In a message dated 3/17/2003 12:14:15 PM Eastern Standard Time, chuckschmidt@earthlink.net writes:
> Sorry John, but you missed my point. Had nothing to do with fixed gear
> road riding and the benefits there of. Had everything to do with riding
> a track bike (no brake) on the road, instead of riding a fixed gear road
> bike which includes a front brake.
>
> Modifying your riding style because you can't effectively stop in an
> emergency situation without a brake? Sounds good in theory; everyday
> reality is something else.
>
> Key point: I'm not willing to ride at a slower pace because I can't stop
> effectively.
>
I'm with Chuck. A track bike with no brakes is fine for on the track use. A fixer is a nice change of pace out on the road. Having to resort to tricks to stop is asking for trouble. If you're involved in an accident and it becomes apparent your bike has no brakes you may have a hard time convincing anyone it wasn't your fault. (including this fellow cyclist) My lowly UO-8 fixer has two Mafac brakes and stops just fine with the added bonus of giving an audible alarm. Drilling a decades old track fork for brakes is not appealing either; but road forks aren't that hard to find in this age of aftermarket forks.
Pete Geurds
Douglassville, PA