Braking the Fixie

Peter Cole said:

The thing I have never been able to understand about the brake-less
crowd is how they keep their tire from wearing out, given the skid
stopping they favor.

They calculate the number of skid patches they get with various gear
combinations and can sometimes increase that number by moving the
tire on the rim. That and carry duct tape.

I followed a brakeless fixed rider skidding all the way down a rain
slicked pitch and watched as he changed contact patches. He appeared
to have his bike under complete control but I still gave him extra
room. I don't understand why he just didn't back-pedal for that
little slope and save his colour coordinated tires.
--
zk

landotter said:

Peter Cole said:

landotter wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You know, the law. He had the right of way. Or do you not think the
law applies to bicycles? I mean, he was starting to roll forward again
as this gaggle of cyclists cut him off and he had to slam on the
brake. What's the biggie? You tell me, smart guy.

Well he must have seen them coming if they were that close, why not stop
first & let them by?

Because they don't have the right of way. I don't drive much, but if
I'm at a stop sign and there's a bike coming as if not to slow down, I
hit the gas, and they better hope their brakes are dialed in. I won't
deliberately hit someone, but I have no problem letting people scare
the [censored] out of themselves.

I think you lack a sense of proportion. Even a misdemeanor shouldn't
carry a capital punishment. Who makes you judge, jury and executioner
(of they should hit you or you them)?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

They were a large group, he was alone (apparently).
Motorists stop all the time to let groups of cyclists go by. It's not
against the law to give people a break (yet).

It's against the law for cyclists to run stop signs at 20mph. It's not
giving a break, it's called encouraging bad behavior.

Ah, the "teach them a lesson" principle. Seems to me that aggression
begets aggression.

Quoted message said:

You don't just
blow stop signs at 20mph hoping that everything will be OK--when
there's already a vehicle there with the right of way.

You don't, but they do. I very much doubt games of chicken will resolve
things.

Quoted message said:

Your attitude is identical to most of the club riders around here--
completely clueless. There's a reason I'm a solo artist.

What attitude? I've said before, I don't deliberately inconvenience
anyone, biking or driving. Cyclists may do that sometimes, but they
certainly don't have a monopoly. Everyone I know who bikes also drives.
I doubt that they change personalities for the better when they drive.
Typically, even on group rides (which I do weekly), I see more rude,
dangerous and illegal behavior on the part of motorists. I'm sure the
guys who bike like [censored] drive like [censored], after all, they're the same
[censored]. This whole biker vs. driver thing is a false dichotomy, since
virtually 100% of bikers are drivers, and most of them drive more hours
than they bike.

Tom 'Johnny Sunset' Sherman said:

Peter Cole said:

Tom 'Johnny Sunset' Sherman said:

Peter Cole wrote:
> Tom "Johnny Sunset" Sherman wrote:
>
>> Hey, that was what I was going to write!
>>
>> The smugness of the "hip" makes one happy to see them ticketed.
>>
>
> How do you know they're smug?

These types are smug because they are part of the "in" group that
denigrates outsiders for not "getting it".

& you know this how? Have you been denigrated?

I have been around groups like this enough [1] to know that denigration
of others who don't "get it" is a main topic of conversation.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> You obviously are.

[Yawn] Your smugdar is in need of recalibration.

That's what it sounded like above (schadenfreude & all that).

When did "schadenfreude” and "smug" become synonyms?

They're not, your schadenfreude betrays your smugness, one might say.

Quoted message said:

[1] They often like to talk loudly so others can "benefit" from their
superiority.

Ah, you've been "indirectly" denigrated. I take it that was categorical
and not personal? How did you know you were in the category?

Spread Eagle® said:

On Jul 21, 8:16 am, [email hidden] (Paul J. Berg) wrote:

Quoted message said:

number of people don't understand how many fixies there are and

Quoted message said:

how safe they are," says Atkinson, the original sponsor of the bill.

Quoted message said:

Those of us who learned to ride in the 50s know that pedal brakes are
far better than those flimsy caliper things controlled on the
handlebar.

So-called "fixies" don't have pedal (coaster) brakes.

If they had coaster brakes, they'd have no problem with the law.

"Pedal brakes can flat-out shut down the real wheel, so

Quoted message said:

much so that you can easily skid and leave rubber on the road if
that's something you want to do. Try that with calipers. As if.
Calipers don't have anything like that kind of stopping power.

Skidding the rear wheel -increases- stopping distance.

In point of fact, front and rear caliper brakes can stop a bicycle in
about 2/3rds the distance that a similar bicycle equipped only with a
rear coaster brake can stop.

Quoted message said:

Plus the front wheel caliper brake is dangerous. Imedes steering
control AND can throw you head over heels.

Only for folks who don't know how to use one. Used properly, the two
wheel caliper brake neither interfers with steering nor initiates a
"stoppie". They do, however, stop the bike considerably quicker.

In fact, about 70% of the stopping power is provided by the front brake.
Which is why caliper brake equipped bikes can stop more quickly than
ones equipped only with rear coaster brakes. Although the fact that
caliper brakes can be more easily modulated (and thus be applied up to
but not past the point of lock-up) contributes as well.

