riding track bike - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

09-19-2004, 09:39 PM

Hello there,

This area is all flat; there are no hills. Riding a minimalist
track bike (fitted with brakes) is a temptation. What are the
pros and cons? It seems to me it is cheaper, less things to
go wrong.

TIA.

Ken

09-20-2004, 09:51 AM

Why brakes if you live in the flats? I have a front brake on mine (it
doesn't get used) only because there are some monster hills around here.
I'd rather wuss out than crash out descending but in traffic and on
the flats there is zero need for a brake on a fixie.

Fixed is the best, especially when your bike is steel.

Jon

Ken wrote:
> Hello there,
>
> This area is all flat; there are no hills. Riding a minimalist
> track bike (fitted with brakes) is a temptation. What are the
> pros and cons? It seems to me it is cheaper, less things to
> go wrong.
>
> TIA.
>
> Ken

09-20-2004, 09:51 AM

Why brakes if you live in the flats? I have a front brake on mine (it
doesn't get used) only because there are some monster hills around here.
I'd rather wuss out than crash out descending but in traffic and on
the flats there is zero need for a brake on a fixie.

Fixed is the best, especially when your bike is steel.

Jon

Ken wrote:
> Hello there,
>
> This area is all flat; there are no hills. Riding a minimalist
> track bike (fitted with brakes) is a temptation. What are the
> pros and cons? It seems to me it is cheaper, less things to
> go wrong.
>
> TIA.
>
> Ken

09-20-2004, 09:51 AM

Why brakes if you live in the flats? I have a front brake on mine (it
doesn't get used) only because there are some monster hills around here.
I'd rather wuss out than crash out descending but in traffic and on
the flats there is zero need for a brake on a fixie.

Fixed is the best, especially when your bike is steel.

Jon

Ken wrote:
> Hello there,
>
> This area is all flat; there are no hills. Riding a minimalist
> track bike (fitted with brakes) is a temptation. What are the
> pros and cons? It seems to me it is cheaper, less things to
> go wrong.
>
> TIA.
>
> Ken

09-20-2004, 09:51 AM

Why brakes if you live in the flats? I have a front brake on mine (it
doesn't get used) only because there are some monster hills around here.
I'd rather wuss out than crash out descending but in traffic and on
the flats there is zero need for a brake on a fixie.

Fixed is the best, especially when your bike is steel.

Jon

Ken wrote:
> Hello there,
>
> This area is all flat; there are no hills. Riding a minimalist
> track bike (fitted with brakes) is a temptation. What are the
> pros and cons? It seems to me it is cheaper, less things to
> go wrong.
>
> TIA.
>
> Ken

09-20-2004, 12:04 PM

On Mon, 20 Sep 2004 10:51:20 -0600, Jon wrote:

> Why brakes if you live in the flats? I have a front brake on mine (it
> doesn't get used) only because there are some monster hills around here.
> I'd rather wuss out than crash out descending but in traffic and on
> the flats there is zero need for a brake on a fixie.

This is bad advice. Track bikes are great -- gee -- on the track. You
can slow down a bit very quickly, more so than with a brake. But on the
track you are not faced with pedestrians, cars, people darting out of
driveways, etc. For all these things a brake is safer.

The front brake does all the work in a rapid stop. Why do road bikes have
two? They have two so that you have a backup (the rear) in case the
front brake breaks. With a fixed gear you can use your legs --- as a
backup, so the rear brake is not so needed. I have two on my fixed gear,
though, since I find it more comfortable with two hoods to hang onto --
and maybe in this I'm a belt-and-suspenders sort of person.

> Fixed is the best, especially when your bike is steel.

What the tubes are made of doesn't matter here.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Enron's slogan: Respect, Communication, Integrity, and
_`\(,_ | Excellence.
(_)/ (_) |

09-20-2004, 12:04 PM

On Mon, 20 Sep 2004 10:51:20 -0600, Jon wrote:

> Why brakes if you live in the flats? I have a front brake on mine (it
> doesn't get used) only because there are some monster hills around here.
> I'd rather wuss out than crash out descending but in traffic and on
> the flats there is zero need for a brake on a fixie.

