Re: [CR] Surprising Cinelli Pista and no brakes

(Example: Framebuilders:Doug Fattic)

Date: Fri, 08 Dec 2006 00:52:58 -0500
From: "gabriel l romeu" <romeug@comcast.net>
To: hersefan@comcast.net
Subject: Re: [CR] Surprising Cinelli Pista and no brakes
References: <120820060317.9683.4578D93400055340000025D32205889116020E000A9C9D0A08@comcast.net>
In-Reply-To: <120820060317.9683.4578D93400055340000025D32205889116020E000A9C9D0A08@comcast.net>
cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org

Your opinion has always been worth far more than 2 cents to me Mike, but

my experience has seen quite a few people's idea of safety, in both biking and open water coastal kayaking has been a reliance on equipment with a far lesser regard to good sense/technique. I was just expressing my priorities. I wear a helmet, I have barely used brakes on my fixies, and no judgment

as to safe practice for people who choose otherwise. I hosted a CR ride a three months ago and a couple attendees from the list did not wear helmets. Their comment was that this was the first ride that they did that nobody commented or harassed them about it. After the ride, they warned me about a friend on a off topic bike (that is expensive and labeled with a number) of his unsafe riding practices (one of which was the way he was drafting off a tandem). Both of these helmet less riders from our list had rode quite skillfully, one of which

I have ridden with a few times subsequently and may have the most finesse and style that I have encountered in a riding partner. I am particularly attuned to this as I learn through observation quite readily . couple nights later, the friend who rode the seven's wife asked me who were the idiots riding without a helmet. Obviously, a spirited topic of

conversation for them. I have also heard both her and her husband say

to other people that the most important thing in bicycling is to wear a helmet. To me, it is good sense, i ride every day and i also believe in statistics. It is only a start, a subset to a whole realm of practice.

The reason i brought up kayaking was that as an open water instructor, wearing a pfd was a common diversion/excuse not to learn rolling and rescue skills that had extraordinary importance. I heard comments when we hosted Greenlanders capable of thirty some odd rolls in frigid waters

for not wearing pfds...there was some humour in this case.

My three on topic fixed are predrilled, I am now in a quandary about a frame i just bought for my wife. it will have a brake, and i may just drill it or perhaps machine a fixture... any thoughts? http://tinyurl.com/ym8m3w

gabriel romeu chesterfiel nj usa

hersefan@comcast.net wrote:
> As a person with a love of statistics, I must differ with this
> assessment. The logic will work wonderfully - until that rare instance
> that may only happen once in a lifetime, at the very conclusion of ones
> lifetime!
>
> Because something almost never occurs and is hasn't happened yet,
> doesn't mean that it won't. With folks on cell phones and varying
> degrees of attention, it is folly in my mind to assume all will be OK
> all the time.
>
> And remember this - Cino Cinelli was quite brilliant and if my hunch is
> right, a pragmatist. Ever see the photos of him in his latter years
> with the bars turned up high in a casual position? He would have sharp
> words I suspect for someone who destroyed both themselves and their bik e
> for lack of a brake.
>
> Just my two cents. I've always loved buying track bikes already drille d
> for a front brake - no guilt for doing the deed, but I get to enjoy the
> results.
>
> Mike Kone in Boulder CO
>
>
>
>
> -------------- Original message --------------
> From: gabriel l romeu <romeug@comcast.net>
>
> > caught me in a bit of a troll Ken, very perceptive.
> > I think that is an excellent assessment. I only ride a fixie eve ry
> > weekday, weekends i get to play gears. On the roads around here, I
> > really do not have to use the brake if I am thoughtful of what i s in
> > front of me- there are many ways of stopping a fixed with or wit hout
> > brakes and I prefer to do it with grace, and that is with a
> > consideration to what is ahead.
> > safety is a perceptual thing, varies according to it's source. I
> find
> > that safety 'rules' such as helmets, brakes on fixed bikes, brig ht
> > clothing, etc are generally a panacea and an excuse for no furth er
> > engagement.
> > the important rules are to ride to your abilities, be astute to the
> > conditions of the locale (with all the implications of defensive
> > pedaling, predictable riding, pedaling with a group, etc.) and
> adjust
> > riding style appropriately. If the accroutements make one feel
> > comfortable, by all means. It is secondary to the general qualit y of
> > one's riding that determines safety IMHO.
> >
> > Ken Sanford wrote:
> >
> > > I owned a nice circa 1990 Cinelli Pista and rode it a bit on
> the road i
> > n
> > > more or less controlled areas - without a brake. But, I did no t
> want t
> > o
> > > ride it in circumstances where I would need to stop quickly - I
> just
> > > ain't that skilled in skid stops. I felt it would be horrific
> to drill
> >
> > > the front fork and using a different fork did not appeal. So I
> sold
> > > that bike to a friend (who lusted after it). He rides it
> everywhere.
> > I
> > > was glad it found a proper home.
> > >
> > > Riding a fixed gear bike with or without a brake is a personal
> choice
> > > and I do NOT want to open up that debate! That's one reason I like
> > > British path racers - they are usually drilled for a front bra ke.
> >
> > >>I hope the buyers at least ride them occasionally on the road,
> > >>although that often requires drilling the fork for a front
> brake to
> > >>do so safely.
> > >
> > >
> > > I am not so sure I understand this. why?
> >
> > --
> > gabriel l romeu
> > last post of the day, chesterfield, nj usa
> > ± http://studiofurniture.com Ø http://journalphoto.org ±
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Classicrendezvous mailing list
> > Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> > http://www.bikelist.org/mailman/listinfo/classicrendezvous

--
gabriel l romeu
± http://studiofurniture.com Ø http://journalphoto.org ±