One brake or two?

[Chris N]

I'm looking at a getting a new custom fixed frame and I can't decide if I should get a rear brake or not.  It will have a front disc brake.

I can't choose whether to go for no rear brake, track ends and 120mm rear spacing or 135mm rear end with either track ends or adjustable dropouts.  I like the simplicity of no rear brake and I'm quite happy to ride with just one brake.  On the other hand I like the security of having a rear brake.

Thoughts?

[jsabine]

I quite like being able to drag the rear brake slightly on long descents: it saves me from having to get good at either leg braking or spinning.

[Chris N]

True, but you can do that with the front brake too.  I used to be good at spinning (I think my record was 201 rpm ) but I'm a bit out of practice now.

[dave r]

I run two brakes on my Genesis, my fixed is my winter bike and often gets ridden in slippery conditions and I find it better to have a back brake as well as a front, in slippery conditions I can leave the front brake alone and just combine the back brake with leg braking to slow the bike down.

[zigzag]

i would want at least a provision for the rear brake - no need to fit it straight away. i ride without a rear brake (on one of the bikes), but i would want two brakes if i lived in hilly terrain and rode on mucky roads.

eta: regarding rear spacing - i would choose a hub that has a chainline of ~45mm, so that i could use any road chainset with the chainring on the outside. i think surly does such a hub.

[clarion]

I run two brakes on my commuting fixed,  and one on the play bike.   Two gives me a lot more control to avoid London drivers.

[hubner]

I'm looking at a getting a new custom fixed frame and I can't decide if I should get a rear brake or not.  It will have a front disc brake.

I can't choose whether to go for no rear brake, track ends and 120mm rear spacing or 135mm rear end with either track ends or adjustable dropouts.  I like the simplicity of no rear brake and I'm quite happy to ride with just one brake.  On the other hand I like the security of having a rear brake.

Thoughts?

That says to me fit a rear brake.

Tracks ends vs dropouts; if you have mudguards I gather track ends can be a bit awkward.

Rear end width; I guess it depends on what hub and cranks you want to use.

[alexb]

Track ends with mudguards are fine if you use a quick release on the rear mudguard - the same type that's supplied with the front mudguard (tip, it's easy to pop the stays in and out of the QR using your wheel spanner).

I'd always go for two brakes - I can remember getting onto a very frosty path some time ago and thinking that the front brake would have meant an instant trip to the dentist if operated...

[Sergeant Pluck]

Some of the neater disc brake dropouts are nice for fixed, just from the chain tensioning point of view. Add appropriate cable guides to keep all options open (rear disc, rear normal brake, no brake) and in the meantime you have faff free chain tensioning.

Personally I feel much more comfortable riding in town or downhill knowing that I have the rear brake even if I rarely use it.

Number of times I tried emergency leg braking to see what it is like: 1.

Another consideration: having a rear brake will make a group ride much more pleasant, should your front disc decide to start squealing like a hog mid-ride. I find it much easier to make a rear disc be quiet.

[Jurek]

2

[dave r]

I would go for 120 and trackends, its seems that most fixed stuff is aimed at that set up.

[Tewdric]

I'd go for a rear brake.  The are times your legs are really tired and need a break from slowing the bike down.  Worst case scenario without one might be trying to slow the bike on a long steep descent when you pick up a front pun*u&e.

[drossall]

I do now use two brakes again. However, I remember locking up the rear wheel a little alarmingly when I (over-)used both pedals and brake together. I had, not too long before, watched our car going through its MoT, and had the mechanic explain why they ensure that the braking power on the front is substantially greater than the rear (which is fairly obvious).

It does give me pause for thought that, on a vehicle on which stability is essential, we do it the other way around and put two brakes on the back.

[Kim]

It does give me pause for thought that, on a vehicle on which stability is essential, we do it the other way around and put two brakes on the back.

Legs on a fixie aren't (shouldn't be) really a brake though.  More of a retarder.

[Palinurus]

I prefer two if there's any descending to do. I like just one on my slightly undulating commute- one bit less to clean and service- but I don't use the commute bike for other types of riding (I toured on it once but had two brakes fitted then)

[Tewdric]

It does give me pause for thought that, on a vehicle on which stability is essential, we do it the other way around and put two brakes on the back.