Peace and justice,

On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 21:36:39 -0000, landotter <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Well he must have seen them coming if they were that close, why not stop
first & let them by?

Because they don't have the right of way. I don't drive much, but if
I'm at a stop sign and there's a bike coming as if not to slow down, I
hit the gas, and they better hope their brakes are dialed in. I won't
deliberately hit someone, but I have no problem letting people scare
the [censored] out of themselves.

Cars don't make people crazy?

Would you do the same thing if you were on a bike?

Or would you have rolled through the stop sign, adjusted your speed
and either gone in front or behind the approaching cyclist without
causing them to brake unnecessarily, let alone panic stop.
--
zk

Bill Shatzer said:

So-called "fixies" don't have pedal (coaster) brakes.

If they had coaster brakes, they'd have no problem with the law.

Really? Sounds like a bad law then.

Zoot Katz said:

Peter Cole said:

The thing I have never been able to understand about the brake-less
crowd is how they keep their tire from wearing out, given the skid
stopping they favor.

They calculate the number of skid patches they get with various gear
combinations and can sometimes increase that number by moving the
tire on the rim. That and carry duct tape.

I followed a brakeless fixed rider skidding all the way down a rain
slicked pitch and watched as he changed contact patches. He appeared
to have his bike under complete control but I still gave him extra
room. I don't understand why he just didn't back-pedal for that
little slope and save his colour coordinated tires.

It's incredibly easy to skid on wet hills. So much so that it makes
back pedaling *w/o* skidding a bit tricky.

I wonder if the roads are slick enough when wet to not really noticeably
wear the tires while skidding (compared to dry roads).

\\paul

Peter Cole said:

Tom 'Johnny Sunset' Sherman said:

Peter Cole said:

Tom "Johnny Sunset" Sherman wrote:
> Peter Cole wrote:
>> Tom "Johnny Sunset" Sherman wrote:
>>
>>> Hey, that was what I was going to write!
>>>
>>> The smugness of the "hip" makes one happy to see them ticketed.
>>>
>>
>> How do you know they're smug?
>
> These types are smug because they are part of the "in" group that
> denigrates outsiders for not "getting it".

& you know this how? Have you been denigrated?

I have been around groups like this enough [1] to know that
denigration of others who don't "get it" is a main topic of conversation.

Quoted message said:

>> You obviously are.
>
> [Yawn] Your smugdar is in need of recalibration.

That's what it sounded like above (schadenfreude & all that).

When did "schadenfreude” and "smug" become synonyms?

They're not, your schadenfreude betrays your smugness, one might say.

Quoted message said:

[1] They often like to talk loudly so others can "benefit" from their
superiority.

Ah, you've been "indirectly" denigrated. I take it that was categorical
and not personal? How did you know you were in the category?

Have you been paying attention to how people act? Or are you one of the
hip & smug crowd, so you never noticed?

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Tom 'Johnny Sunset' Sherman said:

Peter Cole said:

Tom "Johnny Sunset" Sherman wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

[1] They often like to talk loudly so others can "benefit" from their
superiority.

Ah, you've been "indirectly" denigrated. I take it that was
categorical and not personal? How did you know you were in the category?

Have you been paying attention to how people act?

No, what did they say about me?

Quoted message said:

Or are you one of the
hip & smug crowd, so you never noticed?

I like to think I'm hip, doesn't everybody?

Peter Cole said:

Tom 'Johnny Sunset' Sherman said:

Peter Cole said:

Tom "Johnny Sunset" Sherman wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

> [1] They often like to talk loudly so others can "benefit" from
> their superiority.

Ah, you've been "indirectly" denigrated. I take it that was
categorical and not personal? How did you know you were in the category?

Have you been paying attention to how people act?

No, what did they say about me?

Quoted message said:

Or are you one of the hip & smug crowd, so you never noticed?

I like to think I'm hip, doesn't everybody?

No.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Quoted message said:

It's against the law for cyclists to run stop signs at 20mph. It's not
giving a break, it's called encouraging bad behavior. You don't just
blow stop signs at 20mph hoping that everything will be OK--when
there's already a vehicle there with the right of way.

I am in total agreement. Right there with you, dude. The law applies
to all.

Riding in my state's MS150 the last few years, I am amazed how many
people blow through several stop signs in a row when we're going
through small towns.

Last year during the 150 I hit the brakes for a red light and was
FLAMED by a handful of guys to my face. Nothing special about them, no
certain types of bike or whatever, They just didn't give a [censored]. I
mentioned the law, to hear a dismissive "bah" in my direction.

It seems elementary. A hundred years ago, we set up a bunch of rules
to take out ambiguity and blind chance from our transportation. This
common language was called traffic law, and it's rapidly eroding from
lack of enforcement.

My current pet peeve is being "waved through" an intersection, on a
bike or in a car, when I obviously do NOT have the right of way. I've
actually unclipped and dismounted after five long seconds of red-faced
frenetic waving on their part. I don't need the damn "favor". It just
confuses people. Some people get enormous, throbbing erections from
randomly directing traffic this way.

