Would you ride with someone with no rear brake?

[weiwentg]

I was riding in a group. This bike courier showed up. Later, I noticed that he had no rear brake. Thoughts?

[christian]

Was he riding fixed? If so, no problem in my eyes. A geared bike with no rear brake would be stupid, if only for redundancy's sake.

[AngryScientist]

was it a fixed gear bike?

truth be told, 99.98 % of the time i dont touch my rear brake, only on super long descents to avoid heating up the front rim too much. all the braking power you can use is in your front brake, if applied correctly. that said, the rear is a good back-up for certain situations including the loss of a front brake cable.

if it was a fixed gear bike, its pretty common to run without a rear brake since you can "compression brake" through the drivetrain.

[rustychisel]

was it a fixed gear bike?

truth be told, 99.98 % of the time i dont touch my rear brake, only on super long descents to avoid heating up the front rim too much. all the braking power you can use is in your front brake, if applied correctly. that said, the rear is a good back-up for certain situations including the loss of a front brake cable.

if it was a fixed gear bike, its pretty common to run without a rear brake since you can "compression brake" through the drivetrain.

+1

also, I'd know within 2 minutes if the guy was a muppet. If he's running SS and no rear brake then he is, by definition, a muppet*.


* based on my high and mighty and infallible standards

[bike22]

if he's a courier he probably rode more last month than you did in an entire year.

[bicycletricycle]

sure

[markie]

I guess I have been the person turn up with no rear brake quite a few times. Although I do not look like, nor am I, a courier.

I have no problems braking. I do notice some people occasionally getting confused when everyone else is coasting and I am still spinning like mad. I think it perhaps does make it a bit tougher for riders behind to follow really closely because the visual trigger of coasting ahead is gone.

But I do not think it is a big deal.

[avalonracing]

if he's a courier he probably rode more last month than you did in an entire year.

Doubt it.
I know most couriers do not ride 7,500 a month... It wouldn't give them enough time to smoke weed. ;)

[pdmtong]

if it was AJ, YES!

[pegdrgr]

Maybe I spent to many years on motorcycles, but I don't really have a problem with it. I certainly would rather see someone with no rear brake than someone with no front brake.

[JLP]

Yeah, it just depends on the rider -- assuming he was fixed. Competent rider fixed with a front brake is no issue.

[rustychisel]

WWFD?

seriously, wait for Butch's answer.

[ultraman6970]

Dont see the problem, i would be worry about somebody riding a road bike w/o any brakes tho.

[gearguywb]

If it was not a fixie, I would have to ask "why"?

[biker72]

Bike courier?
He probably rides many more miles than I do per week.
I don't see a problem.. :)

[RPS]

Just because a guy rides a lot doesn’t make him safe to other riders. He could be a world-class bike handler and still be a threat to everyone around him if he’s careless, a jerk, etc... Mileage and safety don’t necessarily go together IMHO.

Having said that, I wouldn’t have a problem. On single bikes the front brake does all the stopping in a panic situation, and if it gets to that in a pace line riders are likely to go down regardless of a rear brake.

As kids I remember riding around and racing with friends on bikes that only had rear coaster brakes. By comparison that was much more dangerous but we did it anyway; and had fun in the process.

[weiwentg]

I forgot to mention - he was on a geared road bike. If he'd been on a fixie, I wouldn't have started the thread, actually.

[christian]

Ok, that's muppet. No riding with me. I'd offer him a rear brake out of my parts bin.

[oldpotatoe]

I was riding in a group. This bike courier showed up. Later, I noticed that he had no rear brake. Thoughts?

Stay out of trouble with regards to him or ride alone...Would you ride with a guy w/o a helmet? How about somebody with deep aero rims on a windy day? Tri bars?

Just a bike ride, I wouldn't get all sweated up about it.

[flydhest]

what potato said. If the person is a safe rider, they are a safe rider, if not, they are not. I know people who would be much safer with one brake than most "enthusiasts" are with both brakes.

[jr59]

The question to me is the same as, would I ride with a person on a trike, recumbent, or any thing else!

Guess what? If somebody can handle their bike, keep a steady pace, and hold their line; You better believe I will ride with them. Heck I have even rode with a skater or two.

Now if they are what i would call unsafe. Then there is no efin way I'm riding with them.

Because someone uses different stuff than you do, should we pass judgement? I would like to think not. But their again, some are snobs!

How about, we all only ride with people who have bikes equal to ours, or better, but then the better wouldn't ride with us. This is just silly!!

It all depends on the rider.

