Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by joe on March 28, 2009 at 11:16pm

i used to ride with out...then changed my gear ratio...currently sporting 52/15 set up...and went to upper MI to ride and the huge ass hills and cliffs made me put a break on the front...tho it didnt fit on my bar so i put it on my stem. looks dumb as hell but works...

Permalink Reply by niconico on April 8, 2009 at 12:58am

i ride brakeless/clipless on my track pro... in fact its not even able to accept brakes. as far as the rain goes... i ride my fixed wheel in foul weather because brakes suck in the rain. throughout the winter i prefer to ride fixed just because on the slick streets its nice to have the control. not to say that brakes won't stop you faster, because a brake will ALWAYS stop you faster. i ride faster with brakes for sure... riding brakeless is all about rhythm and your flow in traffic. when i work on my road bike, i'm much faster. but its a totally different vibe.

Danielle said:

but you don't think it's essential for the city? People ride safer than that on the track. How do you stop in the rain? when my shoes are wet, they seem to slip around a bit more but I just fall into my toe clips.

Gelacio said:

I ride fixed/brakeless/clipless cause its just the way I learned

Permalink Reply by niconico on April 8, 2009 at 1:02am

thats huge! stopping without a brake or even starting would be too much work. you should try some thing closer to a 3.0 gear ratio... 49/17 is the quintessential city ratio. especially if you are going brakeless. starting is quick, stopping is quick, top end is fast without worrying about spinning out. 52/15 is great for track racing in the longer events, but you should try dropping your ratio to a lower gear... you won't waste as much energy stopping and starting.

joe kovach said:

i used to ride with out...then changed my gear ratio...currently sporting 52/15 set up...and went to upper MI to ride and the huge ass hills and cliffs made me put a break on the front...tho it didnt fit on my bar so i put it on my stem. looks dumb as hell but works...

Permalink Reply by jonathan kabb on April 13, 2009 at 7:05pm

good lookin out. i had been wondering about this for a long time

9-52-080 Headlamps, reflectors and brakes.

(a) Every bicycle when in use at nighttime shall be equipped with a head lamp which shall emit a white light visible from a minimum distance of 500 feet from the front and with a rear red reflector capable of reflecting the head lamp beams of an approaching motor vehicle back to the operator of such vehicle at distances up to 200 feet or a rear lamp emitting a red light visible from a distance of at least 200 feet from the rear.

(b) Every bicycle shall be equipped with a brake that will enable the operator to make the braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement.
mindfrieze said:

GabeW said:

Where did you find the law about skidding the front tire on dry pavement?

It's in the Chicago Municipal code 9-52-080 - Headlamps, reflectors and brakes. Section (b,) which says:

Every bicycle shall be equipped with a brake that will enable the operator to make the braked wheel skid on dry, level, clean pavement.

Permalink Reply by Gelacio on April 28, 2009 at 5:35am

Behave your self Rusty

Rusty Piton said:

Gelacio said:

I ride fixed/brakeless/clipless cause its just the way I learned

Seriously?
Are you a moron or just a troll?

Permalink Reply by Francis Buxton on August 16, 2009 at 5:17am

I am brakeless for now: not for any reason that the front brake was installed on a bike I sold, thus no brakes. I did not usually have the brake on, but now have no option.

Pluses:

1. It's coooler and more self-righteous to have no brake
2. Not having a brake, you never grab for it, and rely on yourself
3. Lighter--I guess
4. Chicago is so flat that a downhill brake is never needed
5. Skid stops are probably the coolest thing ever
6. If some ghetto junkie ganks my bike, I doubt he would get far with no brakes.

(when I travel to other states and countrys with bike, I always have a brake; currently running the 48/14 ratio but would like to go to 52/16. I also have toe straps, not clipless--when I see brakeless, clip toe guys I am really impressed. I was hit by a car as a youngster and could not un clip so not willing to go back just yet.)

Negatives

1. In theory, it's retarded and in total disregard to safety
2. On a long ride (I do a CHIC to Geneva, IL alot), skid stops are not an option after 2-3 hours of riding
3. You are probably riding illegally according to IL laws
4. You can stop faster in good weather with less effort with at least one hand brake

So, when will I stop riding brakeless/fixed? Well, maybe never, maybe soon: I discovered that Urban Outfitters is now selling fixed gear bikes (republicbike.com); I also saw a blog about the acquisition of man's first fixed gear complete with kickstand.

I guess I will stop riding fixed, and encourage all to follow, when I drive by Urban Outfitters and
see a schedule for fixed gear riding lessons.


There is a biking lawyer on here that goes in to detail about brakeless; he also writes a really good
blog--don't know his name off hand.

Negatives:

Permalink Reply by ERP on October 19, 2009 at 4:57pm

clipless and brakeless, for simplicity and theft prevention and the hopes that if stolen the person who does so can't ride safely and whatever happens happens

Permalink Reply by Justin K Prim on October 22, 2009 at 2:47pm

i ride clipless with a front brake that I have not once used. my old fixed gear was brakeless. when i built this one I decided to have a brake to save my knees on the hills. but chicago doesnt really have any hills so i dont ever need it. when I rebuild this bike i was thinking of just dropping the brake all together, but the thought of losing a lawsuit because I didn't have a brake makes me reconsider.

Permalink Reply by Danielle on October 23, 2009 at 3:01pm

I think you are thinking of lawyer jim at chicago bike law.

Francis Buxton said:

I am brakeless for now: not for any reason that the front brake was installed on a bike I sold, thus no brakes. I did not usually have the brake on, but now have no option.

Pluses:

1. It's coooler and more self-righteous to have no brake
2. Not having a brake, you never grab for it, and rely on yourself
3. Lighter--I guess
4. Chicago is so flat that a downhill brake is never needed
5. Skid stops are probably the coolest thing ever
6. If some ghetto junkie ganks my bike, I doubt he would get far with no brakes.

(when I travel to other states and countrys with bike, I always have a brake; currently running the 48/14 ratio but would like to go to 52/16. I also have toe straps, not clipless--when I see brakeless, clip toe guys I am really impressed. I was hit by a car as a youngster and could not un clip so not willing to go back just yet.)

Negatives

1. In theory, it's retarded and in total disregard to safety
2. On a long ride (I do a CHIC to Geneva, IL alot), skid stops are not an option after 2-3 hours of riding
3. You are probably riding illegally according to IL laws
4. You can stop faster in good weather with less effort with at least one hand brake

So, when will I stop riding brakeless/fixed? Well, maybe never, maybe soon: I discovered that Urban Outfitters is now selling fixed gear bikes (republicbike.com); I also saw a blog about the acquisition of man's first fixed gear complete with kickstand.

I guess I will stop riding fixed, and encourage all to follow, when I drive by Urban Outfitters and
see a schedule for fixed gear riding lessons.


There is a biking lawyer on here that goes in to detail about brakeless; he also writes a really good
blog--don't know his name off hand.

Negatives:

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