Poll

How many brakes do you like on a fixie?

One, redundancy is anathema to the cyclist
Two, I need an extra heatsink on descents or I don't like single points of failure

Author Topic: One brake or two?  (Read 15748 times)

Pingu

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Re: One brake or two?
« Reply #25 on: 12 August, 2018, 11:03:04 pm »
1. Short, flat commute perspective.

Re: One brake or two?
« Reply #26 on: 12 August, 2018, 11:13:02 pm »
The Harry Quinn track bike can't take a rear brake anyway; there is a *tiny* rear seatstay bridge.  In fact, it can't even take a front brake as there is virtually no brake drop (although someone has drilled the crown).

Argos are bullding me a new fork for road use with 40mm brake drop.  It will lift the front end by about 15mm but that's unavoidable to get a brake in.

Raising the front end by 15mm is huge, and will change the geometry, but maybe it''ll "impove" presumably a steep angled track bike.

40mm-15mm=25mm, is the original brake drop 25mm?! Even a 21mm tyre must be almost touching the fork crown.

Re: One brake or two?
« Reply #27 on: 13 August, 2018, 12:01:25 am »
I wouldn't call a fixed wheel a brake, just like I wouldn't say other methods of slowing down like putting your feet on the ground, or putting a foot or gloved hand on the tyre, were brakes.
But, unlike the other two, a fixed wheel is a brake in law. Because it's more effective than either of them, presumably...

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: One brake or two?
« Reply #28 on: 13 August, 2018, 06:30:11 am »
The Harry Quinn track bike can't take a rear brake anyway; there is a *tiny* rear seatstay bridge.  In fact, it can't even take a front brake as there is virtually no brake drop (although someone has drilled the crown).

Argos are bullding me a new fork for road use with 40mm brake drop.  It will lift the front end by about 15mm but that's unavoidable to get a brake in.

Raising the front end by 15mm is huge, and will change the geometry, but maybe it''ll "impove" presumably a steep angled track bike.

40mm-15mm=25mm, is the original brake drop 25mm?! Even a 21mm tyre must be almost touching the fork crown.
A 23mm tyre is in the fork crown!  Luckily it's grooved.

20180525_215206 by rogerzilla, on Flickr
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: One brake or two?
« Reply #29 on: 13 August, 2018, 08:42:30 am »
Both for me. When the shit hits the white van - give it enough miles and it will happen - I want to be able to stop. Sharp. And you need front, rear and legs for that.....
Those wonderful norks are never far from my thoughts, oh yeah!

Re: One brake or two?
« Reply #30 on: 13 August, 2018, 09:35:02 am »
Two for me, always.

When the shit hits the fan (even on a pan flat commute) on a wet road, I don't want just a front brake and leg braking.
"Yes please" said Squirrel "biscuits are our favourite things."

Re: One brake or two?
« Reply #31 on: 13 August, 2018, 10:04:21 am »
For long rides (ie audax) it can be nice to drag the rear brake on big descents. Less tiring than high speed spinning.
This. I used to ride a fixed as my sole bike and it was exhausting on long descents. I longed to have a second brake.
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Nelson Longflap

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Re: One brake or two?
« Reply #32 on: 17 August, 2018, 08:47:38 pm »
it depends on the bike's use, for a local runabout one is enough. for more "serious" rides and hilly terrain having two brakes is much safer.
^ Agree completely.

My 1 brake fixed (an Orbit track bike with a new fork) isn't used for anything super-steep, and with no redundancy I pay a lot of attention to brake maintenance.

The way the single brake performs is also important; it's very helpful to have a powerful, but progressive, brake that rarely causes surprises. A grippy front tyre helps too. The Orbit is a delight to ride around town, or anywhere else apart from steep descents, and I don't feel any lack of stopping power.

My Genesis fixed has two brakes (necessary as it also gets used on freewheel). The single brake on the Orbit is much nicer to use than the vee brakes on the Genesis which while powerful enough somehow lack the feel of the Shimano brake on the Orbit.
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Re: One brake or two?
« Reply #33 on: 18 August, 2018, 09:49:48 pm »
The Harry Quinn track bike can't take a rear brake anyway; there is a *tiny* rear seatstay bridge.  In fact, it can't even take a front brake as there is virtually no brake drop (although someone has drilled the crown).

Argos are bullding me a new fork for road use with 40mm brake drop.  It will lift the front end by about 15mm but that's unavoidable to get a brake in.

Raising the front end by 15mm is huge, and will change the geometry, but maybe it''ll "impove" presumably a steep angled track bike.

40mm-15mm=25mm, is the original brake drop 25mm?! Even a 21mm tyre must be almost touching the fork crown.
A 23mm tyre is in the fork crown!  Luckily it's grooved.

20180525_215206 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

I would have thought those holes must weaken the crown. And the bottom of the crown must have been filed off, by the frame builder of a previous owner, surely it wouldn't have been manufactured like that.

Re: One brake or two?
« Reply #34 on: 18 August, 2018, 10:02:21 pm »
My fixed is my winter bike, I have two brakes on it as it sometimes gets used when its slippery, I prefer to stay away from the front brake in slippery conditions and combine the use of the back brake with leg braking.
 




Re: One brake or two?
« Reply #35 on: 18 August, 2018, 10:10:25 pm »


20180525_215206 by rogerzilla, on Flickr

I would have thought those holes must weaken the crown. And the bottom of the crown must have been filed off, by the frame builder of a previous owner, surely it wouldn't have been manufactured like that.

I wouldn't worry.  The wheel will hold the fork blades together.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: One brake or two?
« Reply #36 on: 22 August, 2018, 09:55:22 pm »
Also, it will only ever be used on a velodrome, where a prang is unlikely to be particularly serious (no road rash, no hard kerbs and no cars).  The curve will be original since otherwise you'd never get a tub in there.  Not sure about the hole, but it's been enamelled over so must be pretty old.  There is more metal inside the crown than the photo shows.

Here's a new track crown from the catalogue:
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Fast Bill

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Re: One brake or two?
« Reply #37 on: 23 September, 2018, 09:34:56 am »
Two. If it comes to stopping urgently I’m happy to spread the wear!
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