Legs on a fixie aren't (shouldn't be) really a brake though.  More of a retarder.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hejvqOKyEqg

[drossall]

Legs on a fixie aren't (shouldn't be) really a brake though.  More of a retarder.

Definitely in my case - I've been riding fixed for 40 years, and retarding is the best I can manage. However, that's still 1.5 brakes on the back and 1 on the front, which would fail any MoT.

[LEE]

I'm looking at a getting a new custom fixed frame and I can't decide if I should get a rear brake or not. 

Yes. Of course.

[rogerzilla]

As redundancy is anathema to the cyclist (all that weight!) I'd have one.  I did run such a combination for years with no issues.  A disc is going to be a bit more tolerant of use as a drag brake on those rare occasions when you really can't keep up with the pedals, although the only real drag brake is supposed to be a big fat Arai drum.

I think I only used the front brake as a serious drag brake on two occasions: going into Northleach on my first day riding fixed (the brake pads smelt very bad) and when I had toi ride all the way home without a saddle once.

[Ian H]

If you're doing any distance and/or carrying any weight of luggage, then two brakes are sensible.  Also I appreciate a back brake when the going gets slippery as I'd prefer not to risk the front wheel coming out from under me.

[Chris N]

So that's about 5:1 in favour of 2 brakes.  My biggest problem with the rear brake is that for my bike it must be a disc, and tensioning the chain with a disc is complicated.  There are three main ways: track ends and slotted mounts, adjustable dropouts (of multiple kinds) and an eccentric BB.  I've used all three, and none of them is perfect.  They're clunky, or heavy, or ugly, or noisy.  Not having a rear brake is simple, clean and elegant (ish).

That said, I do think the benefits of a back brake outweigh the disadvantages, just - particularly for a bike that will be used year round and for some long distance stuff too.  Front brake only perhaps best saved for summer.  Thanks all.

[Sergeant Pluck]

My biggest problem with the rear brake is that for my bike it must be a disc

When I last thought about all this and looked at the options, I reluctantly concluded that the best practical solution for fixed, given the choices available at the time, was a disc front and caliper rear. An unsatisfactory option in so many ways, so it didn’t happen.

[Pingu]

Don't bother with a rear brake.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I'd say 2, but with it having to be disc, you have a real problem getting that setup right.

Why can't you have a caliper on the rear?

A poor second option would be a caliper on the front.

I rode fixed for years and 1 brake was normally enough. Long descents like Holme Moss and Snake Pass made me long for a second brake. The issue wasn't just overheating, it was the horrible cramped position holding one brake on for an extended period. I longed for a second brake.

[Chris N]

My biggest problem with the rear brake is that for my bike it must be a disc

When I last thought about all this and looked at the options, I reluctantly concluded that the best practical solution for fixed, given the choices available at the time, was a disc front and caliper rear. An unsatisfactory option in so many ways, so it didn’t happen.

I only need one gear, so using a disc on one side is no big deal.  I think I've only ever flipped the wheel on a ride twice and then left it in the lower gear for the remainder - probably would have been better in those circumstances just starting off in a lower gear.

I'd say 2, but with it having to be disc, you have a real problem getting that setup right.

Why can't you have a caliper on the rear?

A poor second option would be a caliper on the front.

I rode fixed for years and 1 brake was normally enough. Long descents like Holme Moss and Snake Pass made me long for a second brake. The issue wasn't just overheating, it was the horrible cramped position holding one brake on for an extended period. I longed for a second brake.

I'm being fussy.  I don't want different brakes front and rear, and the front brake will be disc only.  I don't like the muck and rim wear from a caliper brake.  I've been using a fixed wheel with a rear brake for several years and not had a problem with setup (Cotic Escapade with 135mm spaced track ends, slotted disc mounts, a Surly fixed disc hub and a rear BB7).

The frame designer has come back to me with a rocker dropout, a bit like these: http://www.spanner.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Screen-Shot-2014-06-01-at-07.51.50.jpg