This is bad advice. Track bikes are great -- gee -- on the track. You
can slow down a bit very quickly, more so than with a brake. But on the
track you are not faced with pedestrians, cars, people darting out of
driveways, etc. For all these things a brake is safer.

The front brake does all the work in a rapid stop. Why do road bikes have
two? They have two so that you have a backup (the rear) in case the
front brake breaks. With a fixed gear you can use your legs --- as a
backup, so the rear brake is not so needed. I have two on my fixed gear,
though, since I find it more comfortable with two hoods to hang onto --
and maybe in this I'm a belt-and-suspenders sort of person.

> Fixed is the best, especially when your bike is steel.

What the tubes are made of doesn't matter here.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Enron's slogan: Respect, Communication, Integrity, and
_`\(,_ | Excellence.
(_)/ (_) |

09-20-2004, 12:04 PM

On Mon, 20 Sep 2004 10:51:20 -0600, Jon wrote:

> Why brakes if you live in the flats? I have a front brake on mine (it
> doesn't get used) only because there are some monster hills around here.
> I'd rather wuss out than crash out descending but in traffic and on
> the flats there is zero need for a brake on a fixie.

This is bad advice. Track bikes are great -- gee -- on the track. You
can slow down a bit very quickly, more so than with a brake. But on the
track you are not faced with pedestrians, cars, people darting out of
driveways, etc. For all these things a brake is safer.

The front brake does all the work in a rapid stop. Why do road bikes have
two? They have two so that you have a backup (the rear) in case the
front brake breaks. With a fixed gear you can use your legs --- as a
backup, so the rear brake is not so needed. I have two on my fixed gear,
though, since I find it more comfortable with two hoods to hang onto --
and maybe in this I'm a belt-and-suspenders sort of person.

> Fixed is the best, especially when your bike is steel.

What the tubes are made of doesn't matter here.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Enron's slogan: Respect, Communication, Integrity, and
_`\(,_ | Excellence.
(_)/ (_) |

09-20-2004, 12:04 PM

On Mon, 20 Sep 2004 10:51:20 -0600, Jon wrote:

> Why brakes if you live in the flats? I have a front brake on mine (it
> doesn't get used) only because there are some monster hills around here.
> I'd rather wuss out than crash out descending but in traffic and on
> the flats there is zero need for a brake on a fixie.

This is bad advice. Track bikes are great -- gee -- on the track. You
can slow down a bit very quickly, more so than with a brake. But on the
track you are not faced with pedestrians, cars, people darting out of
driveways, etc. For all these things a brake is safer.

The front brake does all the work in a rapid stop. Why do road bikes have
two? They have two so that you have a backup (the rear) in case the
front brake breaks. With a fixed gear you can use your legs --- as a
backup, so the rear brake is not so needed. I have two on my fixed gear,
though, since I find it more comfortable with two hoods to hang onto --
and maybe in this I'm a belt-and-suspenders sort of person.

> Fixed is the best, especially when your bike is steel.

What the tubes are made of doesn't matter here.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Enron's slogan: Respect, Communication, Integrity, and
_`\(,_ | Excellence.
(_)/ (_) |

09-20-2004, 12:11 PM

Hold on a second!

It depends on your gearing and your weight. I'd say that one should
not encourage others to remove their brakes just because it works well
for you. My bike is geared pretty high (around 80") and I weigh 230
pounds. Even with clipless I simply cannot stop my bike in less than
30' (without going into a very dangerous skid move) if I'm going my
cruising speed of 20-25mph. With my brake I can stop much better. To
feel safe without brakes I'd have to keep my speeds too low. If I
weighed 100lbs and had my bike geared at 54" I might skip the brakes.

Maybe you don't like in New York City, though, where hazards abound.
If I lived in the country I might feel differently.