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Track Fixie

Posted on 5th September 2010 by admin in bicycle - Tags: bicycle, bike, bikes, cycling, fixedgear, industrie 99 track fixie

Track Fixie

Should I keep my fixed gear bike brake less?

So I've been riding a multi speed for a while now. Haven't gone on century rides, but I've been on 40 - 50 mile rides before.
Anyways, I thought I'd try a fixed gear, and got a pretty sweet looking fixed gear the other day. I have never ridden a track bike, but I don't think it is that hard to learn to ride a fixie around some safe bike paths. I hear that you eventually become just as comfortable with using your legs to slow/stop as it is to use a hand brake.

SO... is it worth it to learn to ride brakeless? And no, I am not crazy. I will never run red lights in heavy traffic... or zoom through traffic past cars and buses in the middle of the street.

Dude, unless you are a New York City bike messenger, don't ride brakeless until you have literally hundreds of miles under your belt on that fixie.

I would suggest that you install a front brake but try to never use it unless ABSOLUTELY necessary. You'll see that at first, you'll be reaching for it a LOT and you'll be very grateful that it's there to save your @ss sometimes.

Then, when you have a couple-three hundred miles under your belt and you find you're reaching for it less and less, you could take it back off if you really want to, but, for example, I've ridden literally thousands of miles on my fixie and I keep a front brake on it, and I always will!

ORIGIN8 Chain 1 2x1 8x112L Teflon Purple US $19.99 1m

Problem Solvers 349 Braze on Front Derailleur Adaptor US $12.93 13m

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Published with permission from Cool Rochester.

-The Fixie Chick

About the Author

Tune into Home&Yard;Radio with the Fixie Chick Saturdays at 10:00am on 950 ESPN for more must have information for your Home & Yard!
Women owned businesses. DIY Home Improvements. Look at my other businesses: http://www.fixinchix.com & Healthy homes of Rochester http://www.healthyhomesofrochester.com
Well save you money on your home's energy costs.

Brenna Hartmann also writes for the Democrat and Chronicle's Living Section in Rochester, NY. In addition she writes monthly for The Property Source Magazine and the Home and yard Handbook which she was the founder and since has sold the handbook entity in order to spend more time with her family and children.

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