Look mum, no brakes

[Tim Hall]

Driving home this evening I was caught in a short queue on a dual carriageway approaching a roundabout with pedestrian crossing adjacent.  I spied, across the far side, a youth on bike aiming to cross the dual carriageway come to a not too graceful halt, deploying feet to the ground and slinging his bike around, as the red man sign was on.

Hmm, was this the not uncommon disconnected V brake syndrome found on poorly maintained bikes? As the traffic crept forward I got another glimpse of his bike.

No tell tale V brake arms wagging in the breeze. Hmm, the thick plottens.  I look again and spy a disc brake calliper on the front fork. I look harder and do not see a disc braked wheel but a rim braked wheel. Ah, that could explain things.

[Adam]

Today in the shop a young lad brought his bike in, asking me to replace his rear cable disc brake with a hydraulic brake.  I pointed out to him that his existing brake worked fine but he just wanted to have the same as I'd fitted to his mate's bike last week.   

I also pointed out that he's supposed to also have a front brake, as that was completely non existent - not even a lever.  He said he might pop back next week to have that fitted. 

[ian]

As a BMX child, depending on what stupid stunt we were trying to perfect at the time, we were frequently brakeless. You became adept at stopping through the application of shoe to tyre. Or if you didn't, it hurt until you did.

[Adam]

As a BMX child, depending on what stupid stunt we were trying to perfect at the time, we were frequently brakeless. You became adept at stopping through the application of shoe to tyre. Or if you didn't, it hurt until you did.

It still happens.  I've done loads of Dr Bike sessions at schools where a sizeable minority of older students think it's cool to remove the brakes and use their feet on the wheel to slow down.  Very athletic to see in action, but they did admit it wore out their shoes, as a few showed the holes in their shoes.

[Kim]

As a BMX child, depending on what stupid stunt we were trying to perfect at the time, we were frequently brakeless. You became adept at stopping through the application of shoe to tyre. Or if you didn't, it hurt until you did.

It still happens.  I've done loads of Dr Bike sessions at schools where a sizeable minority of older students think it's cool to remove the brakes and use their feet on the wheel to slow down.  Very athletic to see in action, but they did admit it wore out their shoes, as a few showed the holes in their shoes.

I recall a PSO of my acquaintance doing that, on the dubious basis that the shoes were a sunk cost but replacing the brake pads would require additional expenditure...   

[The Family Cyclist]

During lock down my neighbours bike was dragged out the hdege and after a few rides sent round for me to fix as had no brakes and my crazy Egyptian neighbour had worn out his shoes. Thankfully had enough random bits to put a brake on the front

[Tim Hall]

Time for some Don Camillo:

  City people's bicycles are utterly laughable. With gleaming metal gadgets, electric batteries, gears, baskets, chain-guards, speedometers and so on, they are mere toys and leg-exercisers. A genuine bicycle should weigh at least sixty-five pounds; it should have lost most of its paint and at least one pedal. All that should be left of the remaining pedal is the shaft, rubbed smooth and shiny by the sole of the rider's shoe. Indeed, this should be its only shiny feature. The handlebars (with no rubber tips to them) should not be at the conventional right angle to the wheels, but inclined at least twelve degrees one way or the other. A genuine bicycle has no mudguard over the rear wheel, and hanging before the front mudguard there should be a piece of automobile tire, preferably red, to ward off splashes of water. A rear mud¬guard may be allowed when the rider is excessively disturbed by the streak of mud that accumulates on his back during a rainstorm. But in this case the mudguard must be split open in such a way that the rider can brake in so-called "American style," that is by pressing his trouser turn-up against the rear wheel.

[mattc]

Today in the shop a young lad brought his bike in, asking me to replace his rear cable disc brake with a hydraulic brake.  I pointed out to him that his existing brake worked fine but he just wanted to have the same as I'd fitted to his mate's bike last week.   

I also pointed out that he's supposed to also have a front brake, as that was completely non existent - not even a lever.  He said he might pop back next week to have that fitted. 

 

[DuncanM]

A few weeks ago I was walking down a shared use path with a mum and a couple of kids coming towards me. The boy (maybe 8?) had the front V brakes flapping around, so as she cycled past I said "no brakes?" to his mum, who said "the back one works" or something like that. I guess that's OK then? 

[citoyen]

I spied, across the far side, a youth on bike aiming to cross the dual carriageway come to a not too graceful halt, deploying feet to the ground and slinging his bike around, as the red man sign was on.

I saw a kid doing this in Folkestone a while back. I mean, I see kids doing this all the time, but this particular incident was notable because the kid in question was stopping his BMX at the foot of the Road of Remembrance - a short but very straight and pretty steep road, with a give way at the bottom...

I had my heart in my mouth watching him stopping his bike with his foot, but the most remarkable thing was just how completely blasé he seemed about it.