CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Debate!

Minimalist bicycling - too cool for school?

(15 posts)
  • Started 13 years ago by Smudge
  • Latest reply from kaputnik
  • poll: What do you think of brakeless minimalist fixies?
    Art over substance, pointless but pretty. : (4 votes)
    25 %
    Perfectly practical, if you're a good enough rider. : (4 votes)
    25 %
    Safe on the track, not anywhere else. : (8 votes)
    50 %
    What's the problem? They're great! : (0 votes)

    15 votes


  1. Smudge
    Member

    On seeing another desperately fashionable fixed gear with *no* brakes I wondered... is it style over substance? Admiring the clean lines and the elegant concept I considered, could I ride with no brakes other than my legs?

    I concluded that either;

    The rider rides in a different Edinburgh to the one I'm familiar with.
    The rider rides very slowly or not in traffic.
    It's a art object and of little functional use.
    The rider has superhuman powers both riding and anticipation of other road users/pedestrians.
    The rider is too cool for school but not too cool for casualty.
    or...
    I'm old and unfashionable and just don't "get it" ;-) lol

    Don't get me wrong, it's very pretty and nicely put together but I just can't imagine riding it anywhere worthwhile :-/

    Thoughts?

    Posted 13 years ago #

  2. chdot
    Admin

    Clearly 'we' all know it's illegal to cycle on UK roads without two brakes. Fixed wheel counts as one.

    This fashion came largely from US couriers where fixed braking is (apparently) legal - in certain states(?)

    I knew someone who rode fixed and never locked his bike on the basis that if (and indeed when) it was stolen the thief would fall off nearby when they stopped pedaling...

    Personally (especially in Edinburgh) I have never found the idea of only one gear attractive.

    The idea of not being able to freewheel seems bizarre.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  3. Dave
    Member

    It's because in the US, they have this bizarre idea that the back brake is the important one. There are whole fleets of bikes braked purely by rear coaster brakes.

    I rode my now sadly stolen fixed-wheel with just the front brake, because when I got it I found using the rear brake while spinning my legs furiously made me very unstable and almost jerked me off a couple of times.

    Naturally out of interest I often experimented to see how much I could ride without using the front brake at all, and my conclusion is that brakeless riders are either nuts or just don't ride hard in traffic. I mean, I would happily ride a brakeless fixed bike across town, if I had to - but it would be very slowly compared with my usual self.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  4. chdot
    Admin

    "It's because in the US, they have this bizarre idea that the back brake is the important one. There are whole fleets of bikes braked purely by rear coaster brakes."

    Two things there -

    Many people have memories/fears of going over the handlebars because of putting on front brake hard. This is usually kids because the are lighter and get so frightened they don't let go of the brake lever!

    Coaster brakes are 'normal' outside the UK - don't know 'cultural' reasons for this local anomaly.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  5. Dave
    Member

    I think it's circular. People don't use the front brake because they're worried about going over the front. Then, when they do need to stop in a hurry, they grab both brakes, have no idea what's going on and fly over the handlebars.

    Bikes with only a front brake might dismiss the 'over the bars' meme once and for all?

    Posted 13 years ago #

  6. kaputnik
    Moderator

    I tried my one gear bike in fixed mode and it didn't agree with me. On our appalling road surfaces sometimes I like need to stand on the pedals and coast as I go over yet another tarmac minefield and sometimes I like need to stand on the pedals and bunnyhop to get out of a potential buckled wheel when a gaping pothole appears from nowhere infront of me.

    I rarely used my back brake until I did my first cycletour on Friday. I had replaced the front blocks on the tourer but think I mustn't have bought good rubber. I kid you not I was generating smoke coming down the Whinlatter Pass with both brakes hard on and screaming and still doing over 20!

    Coming down from Hartside in the dark, mist and sleet, being constantly blinded by cars going the other way and refusing to dip their deathray headlights was another interesting experience in staying alive. All good fun though!

    Posted 13 years ago #

  7. Kim
    Member

    It is just fashion, then you get fashion victims like this...

    Posted 13 years ago #

  8. LaidBack
    Member

    the Whinlatter Pass

    I'm not sure where that is... must be South of here?

    (I can hear the cries of you don't know Whinlatter Pass is?? - I'm maybe not alone though.)

    Posted 13 years ago #

  9. wee folding bike
    Member

    Fixed wheel bikes are nice to ride and teach you a good pedalling action but you can't stop with the back wheel. Even if you can lock it up you'll just skid.

    People complain if you say it's more connected however I don't mean any kind of zen thing there I just mean if you slow down the pedals the bike will slow down... but not in a hurry.

    Posted 13 years ago #

  10. kaputnik
    Moderator

    the Whinlatter Pass

    I'm not sure where that is... must be South of here?

    Indeed. Gets you between Cockermouth and the Western Lakes on one side and Keswick and the Derwent Valley on the other. Drops (or climbs, depending on which way you tackle it) 1,000 feet in the last (first) 2 miles.

    It says 25% if you zoom in on the original!

    Posted 13 years ago #

  11. PS
    Member

    I didn't realise Whinlatter had a 25% section - I've cycled up and down it on the Lorton side and it's a relatively easy trundle - I take it it's a fairly short bit of 25%?

    Posted 13 years ago #

  12. LaidBack
    Member

    Right - I can see that now. So does it make the cross-border challenge ride seem easy then?

    Posted 13 years ago #

  13. kaputnik
    Moderator

    Yes I think the 25% is an extreme bit on the down (up) on the Braithwaite side. It's hard to compare with the X-border 100 as we went up and over Whinlatter the "easy" way - i.e. up the long tail and down the steep head of the incline. All seemed plenty tough lugging the paniers and tourer though, made full use of the sub-1:1 ratio that the triple offered!

    Posted 13 years ago #

  14. Smudge
    Member

    OOh now this is more interesting, a couple of votes for brakeless fixies, come on then, explain the benefit/s to me (no really, I am *honestly* interested to hear opinions I intuitively disagree with, I may or may not change my opinion, but I'd like to hear the arguments either way)

    Posted 13 years ago #

  15. kaputnik
    Moderator

    One was me by mistake :(

    Posted 13 years ago #

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