[zap]

Buddy and I rode for years with no rear brakes..........in hilly terrain too. Neither had a problem with braking except well......we both rode bullhorns back then (these were our longer distance hammer bikes not our crit bikes) and my mates al Mavic horns broke on a twist bumpy descent. He had to latch on for the rest of the descent but it was all good..........ton of storied rides and races back then.

It's the rider that matters most.

[William]

No worries if they are a good rider. Now, if they showed up on a steel bike? No effin way! :no:

:rolleyes: ;) :)




William

[sg8357]

Coaster brakes are making a comeback for the faux-fixie crowd.

two speed kickback with coaster brake.

[weiwentg]

A bit more detail (obviously I should say more stuff up front) - this was on a large group ride. This guy was a strong rider, and as far as I could tell he seemed to handle his bike sufficiently well. He had an annoying tendency to whoop during the ride, which ticked me off, but that didn't seem to affect his riding ability. I'm well aware that fixie with front brake = road bike with both brakes. I'm also well aware that the front brake is most of your stopping power - but I was still very leery.

[Charles M]

Congrats to "lifestyle" marketers.

All of the sudden one brake must mean fixie...

And fixie must mean highly skilled messenger...

When the chances are what, 20 er 200 to 1 against it being a messenger?



it was a guy on a bike who had a brake mounted that does the vast majority of the slowing duties for everyone... There have to be 20 other things of substance to look at rather than making a silly assumption...

[flydhest]

it was a guy on a bike who had a brake mounted that does the vast majority of the slowing duties for everyone... There have to be 20 other things of substance to look at rather than making a silly assumption...

+1

[merlincustom1]

Slight thread drift. How about riding with this guy? Shows up for an A group ride, 50 miles, and for the first 5 or so he's sucking on a cigar. In his 20s, tats, good rider, but it stinks in the field for awhile. Should I say something?

[Fixed]

20 something messenger shows up to ride with the older crowd why ?
maybe he wants to learn about road bikes and racing .
from what i see a lot of the fixie crowd are moving up to road races after getting tried of the alley cat thing ..
show him how to work in a paceline ..some of these guys have talent
and you might make a good friend
cheers

[avalonracing]

Slight thread drift. How about riding with this guy? Shows up for an A group ride, 50 miles, and for the first 5 or so he's sucking on a cigar. In his 20s, tats, good rider, but it stinks in the field for awhile. Should I say something?

No, you should pull him off his bike and beat him into the ground. No one should have to breath his cancer smoke because has daddy wouldn't pay enough attention to him. Okay, maybe that isn't for you but you are completely within your rights to call him a douchebag directly to his face.

[Fixed]

Slight thread drift. How about riding with this guy? Shows up for an A group ride, 50 miles, and for the first 5 or so he's sucking on a cigar. In his 20s, tats, good rider, but it stinks in the field for awhile. Should I say something?
if he going to smoke sit outside . or ride in the back
imho
cheers

[Stafford]

Slight thread drift. How about riding with this guy? Shows up for an A group ride, 50 miles, and for the first 5 or so he's sucking on a cigar. In his 20s, tats, good rider, but it stinks in the field for awhile. Should I say something?

Aww. let him go. He could probably smoke everyone else, anyway.

[11.4]

There have to be 20 other things of substance to look at rather than making a silly assumption...

That certainly opens the door to some interesting speculation. Why hasn't anyone picked this one up yet? You guys are s ... l ...... o .......... w. I expected a top ten "things of substance" list by now.

[Frankwurst]

Stay out of trouble with regards to him or ride alone...Would you ride with a guy w/o a helmet? How about somebody with deep aero rims on a windy day? Tri bars?

Just a bike ride, I wouldn't get all sweated up about it.

Uh Huh. I'd agree. Just a bike ride. Don't sweat the small stuff and you'll start to realize most stuff is small. :beer:

[avalonracing]

As for the thought of "You don't really need a rear brake" sure you don't, but more than once I've had a sudden deflation of the front tire and I've used the rear brake to scrub speed while keeping my weight behind the saddle.

[djg21]

More than 70% of the stopping force derives from the front brake. I'd be more concerned with his bike handling, and if he was on a fixed gear, his smoothness. Muppet? :p I've never heard that before. I like it!

[mtnbke]

was it a fixed gear bike?

truth be told, 99.98 % of the time i dont touch my rear brake, only on super long descents to avoid heating up the front rim too much. all the braking power you can use is in your front brake, if applied correctly. that said, the rear is a good back-up for certain situations including the loss of a front brake cable.

if it was a fixed gear bike, its pretty common to run without a rear brake since you can "compression brake" through the drivetrain.

Angry, you're a misinformed wannabe.

Talk to anyone who has ever spent some time in a competitive peloton and you'll discover you don't know a damn thing about the technique of decelerating and controlling a bicycle beyond what a child might know.

