Fixed Wheel - No Brakes or Single Free Wheel One Brake on the Road?

[Hot Flatus]

And why post it below a quote from Charlotte about her PENNY FARTHING?

The penny farthing thing is a bit of a red herring though isn't it. It's not like she's going to be slaloming at speed through moving traffic and pedestrian crossings like something out of a Lucas Brunelle video, is it.

Me, I think all vehicles should be roadworthy according to the law, and if you think you can make an exception for bikes then you have to for everything else. I really dont want me or anybody else mown down by some Hoxton twat in a flat cap and tweed plus fours because he thought his fixie skills were really rather something.

Agree the OP does go on a bit, though.

[Biggsy]

The penny farthing thing is a bit of a red herring though isn't it.

Yes, I think that was the idea.  Charlotte being a bit naughty (in a good way).

[TimO]

... and aside from an Ordinary being legal with no actual braking device (although arguably legs are being used as a brake), there's also the point that brakes on an Ordinary are either pointless or likely to be dangerous (although some do have them, and I think Charlotte's did originally).

A rear brake will have bugger all effect, aside from possibly making the rear wheel skid, and using a front brake other than extremely judiciously is likely to require a visit to A&E (or worse).

Bikes which are sold without the requisite number of brakes for legal use on the road could be (i) sold for track use or (ii) not sold as complete bicycles, often achieved by not having pedals on the bike.

The latter approach certainly used to be used to avoid having to fit things like reflectors to bikes which were never going to be used at night, but which otherwise had to be sold with wheel reflectors and front and rear reflectors.

[bobb]

I doubt all this carnage apparently being caused by brakeless fixies is anything to do with the lack of brakes. They may have teh skilz, but if you're arrogant enough to ride without brakes* you're arrogant enough to ride like an utter twat. Which is exactly how most of them ride....

*Excludes pennies. I don't want a spanking from Charlotte 

[citoyen]

Tbh, the "carnage" is greatly overstated.

d.

[rogerzilla]

31% of voters in an anonymous YACF poll would walk their bike 2.6 miles home, or leave the bike, if they were stuck out without lights after dark.

When it happened to me in the Lickey Hills I rode home on the pavement.  Lesser of two evils and all that 

[rower40]

Last week, on the Mordor-Stansted train, a gentleman boarded at Ely with a huge dutch roadster.  What drew my attention to it was the completely uncluttered front end; the handlebars had a bell, but that was all.  No brakes, no gears.  The rear hub had a reaction bar, so I surmise that it had just the one back-pedal brake on a single-speed hub.

All it takes is for the chain to snap or come off, and there was no way of stopping that multi-kilo monster.

So it's not just the lightweight fakenger-stylee bikes that are deficient in the quantity of brakes.

[clarion]

Most bikes I see with a brake number deficiency are BSOs with a V-brake disconnected.

[nightrider]

I think this thread is pointless.We are all mostly grown ups on here.When I brought my fixed wheel bike it didn't have any brakes fitted,so I got the nice man in the bike shop to put some on for me,as I sometimes ride my bike downhills.I noticed that it didn't have any pedals on either,so I had some of those put on as well.Of course I agree with Phillip it's best to ride with brakes.

[Crumbling Nick]

31% of voters in an anonymous YACF poll would walk their bike 2.6 miles home, or leave the bike, if they were stuck out without lights after dark.

When it happened to me in the Lickey Hills I rode home on the pavement.  Lesser of two evils and all that 

But 2 transgressions of the crimminal law, rather than 1... what were the evils    ?

[marcusjb]

Most bikes I see with a brake number deficiency are BSOs with a V-brake disconnected.

100% to that - luckily they are usually incapable of travelling at anything above 5mph due to having about 10psi in the tyres.

[Charlotte]

Do I need to say more?

I'd rather you didn't.

I don't want a spanking from Charlotte 

Your loss 

[gerwinium]

Last week, on the Mordor-Stansted train, a gentleman boarded at Ely with a huge dutch roadster.  What drew my attention to it was the completely uncluttered front end; the handlebars had a bell, but that was all.  No brakes, no gears.  The rear hub had a reaction bar, so I surmise that it had just the one back-pedal brake on a single-speed hub.

All it takes is for the chain to snap or come off, and there was no way of stopping that multi-kilo monster.

So it's not just the lightweight fakenger-stylee bikes that are deficient in the quantity of brakes.

That was exactly the configuration of my bike that I rode to school for years when I was young. Keep in mind... No hills, going at a snail's pace and typically on segregated cycle lanes. It didn't feel dangerous and the thought of getting stuck without brakes never ever crossed my mind.

