L
landotter
Guest
On Apr 30, 6:25 pm, Chalo <[email protected]> wrote:
> Ben wrote:
>
> > Every so often, someone writes an article about how
> > the New Trend is fixies, and someone else posts it to
> > RBT, and a bunch of people chorus about irresponsible
> > young bicycle riders ruining it for the rest of us. Then
> > we stick our heads out the window and yell "Would you
> > kids turn that crazy music down!"
>
> > I ride a fixed gear with two brakes because I (1) am an
> > old fart, (2) like the hoods hand position, and (3) am so
> > outrageously powerful that I regularly accelerate to
> > massive speeds where stopping with just backpressure
> > is awkward. That said, I understand from this article
> > that some twentysomethings are engaging in a pursuit of
> > looking fashionable at the risk of being imprudent. I'm
> > shocked, shocked to hear that gambling with their safety
> > is going on here!
>
> I have a difficult time seeing no-brakes fixed gear riding as being
> categorically worse than, say, skateboarding or rollerblading.
Really? Whatcha smokin? Riding without brakes is an affectation, like
saggy britches. Bikes have natural provisions for brakes, ya know,
like drilled holes in the fork crown. If your bicycle lacks that, and
has no coaster brake, then it's a track bike--please find a track to
ride it on then. Bikes are legally a part of traffic in most
jurisdictions, boards and skates aren't, so as a legal part of traffic
ya gotta follow the law and have brakes, and of course lighting at
night and all those awful burdens. Thing is, you can still ride proper
tough within the limits of the law.. FWIW, you can put a front brake
on your bike and not use it most of the time and just save it for "oh
****" moments". That's the ridiculousness of the whole thing--nobody's
keeping you from fixie stops, you can still ride brakeless, but if you
need one, it's there.
And what's the difference between bikes, boards and skates? Bikes with
a normal fixed gear can easily cruise at 25mph--and bikes are expected
to act as part of traffic, but without a brake, it's nearly impossible
to be a responsible traficant. I'm not against boards and skates, but
it is difficult to integrate such into serious traffic.
Oh, and think I"m kidding about the brake thing, I'll bring up the
occasion that made me quit messengering--a guy on Michigan Ave in
Chicago couldn't stop his fixie for a red light, and got two compound
broken femurs. Nasty. I got to see it right as the EMT got there. Too
bad he didn't have a light and cheap 'oh ****' brake.
There are ways to break the road law which aren't by any means
dangerous. Have fun. Enjoy fixies and riding, but don't cut your life
short just to be hip. I'm not asking anyone to wear a helmet, just to
have the tools to avoid the collision in the first place.
> Ben wrote:
>
> > Every so often, someone writes an article about how
> > the New Trend is fixies, and someone else posts it to
> > RBT, and a bunch of people chorus about irresponsible
> > young bicycle riders ruining it for the rest of us. Then
> > we stick our heads out the window and yell "Would you
> > kids turn that crazy music down!"
>
> > I ride a fixed gear with two brakes because I (1) am an
> > old fart, (2) like the hoods hand position, and (3) am so
> > outrageously powerful that I regularly accelerate to
> > massive speeds where stopping with just backpressure
> > is awkward. That said, I understand from this article
> > that some twentysomethings are engaging in a pursuit of
> > looking fashionable at the risk of being imprudent. I'm
> > shocked, shocked to hear that gambling with their safety
> > is going on here!
>
> I have a difficult time seeing no-brakes fixed gear riding as being
> categorically worse than, say, skateboarding or rollerblading.
Really? Whatcha smokin? Riding without brakes is an affectation, like
saggy britches. Bikes have natural provisions for brakes, ya know,
like drilled holes in the fork crown. If your bicycle lacks that, and
has no coaster brake, then it's a track bike--please find a track to
ride it on then. Bikes are legally a part of traffic in most
jurisdictions, boards and skates aren't, so as a legal part of traffic
ya gotta follow the law and have brakes, and of course lighting at
night and all those awful burdens. Thing is, you can still ride proper
tough within the limits of the law.. FWIW, you can put a front brake
on your bike and not use it most of the time and just save it for "oh
****" moments". That's the ridiculousness of the whole thing--nobody's
keeping you from fixie stops, you can still ride brakeless, but if you
need one, it's there.
And what's the difference between bikes, boards and skates? Bikes with
a normal fixed gear can easily cruise at 25mph--and bikes are expected
to act as part of traffic, but without a brake, it's nearly impossible
to be a responsible traficant. I'm not against boards and skates, but
it is difficult to integrate such into serious traffic.
Oh, and think I"m kidding about the brake thing, I'll bring up the
occasion that made me quit messengering--a guy on Michigan Ave in
Chicago couldn't stop his fixie for a red light, and got two compound
broken femurs. Nasty. I got to see it right as the EMT got there. Too
bad he didn't have a light and cheap 'oh ****' brake.
There are ways to break the road law which aren't by any means
dangerous. Have fun. Enjoy fixies and riding, but don't cut your life
short just to be hip. I'm not asking anyone to wear a helmet, just to
have the tools to avoid the collision in the first place.