My take is I wouldn't want to ride in a group with most cyclists, because most are freakin' wannabees that have no business riding in a group in the first place. The skills just aren't there, let alone the recognition of what to do when.

The sports analogy applies. Not being picked to play dodgeball in elementary school, not playing any varsity sports, getting a professional degree and purchasing a $7k Colnago dripping with Carbon Record does not an athlete make.

Miles do not equate to skill.

[rustychisel]

Angry, you're a misinformed wannabe.

Talk to anyone who has ever spent some time in a competitive peloton and you'll discover you don't know a damn thing about the technique of decelerating and controlling a bicycle beyond what a child might know.

My take is I wouldn't want to ride in a group with most cyclists, because most are freakin' wannabees that have no business riding in a group in the first place. The skills just aren't there, let alone the recognition of what to do when.

The sports analogy applies. Not being picked to play dodgeball in elementary school, not playing any varsity sports, getting a professional degree and purchasing a $7k Colnago dripping with Carbon Record does not an athlete make.

Miles do not equate to skill.



err, are you playing the topic or playing the man? Fair bit of anger in those words.

[Keith A]

<snip>

My take is I wouldn't want to ride in a group with most cyclists, because most are freakin' wannabees that have no business riding in a group in the first place. The skills just aren't there, let alone the recognition of what to do when.

<snip>So maybe some helpful hints to those that you deem as wannabees would help them become better cyclists. I do a regular group ride that has a mix of riders which includes active racers (cat 2's to 5's), experienced veteran riders and new guys too. We welcome the new guys and when we see them doing something they shouldn't, we take the opportunity to teach them. This makes the ride safer and better for all involved.

[thegunner]

Angry, you're a misinformed wannabe.

Talk to anyone who has ever spent some time in a competitive peloton and you'll discover you don't know a damn thing about the technique of decelerating and controlling a bicycle beyond what a child might know.

:confused: u mad bro?

[flydhest]

So maybe some helpful hints to those that you deem as wannabees would help them become better cyclists. I do a regular group ride that has a mix of riders which includes active racers (cat 2's to 5's), experienced veteran riders and new guys too. We welcome the new guys and when we see them doing something they shouldn't, we take the opportunity to teach them. This makes the ride safer and better for all involved.

uhh, Keith, it's easier and more fun to just mock people. That way, I don't actually have to know anything and I can make myself feel better about my own shortcomings. Sure, you could help others and make the sport better, but what's in it for me?

[firerescuefin]

Angry, you're a misinformed wannabe.

Bro....please post your palmares...perhaps, I could send you something to sign, like a yellow Credit Lyonnais jersey.

So many of your posts are angry/misinformed/over the top. Dial it down a notch...please, or just leave. :no:

[weiwentg]

Stay out of trouble with regards to him or ride alone...Would you ride with a guy w/o a helmet? How about somebody with deep aero rims on a windy day? Tri bars?

Just a bike ride, I wouldn't get all sweated up about it.

Well, most group rides I've been on won't allow you to start without a helmet. Definitely for liability, and arguably for common sense. And the ride I usually go on has riders on tri bikes, but they're asked not to use their aero bars in the pack. So, there should be minimum safety standards on a group ride, and if someone got on their aerobars in the middle of a pack, I'd ask them not to (team time trials excepted). That said, no rear brake isn't as egregious as those two.

[Joachim]

Angry, you're a misinformed wannabe.



I wished we had an "unlike" button or something, but I could only find this that seems appropriate for your behavior :butt: Yeah, post your palmares, even better, a pic of you in your rainbow jersey.

[Ti Designs]

Uh, fixed gears do have rear brakes...

[cmg]

i still waiting for the end of the story or at least the punchline. Did the group ride with the guy with no brake on his geared bike? did he cause a crash, pileup, death, mayhem, was he beaten to a pulp, was he reprimanded or exiled to oblivion? so what's the story, morning glory? the side arguments are amusing.

[Pete Serotta]

Way out of line and additionally AngryScientist is a nice guy and one I have known and consider a friend for a long time. Cease this type of what I call atttack or you will force me to be ugly Pete


Additionally what he says is accurate and I agree with him. He is not a wannabe and I am not a racer (far from it - - I am just older than dirt and thus lots of info for the past 30 years of what and why for non racers.
Angry, you're a misinformed wannabe.

Talk to anyone who has ever spent some time in a competitive peloton and you'll discover you don't know a damn thing about the technique of decelerating and controlling a bicycle beyond what a child might know.

My take is I wouldn't want to ride in a group with most cyclists, because most are freakin' wannabees that have no business riding in a group in the first place. The skills just aren't there, let alone the recognition of what to do when.

