fixie handling Q

[Jim Flom]

I converted a c. 1980 Centurion touring bike into a fixie.
In traffic, sometimes I will slow down by putting (heavy)
resistance against the pedals. Is there a risk of my
popping loose the BB? It's a Suntour crank and seems to be
a Sakae BB.

JF

[Sheldon Brown]

Jim Flom wrote:

> I converted a c. 1980 Centurion touring bike into a fixie.
> In traffic, sometimes I will slow down by putting (heavy)
> resistance against the pedals.

_Heavy_ resistance on the pedals is a Bad Thing. It is
harmful to your leg muscles. Google on "eccentric
contraction" for details.

> Is there a risk of my popping loose the BB? It's a Suntour
> crank and seems to be a Sakae BB.

No issue with the bottom bracket, but some older bikes had
"swaged" cranks, where the crank spider was not part of the
right arm, but was swaged (rivetted) on. This type of crank
isn't always reliable for reversing-type loads.

I had one of these (a Sugino Maxy) fail this way once. It
wasn't a drastic failure, I was able to make it home, but
there was some slippage on the climbs, sorta like driving a
car with a worn-out clutch.

Sheldon "Brakes Are For Stopping, Resistance Is For Slowing
Down" Brown +----------------------------------------------------
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