[email protected] wrote:
>
> The kids I hung with didn't unweight the back wheel to
> skid, either. To the contrary, you put your weight back and slammed the
> pedal down. Not as good as a front caliper, disc, or drum, but a real
> brake.
In my recollection, the faux-BMX bikes that were hot kidbikes in my
youth got much better braking from the rear coaster than from the ****
front caliper if they were so equipped.
I reckon that now, with a better caliper, but also with something like
4X the gross weight, I might still find that a rear coaster beats a
long reach front caliper.
> > Consider that riders
> > can alter their riding style based on the limitations of whichever
> > machine they happen to be on at the time.
>
> Until some other user of the public byways does something unexpected
> and you need to stop quickly. Never as safe as a bike with two
> good-working real brakes, one on each wheel.
And that isn't as safe as a bike that's gearing-limited to 6mph. And
that isn't as safe as a bike that doesn't leave the house. It's a
pointless line of reasoning.
The fact is that all bikes were fixies (with ineffectual brakes at
best) at the time bikes got their legal standing on the roads and
highways. These were the bikes that *got us our paved roads to begin
with*, and there's no good reason to deny them access now on the basis
of not being the latest and greatest technology.
Risky equipment choices are naturally self-limiting. Folks who are
comfortable with brakeless fixies in the long run (or drop bars, or
clipless pedals, or any of the other safety compromises we might make)
are probably capable of operating safely enough for the purposes. If
they spook themselves often, they'll add a brake or sell the fixie. If
they do add a brake, it will be one that works that they will use
habitually, unlike one that is installed only to meet the letter of the
law.
I personally wouldn't ride a fixed-gear bike on the street, but that's
because I don't like pain. If I did use one, I'd have brakes on it--
but that's because I don't like pain. On the other hand, I have
friends who are completely comfortable (and in my observation,
completely competent) riding their brakeless fixies in this crowded,
hilly city. They've proven themselves with years of daily riding; on
any given day I see helmeted riders on bikes with lots of gears,
brakes, and suspension who are plainly at much more risk of serious
accident than the fixie-riding messengers I know.
Chalo