i just got my first fixie, its a cayne uno and the only way my parents will let me ride it (i'm a junior in high school) is if i get a front brake installed. so my question is this: does it matter if it's there as long as i'm still using my feet to slow down and i don't use the break?

(i don't give a rat's ass about the indie cool factor, all i care about is getting the best workout possible)

your parents are smart and wise to see through the "i dont need a brake" drivel.

put one on and ride it. **** anyone who says its uncool.

chains break.
hubs strip.
brake cables snap.
brakes come loose.


Ship ****ing happens.

good to have an emergency backup. Id go with the front brake.

yeah man, thats exactly what i do. i have a front brake, but i don't use it unless i need to. i'm in college and no one gives me **** about it.

dude... first of all, listen to your parents. you may think you're awesome and know everything but you don't.

second of all, getting a workout comes from going fast and long and hard, not from how much you brake or what you brake with. go to a trail or bike path(paved, of course) and just bike for hours at a time. that's the best way to get a workout, not riding to your friend's house in your parent's suburb without brakes.


screw brakeless riding, especially for people with their first fixies.

+ 1,000!!!
put the brake on and learn how to use it when needed. i.e. learn how much pressure it takes to stop your bike without flipping yourself over the handlebars. Stuff happens.....chains break, jump off the cog, legs cramp up, ect. Being cool is being a LEADER, not a follower.

I put one on mine and i am very glad it is there when some @$$hat pulls out in front of me on a downhill or if it is raining and the roads are wet!

You can control your bike, but you can't control other people. A little kid (5 or so) stepped out into the bike lane yesterday from behind a car. If I did not have a brake I would have flattened him, and in the eyes of any lawyer (or mine, for that matter) not having a brake would have made it my fault. Having a brake on your bike has nothing to do with your workout.

for the record i was not suggesting a 'long leisurely ride' i was saying that you don't get a good workout on a fixed gear if you don't ride hard and long. and your original question of 'does it matter if it's there' is ridiculous. unless it's improperly tuned and rubbing on your wheel(which will only increase resistance and make you work harder) then of course it's not going to matter.

there's been so much discussion on brakeless / brakes i don't really see why this thread is worthwhile. but thanks for your PM anyway.

You'll be glad you have one when:

- You're bombing down a huge hill for your first time and can't backpedal enough to stop. Especially if there's an intersection at the end.

- You're plowing through the city and some ******* runs a red light or a ped jumps in front of you.

Front brakes are the smart thing to have. You can even be discrete with them and mount a bmx-style brake (for drop bars) by the stem or a triathalon brake (for bullhorns) for ultimate coolness.

Just think of a brake on a fixed gear bike as a reserve parachute. You usually won't need it, but it's really nice to have in case of emergency (and makes riding with spent legs safer too).
A front brake can be the difference between a close call and wrecking.

I'm curious as to how brakes can be discrete. Pics? Links?

your parents are guiding you right. I can ride brakeless fine but its really a dumb thing (and fun too). It took my dad telling me he really thinks i should put a brake on to do it and I'm gonna be a junior in college (19yrs old) (even though I didn't want to). i was reluctant at 1st but am thankful i listened. it will makes things easier on you even though you probably will be capable of riding without one. who cares about the cleanness of how a bike looks, you are riding it not using it to show how "good" you are by riding brakeless. I'm not knocking anyone who rides w/o one because i too have done it and loved it but i for me i like to have as many backup as i can (if you have three ways of slowing down, why limit yourself to two? = backpedal, ted shred, brake). I think brakeless is for me since I can do it fine but chose otherwise just because I want to be safe both for me and others. also think of the long tern too. fact is it does some negativity to your knees (whether severe or minute depends on your riding style)

also its not too smart to go brakeless with your 1st fixie, especially when you need skipping and skidding in your arsenal so if you can't do these then don't do it at all.

I'm not telling you to put a brake on, i started with a brake, took it off, and put one back on and don't regret it. just think about why your parents are telling you to put one on. they love you and care for your well being. hope you choose what's best for you.

Lance uses a brake on his training fixie.









Did that help?

don't know how discrete mine is but its still pretty decent to me even if it does mess up the cleanness of a bike

Hmm, I've seen Ourys on the flats of drops, I'm diggin' it. I might just have to get some for mine.

Emergency schmergency.

It's a brake; use it to stop.

I have brakes on the front and rear and use them all the time.

Hey richmondracer, how's the cayne? I was thinking about getting one.

Some fixed riders even equip their bikes with racks and fenders.....especially commuters...

Fixed gear bikes are pretty versatile, can be set up in many different configurations....from a single cogged brakeless to whatever makes your ride safe and enjoyable...

dude. put the brake on. in 10 years your knees will thank you. if you are riding brakeless for status, maybe you should question why you're riding a bike at all. not to sound like a d**k, but who cares if someone sees that you have a brake on your bike? almost all fixie riders i know have one.

the phrase "indie cool factor" will increase your stopping distance by 2,000 yards.

you also want to look at the fact that alot of places its illegal. and your from va and it is. my friend blew a stop sign and got two tickets, failure to stop and riding without brakes.

i ride brakeless only because i dont have the money to go buy one. and even if i did im cheap so yeah



whatever

yep, best way to be

Whatever, indeed.