fixed gear bike or don't know how to stop one, then you have no business commenting on it.

    Now brakeless on a BMX, that's different. I used to think this was just plain stupid, but the truth is that your foot on top of the tire will stop you just as well as a U-brake with a Gyro cable and a one-finger lever.
    • CommentAuthorSir Duke
    • CommentTimeNov 20th 2008
     
    Posted By: Vmanrace cars have brakes. motorcycles have brakes. trains have brakes.

    my point being: the faster one can stop determines the (increased) speed at which one can go. [
    This is the reason I have a brake. Fast is good.

    I also run brakes because DC drivers are horrid.
    • CommentAuthorElxiddicus
    • CommentTimeNov 22nd 2008
     
    In terms of efficiency, I don't get why brakes would make one use more energy. I realise that it means less weight and therefore less friction, but if you need to slow down your pedals with your legs, doesn't that use energy? Also, isn't coasting another good way to save energy? Are there efficiency factors that I haven't taken into consideration?
    If brakeless isn't more efficient, I'm afraid I don't see a point to it, it just means buying a special back wheel.
    • CommentAuthorwowzah
    • CommentTimeNov 23rd 2008 edited
     
    if the fad part of this fixed gear thing continues to rage on, there is going to be list like the Iraqi war of punk kids with no skills and the innocent victims

    if you have been riding bikes for ages, and are super vigilant, go for brakeless.

    but a punk kid with no skills who has not been on a bike much... someone is going to get hurt plain and simple, hopefully it's just the rider

    maybe more people need to think about other people, and how their actions can impact other people
    • CommentAuthorma matao
    • CommentTimeNov 28th 2008
     
    i'm brakeless, i rode for so long with a brake and never used it except to see if it still worked so when i switched my handlebars i just didn't bother putting them back on
  38.  
    i ride brakeless because it's fun and it keeps you on your toes, but there are so many guys out there who make it seem like they're better riders than people with brakes. they are tough guys who brag about their scars, and they ride brakeless like they're trying to prove something.
  39.  
    I rode fixed with a front brake for about a year, and I used it pretty often. This summer I ended up ditching my conversion for a track bike, but the fork isn't drilled, nor can it be (didn't really realize that until I took it home and built it), so I had to learn how to ride brakeless pretty quickly. Sometimes I find myself wishing I had a brake, but can't afford a new fork for the time being. I have gotten pretty good at just using my legs, but I find that I can't take as many risks as before, because looking cool just isn't worth getting destroyed by a car and possibly ruining my chances of ever getting on a bike again.
    • CommentAuthoririshskyler
    • CommentTimeDec 8th 2008 edited
     
    Posted By: meatrollITT:

    :)


    haha
    this is great
    • CommentAuthoro_O
    • CommentTimeDec 10th 2008
     
    Posted By: ForrestLBDMI rode fixed with a front brake for about a year, and I used it pretty often. This summer I ended up ditching my conversion for a track bike, but the fork isn't drilled, nor can it be (didn't really realize that until I took it home and built it), so I had to learn how to ride brakeless pretty quickly. Sometimes I find myself wishing I had a brake, but can't afford a new fork for the time being. I have gotten pretty good at just using my legs, but I find that I can't take as many risks as before, because looking cool just isn't worth getting destroyed by a car and possibly ruining my chances of ever getting on a bike again.


    you can get brake sets made for road training that clamp on to your fork.
    http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=188_482
    not the most attractive solution, but it works.
  42.  
    Those look like they would only work on steel forks. Mine is one of those stock Bianchi Pista Concept carbon forks, which are quite a bit fatter. It doesn't look like the caliper would fit on mine.