[Julian]

Brakes, like gears, are cool.  Why would anyone not want them?   

Brakes, gears and grammar.  OP, take note.

[rogerzilla]

It's de rigeur amongst Swindon yoof to ride a BMX with no brakes.  Stopping is accomplished by wedging a foot between the rear tyre and the frame.  It works well.

[gerwinium]

It's de rigeur amongst Swindon yoof to ride a BMX with no brakes.  Stopping is accomplished by wedging a foot between the rear tyre and the frame.  It works well.

The other method we deployed when I was young and had a BMX-clone (yes... I had one and did jumps 'n all), was just stick the foot on the floor. Soles of shoes make excellent brakes.

[robert french]

As R40 says the dutch do it differently, I'm here in Amsterdam for the week and nearly all of the bikes just have the rear coaster brake, I wonder what the stats are for Dutch accidents from broken chains and no brakes? I'm guessing chains are more likely to brake grinding up hills than on descents, but is that different when used as a brake, say in an emergency stop?

Generally I think common sense should trump the law, for most people I think this may still mean 2 brakes, skills are great, but the truth is you have to deal with all kinds of behaviour on the road, and if someone steps out in front of you, a front brake helps. Though I wouldn't go as far as criticising someone who chose to use less, it's up to them and riding style / use may mean it is not needed, on the PF for example.

For what it's worth, I've 2 brakes on both my fixed and dutchbike.

[iakobski]

As R40 says the dutch do it differently, I'm here in Amsterdam for the week and nearly all of the bikes just have the rear coaster brake, I wonder what the stats are for Dutch accidents from broken chains and no brakes? I'm guessing chains are more likely to break grinding up hills than on descents, but is that different when used as a brake, say in an emergency stop?

There may be some connection 

[Kim]

I assume the force on the chain when operating a coaster brake is a mere fraction of what it would be grinding up a hill or applying braking force on fixed.  I expect the stress on a typical Dutch bike's chain is greatest when setting off from a stop, and therefore the hazards of chain breaking are about in line with that of a clipless moment.

[simonp]

I have oodles of respect for anyone who has the ability to ride without an additional front brake and I wish that I could do it, but if the law requires a bike used on the road to have one then I would worry that not having one exposes the rider to being held at least partially liable even in an accident that is entirely caused by another road user and the rider's ability to stop not a factor. We've seen this time and time again, e.g. "both his legs were broken in the accident but the compensation was reduced due his own contributory neglience in not wearing a helmet". 

So I would leave the front brake in situ and just not use it - if I  could.

I’ve found leg braking useful as an adjuvant to front wheel braking and also as something to play around with.  Main or only brake?  Never.

[robert french]

I assume the force on the chain when operating a coaster brake is a mere fraction of what it would be grinding up a hill or applying braking force on fixed.

Kim, wouldn't the braking forces at least be quite similar, as they are essentially the same action?

[border-rider]

I don't think so. On my coaster-braked bike it doesn't take much back-pedal pressure for the coaster brake to engage. You're just applying enough to move the pads. On a fixed you have to push very hard indeed to brake significantly, though slight speed moderations are less dramatic.

[itsbruce]

The force is not being applied in the same place or fashion, so even if the force applied were the same, the loading would differ.  A coaster brake presses pads against the shell of the hub, while the transmission is effectively on freewheel and so hardly stressed at all.  Pushing back on a fixed transmission places all the load directly on that transmission.   The chances of a component failure is much more likely in the latter scenario.

[Greenbank]

I assume the force on the chain when operating a coaster brake is a mere fraction of what it would be grinding up a hill or applying braking force on fixed.

Kim, wouldn't the braking forces at least be quite similar, as they are essentially the same action?

No, the resistance generated by a brake pad can be much greater than the force required to get it in contact with the braking surface.

Think of non power-assisted brakes in cars, a small force on the brake pedal, transmitted through just a cable (or more likely hydraulic fluid) pushes brake pads onto a drum and is capable of slowing/stopping a car weighing more than a tonne from high speed.

[itsbruce]

I assume the force on the chain when operating a coaster brake is a mere fraction of what it would be grinding up a hill or applying braking force on fixed.

Kim, wouldn't the braking forces at least be quite similar, as they are essentially the same action?

No, the resistance generated by a brake pad can be much greater than the force required to get it in contact with the braking surface.

He said "braking forces", in other words the effective force applied by the brake.