The sports analogy applies. Not being picked to play dodgeball in elementary school, not playing any varsity sports, getting a professional degree and purchasing a $7k Colnago dripping with Carbon Record does not an athlete make.

Miles do not equate to skill.

[weiwentg]

i still waiting for the end of the story or at least the punchline. Did the group ride with the guy with no brake on his geared bike? did he cause a crash, pileup, death, mayhem, was he beaten to a pulp, was he reprimanded or exiled to oblivion? so what's the story, morning glory? the side arguments are amusing.

Yes, the group rode with this guy. We don't typically go around checking whether or not people install rear brakes on their bikes. No, he didn't cause a pileup or any sort of mishap.

Again, while I should have been more clear about this from the start, the guy was on a regular road bike, not a fixie - if he were on a fixie, he would have had two brakes and I wouldn't even have started this conversation.

The only punchline is that I was a bit ticked off, but not enough to say anything (and it's hard to eject someone in mid ride). I'll let the regular ride leader know - his shop organizes the ride and it's his call. Clearly, the consensus seems to be that it's OK, given that the front brake generates most of the braking power. Honestly, I find that a bit questionable, but I'm not sure why exactly.

[christian]

I wouldn't ride with someone who didn't have a redundant braking system because I would suspect that the logic that got them to that point might also infect other aspects of their behavior.

[Fixed]

Angry, you're a misinformed wannabe.

Talk to anyone who has ever spent some time in a competitive peloton and you'll discover you don't know a damn thing about the technique of decelerating and controlling a bicycle beyond what a child might know.

My take is I wouldn't want to ride in a group with most cyclists, because most are freakin' wannabees that have no business riding in a group in the first place. The skills just aren't there, let alone the recognition of what to do when.

The sports analogy applies. Not being picked to play dodgeball in elementary school, not playing any varsity sports, getting a professional degree and purchasing a $7k Colnago dripping with Carbon Record does not an athlete make.

Miles do not equate to skill.
harsh words from a mountain biker
cheers

[Germany_chris]

harsh words from a mountain biker
cheers

Same issues at MTBR...

[AngryScientist]

Angry, you're a misinformed wannabe.

Talk to anyone who has ever spent some time in a competitive peloton and you'll discover you don't know a damn thing about the technique of decelerating and controlling a bicycle beyond what a child might know.

My take is I wouldn't want to ride in a group with most cyclists, because most are freakin' wannabees that have no business riding in a group in the first place. The skills just aren't there, let alone the recognition of what to do when.

The sports analogy applies. Not being picked to play dodgeball in elementary school, not playing any varsity sports, getting a professional degree and purchasing a $7k Colnago dripping with Carbon Record does not an athlete make.

Miles do not equate to skill.

you're an angry dude. further, you're rude, presumptuous and insulting. if you think this attitude garners any respect at all, you're wrong.

[weiwentg]

Yes, the group rode with this guy. We don't typically go around checking whether or not people install rear brakes on their bikes. No, he didn't cause a pileup or any sort of mishap.

Again, while I should have been more clear about this from the start, the guy was on a regular road bike, not a fixie - if he were on a fixie, he would have had two brakes and I wouldn't even have started this conversation.

The only punchline is that I was a bit ticked off, but not enough to say anything (and it's hard to eject someone in mid ride). I'll let the regular ride leader know - his shop organizes the ride and it's his call. Clearly, the consensus seems to be that it's OK, given that the front brake generates most of the braking power. Honestly, I find that a bit questionable, but I'm not sure why exactly.

Furthermore, because we don't go around checking people's equipment, I didn't notice his lack of a rear brake until I drafted him.

[Pete Serotta]

I will ban the ID forever :crap: :crap: Pete (sorry for this but I have reached the end of PC and he will be gone with no second thoughts.)

Attacks and attacks for no reason are a cornerstone of "not on the forum"


you're an angry dude. further, you're rude, presumptuous and insulting. if you think this attitude garners any respect at all, you're wrong.

[avalonracing]

On a side note, I was once picked first for dodgeball. It was the greatest day of my life.

[Blue Jays]

I'm a fan of having both front AND rear brakes installed on a roadbike.
It does no harm and can only help in an emergency. Optimistically cautious is a good thing!

[Fixed]

maybe a safety check on everybody's bike before riding worn tires rusty chain brakes in working order etc.. .. or ride with 4 or 5 guys you know
cheers .

[charliedid]

You guys use brakes?

[jr59]

You guys use brakes?

Heck NO!

I already know how to go slow!

[charliedid]

Heck NO!

I already know how to go slow!
:)