Tom \'Johnny Sunset\' Sherman said:

Quoted message said:

I like to think I'm hip, doesn't everybody?

No.

Think he's hip? I think he's way cool.

I think a lot of folks are not thinking out of the box here. By virtue
of this law, they've made Big Wheels illegal. The howl from the 4 year
olds is going to be deafening!

Paul Myron Hobson said:

Quoted message said:

I followed a brakeless fixed rider skidding all the way down a rain
slicked pitch and watched as he changed contact patches. He appeared
to have his bike under complete control but I still gave him extra
room. I don't understand why he just didn't back-pedal for that
little slope and save his colour coordinated tires.

It's incredibly easy to skid on wet hills. So much so that it makes
back pedaling *w/o* skidding a bit tricky.

Yeah, I guess it would be. My leg braking is assisted by Salmon Pads.

Quoted message said:

I wonder if the roads are slick enough when wet to not really noticeably
wear the tires while skidding (compared to dry roads).

Ones gut instinct suggests it would be so but maybe wet rubber
abrades that much easier.

That might be a question for Jobst.
--
zk

"Tom "Johnny Sunset" Sherman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter Cole said:

Tom 'Johnny Sunset' Sherman said:

Peter Cole wrote:
> Tom "Johnny Sunset" Sherman wrote:

Quoted message said:

>> [1] They often like to talk loudly so others can "benefit" from their
>> superiority.
>
> Ah, you've been "indirectly" denigrated. I take it that was categorical
> and not personal? How did you know you were in the category?

Have you been paying attention to how people act?

No, what did they say about me?

Quoted message said:

Or are you one of the hip & smug crowd, so you never noticed?

I like to think I'm hip, doesn't everybody?

No.

I'm hip to that

Quoted message said:

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 16:21:29 -0700, bryanska <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Last year during the 150 I hit the brakes for a red light and was
FLAMED by a handful of guys to my face. Nothing special about them, no
certain types of bike or whatever, They just didn't give a [censored]. I
mentioned the law, to hear a dismissive "bah" in my direction.

A large group of bicycles traveling together in a body impedes
traffic much less than several smaller groups or individuals doing
the whole light sequence thing. If there are already bikes in the
intersection ahead of you and there are bikes coming up from behind -

KEEP MOVING!
--
zk

On Sat, 21 Jul 2007 16:21:29 -0700, bryanska <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Riding in my state's MS150 the last few years, I am amazed how many
people blow through several stop signs in a row when we're going
through small towns.

Last year during the 150 I hit the brakes for a red light and was
FLAMED by a handful of guys to my face. Nothing special about them, no
certain types of bike or whatever, They just didn't give a [censored]. I
mentioned the law, to hear a dismissive "bah" in my direction.

It seems elementary. A hundred years ago, we set up a bunch of rules
to take out ambiguity and blind chance from our transportation. This
common language was called traffic law, and it's rapidly eroding from
lack of enforcement.

I don't ride with people who flagrantly disobey the law. Occassionllay
treating an empty stop sign like a yield sign, or a red light like a
stop sign while on a bike is one thing (both of which I do,
particularly on empty roads), just blazing around like the rules dont'
apply at all is another.
--
JT
****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

In article <[email hidden]>,

Peter Cole said:

Tom 'Johnny Sunset' Sherman said:

Peter Cole said:

Tom "Johnny Sunset" Sherman wrote:

> Hey, that was what I was going to write!
>
> The smugness of the "hip" makes one happy to see them ticketed.
>

How do you know they're smug?

These types are smug because they are part of the "in" group that
denigrates outsiders for not "getting it".

& you know this how? Have you been denigrated?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

You ask that of an inveterate & obdurate recumbent rider?

cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

bryanska said:

My current pet peeve is being "waved through" an intersection, on a
bike or in a car, when I obviously do NOT have the right of way. I've
actually unclipped and dismounted after five long seconds of red-faced
frenetic waving on their part. I don't need the damn "favor". It just
confuses people. Some people get enormous, throbbing erections from
randomly directing traffic this way.

They're just trying to be nice, Mr. Grumpypuss.

Quoted message said:

"_" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Dave Mayer said:

The downside for me is that I had bought a heavily discounted track frame
a
while back with the intention of building up into a single-speed bike -
yes,
with two good hand brakes and a freehub. Now I have to sit on this
project
perhaps for several years until this fad withers.

Why?

You will not get a ticket.

Why wait on this project? Well, I have too many bikes. But the main reason
to delay: because single-speed bikes are a hot 'thing'. But when I
eventually do build it up it may have some applications due to its
simplicity and light weight.

However, the fixed gear 'thing' is both trendy and outright stupid. Riding
a bike with no brakes (off track) is plain suicidal. And removing the
ability to freewheel kills one of the key pleasures in riding a bike:
coasting.

Dave Mayer said:

However, the fixed gear 'thing' is both trendy and outright stupid. Riding
a bike with no brakes (off track) is plain suicidal. And removing the
ability to freewheel kills one of the key pleasures in riding a bike:
coasting.

So it would seem, but there are a lot of us who greatly prefer fixed to
single speed, trends or no.