everyone should have one, they are awesome machines for flying about town on this time in a few years they will be every where Just got one couple of weeks back and its sweet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CsAtDuUFmk
everyone should have one, they are awesome machines for flying about town on this time in a few years they will be every where Just got one couple of weeks back and its sweet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CsAtDuUFmk
I mean clearly, bikes are great. And more people on bikes are clearly a good thing. And you have to admire the skip-diving ingenuity, but lordy there are some abominations in that video. I can hear the bicycles crying from here.
no brakes???
dont tell me you have to pedal backwards? lol
its all about sturmey archer gears!
I bought this last year: http://www.theoldbicycleshowroom.co....del-1778-p.asp
Last edited by SEFTON; 05-05-2010 at 11:28 AM.
Yeah no brakes at all, not even a coaster. You can ride this way you just need the skill to do so. I rode without a brake all the time i was riding fixed. Riding this way forces you to read the enviroment more than you would when riding with brakes. You are constantly making adjustments to your speed, and looking for the next gap to get through as you don't want to have to stop at all if possible. Speed is controlled through the legs - not sure how to explain it. Sudden stopping, and speed checks to a lesser extent is done by unweighting the rear end and locking your legs to skid, flicking the wheel out also aids this. Riding fixed improves, your riding as it's all about maintaining a good cadence. The problem lies when you get people riding without brakes who haven't got the skill to do so. As i've ranted about in a previous post
An example of very good brakeless fixed gear:
Last edited by The devil's own; 05-05-2010 at 02:31 PM.
sounds scary!
imagine not having brakes!!!!!
Skills most of us don't have. I've ridden fixed for years and I'm keeping my brakes thanks. If you ride further than the nearest espresso bar, most of us find brakes quite useful. How about the end of that long ride that finishes down the 40mph hill, with your legs in pieces - do you not fancy having brakes then? What about that twisty Lakeland descent where inadvertantly locking the back wheel puts you in the ditch/wall?You can ride this way you just need the skill to do so. I rode without a brake all the time i was riding fixed. Riding this way forces you to read the enviroment more than you would when riding with brakes. You are constantly making adjustments to your speed...
That video show some impressive skillage ...but also some impressive cockage. Riding like a nit in traffic is too high a price to pay to look cool. Besides I'm too tight to replace tyres that often
I see loads of them in London.
Once i'd converted to no brakes i never looked back or wished i had them. It's not for everyone, and people who do it for fashion when they haven't got the skill is really annoying. Oh and i did ride further than the nearest coffee bar, and did enjoy hammering the hills. This style of riding wouldn't suit the lakes or any rural area and thats why I sold mine when I moved.
Twisty descents - you just lock the wheel and drift round the bends. If the Hills of SF can be ridden, then pretty much any hill can be ridden. Yes it's a risk and thats part of the fun.