    Also, does anyone have experience with carbon straight-bladed forks giving or bending when using a brake on them?
    Posted By: o_O
    Posted By: ForrestLBDMI rode fixed with a front brake for about a year, and I used it pretty often. This summer I ended up ditching my conversion for a track bike, but the fork isn't drilled, nor can it be (didn't really realize that until I took it home and built it), so I had to learn how to ride brakeless pretty quickly. Sometimes I find myself wishing I had a brake, but can't afford a new fork for the time being. I have gotten pretty good at just using my legs, but I find that I can't take as many risks as before, because looking cool just isn't worth getting destroyed by a car and possibly ruining my chances of ever getting on a bike again.


    you can get brake sets made for road training that clamp on to your fork.
    http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=188_482
    not the most attractive solution, but it works.
    • CommentAuthoro_O
    • CommentTimeDec 11th 2008
     
    Posted By: ForrestLBDMThose look like they would only work on steel forks. Mine is one of those stock Bianchi Pista Concept carbon forks, which are quite a bit fatter. It doesn't look like the caliper would fit on mine.

    Also, does anyone have experience with carbon straight-bladed forks giving or bending when using a brake on them?
    Posted By: o_O
    Posted By: ForrestLBDMI rode fixed with a front brake for about a year, and I used it pretty often. This summer I ended up ditching my conversion for a track bike, but the fork isn't drilled, nor can it be (didn't really realize that until I took it home and built it), so I had to learn how to ride brakeless pretty quickly. Sometimes I find myself wishing I had a brake, but can't afford a new fork for the time being. I have gotten pretty good at just using my legs, but I find that I can't take as many risks as before, because looking cool just isn't worth getting destroyed by a car and possibly ruining my chances of ever getting on a bike again.


    you can get brake sets made for road training that clamp on to your fork.
    http://www.benscycle.net/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=188_482
    not the most attractive solution, but it works.



    im not sure, you might have to get a rear brake.
    or you could just but a new straigh blade fork, it's up to you.
  44.  
    Sometimes you just have to grow up and realize that a brake doesn't make you a pussy, it doesn't dilute the "fixed experience", and people aren't going to think you sit down when you pee (no offense to the lady riders). One day I just thought, man, I could really hurt myself riding on this bike with NO BRAKES. So I put one on. I have more important things to do than hurt myself on a bike. I want to ride because I love it, and It just makes sense to leave yourself an out all the time, and having a brake just adds another option to your list when you're barreling down a hill and a car pulls out of a driveway right in front of you. Even if the brake doesn't stop you, it'll make it hurt a little less...
    • CommentAuthoremanalo
    • CommentTimeDec 16th 2008
     
    who says that you always have to use your brake if you have one on your bike? i have mine because i dont trust myself to stop quick enough if i need to. i like to go fast and a brake helps me keep my bones aligned and undamaged. 80% of the time, i dont use my brake, ill just slow down as most people without fixies do, but everynow and then, i may have to reach over and pull that lever because as much as i can control my bike, i cant control other people in cars, trucks, walking, etc. just because you have a brake doesnt mean you have to always use it to stop. going down a massive hill and with my knees already screaming for mercy....brake time.
  46.  
    ^
    Agreed.
  47.  
    I can appreciate the Zen like purity of riding no brakes - But you are much more likely to get killed and the longer you do it - the more likely it is. Enjoy it - and then move on before you die - so you can look back on it with nostalgia. I have a fixed wheel and Campag Record brakes front and back. I can stop in 10% the distance of a no braker! Its a good feeling!
  48.  
    Move over I want to kick the horse in the gut.

    I ride with two brake on my fixed gears. Hurt my knees real bad before and don't want to do it again. Besides I love to ride on the hoods. When I ride with someone who is brakeless they loose much more momentum than I do in urban areas because they've got to slow down sooner to keep out of intercetions. My bike is a machine and I want every bit of control over it. To me that means fixed with brakes, and to each's own.
    • CommentAuthorOla Yungai
    • CommentTimeDec 19th 2008
     
    yeah but i kno this kid who was zoomin down hills and shit
    and he had a front break
    and he pressed down on it
    causing his front wheel to stop completely
    and he did and endo
    • CommentAuthorbchhun
    • CommentTimeDec 19th 2008
     
    well, i guess if he actually knew how to use a brake...
  51.  
    Hey, let's just grab a handful of front brake at high speed! That'll turn out great!

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