Has anyone else noticed that? Me and Yunisyko were talking about this. Things without brakes are way more fun than things with brakes. Track bikes (a singlespeed road bike with no freewheel and no brakes) are better than regular bikes, longboards are awesome, and of course, unicycles are amazing. Anybody have any thoughts as to why this is? Do you disagree? My personal thoughts are that things without brakes take more skill and quick thinking than normal machines.
I completely disagree.
I enjoy my Hardtail MTB much more than anything else I own.
Can’t do freeride on a track bike…
Rollerblades without brakes are annoying, then you end up ruining your wheels as well as taking longer to stop…
Now I’ll pointlessly post a picture of my bike.
Not sure where you’re trying to go with this thread other than boasting your opinion.
EDIT: Why would a track bike take more thinking than riding my bike? In order to stop on a track bike you just slow your pedaling or lock your legs up, to me that’s easier… as well as turning corners on a little teeny pizza cutter tires is much easier than on big knobby tires that you have to be careful they don’t fold and lose grip at a high enough speed.
i LONGBOARD! I think things without breaks are more fun because you have to know how to stop yourself rather than pull a handle. It lets you push your limits of skill and balance. Ive been doing downhill skateboarding for about 2 years now and will be doing a lot of races next year. I love seeing my shoes smoke when i footbrake from 60 mph! lol
Chris
Shopping carts!!
My modded coker didn’t have brakes on it either when i was attempting my speed record.
Billy carts. 
The fixie cynic in me considers brakeless fixies to be just a hip urban fashion accessory ridden by hipsters who want to think they can ride the lifestyle of the stereotypical hardcore bicycle messenger. It is the image that the brakeless fixie portrays that is the allure and not the act of riding without hand brakes. If you want the fun of riding without hand brakes then don’t use the hand brakes. You don’t need to remove them to not use them. It’s not the skill of skid stops and other techniques that drives the brakeless fad but the image and bike fashion.
For those who truly can ride a brakeless fixie in ways that mere mortals can’t even imagine, I salute you. For those who ride a brakeless fixie as a fashion accessory I scorn you (and hope to stay out of your way as you ride around barely in control).
I ride a fixie because riding a fixie is fun. It’s a different way of bicycling and gives you a different feel for the ride. I also have two hand brakes and would never consider removing them.
For the “Just in case” you don’t want to die, situation, right?
I have a brakeless bmx, and its fun for the sole reason that I am scared for my life every time I get near an intersection.
I’m only really a fan of brakeless objects that you can bail off of easily, without them going flying all willy nilly. My BMX is kind of braking that rule, but I guess I’m just stupid.
The reason I would keep brakes on a fixie is because even if you lock up your wheel you can easily skid. I spend 80 percent of my waking life at the moment downtown right around tons of bike couriers and they skid like mad. It looks like alot of fun, but it still seems a bit silly not to have at least a front brake to help you slow down in an emergency.
I could see myself getting a fixie, and I could see myself without the back break but removing the front break is just stupid (In my opinion)
I want to add breaks to a couple of my unis
It’s more than that. In order to ride a fixie without hand brakes you need to adapt your riding style. You need to lower the gear so you have more leverage for stopping and slowing down. You need to ride slower and be more aware of the road. You also can’t do things like put on a rear seatpost mounted rack and a trunk bag cause the weight of the gear will affect your ability to skid. So the bike ends up being less practical.
I ride my fixie like a road bike. I don’t ride it like an urban toy. I like to ride it fast like a road bike. I take it on metric century length rides. I like the gear that is on it (46x18). The gear allows me to cruise at 17 mph and sprint up to 30. It’s too high of a gear for me to do skid stops from my cruising speed. I’d never be able to slow it down when I get it going 25+ going downhill without hand brakes. If I went brakeless I’d have to ride slower and lower the gear ratio. I don’t want to do that.
I still have fun by adjusting my speed just with my legs when I can. I have done a skid stop from slow speed. That’s part of the fun of a fixie. You don’t need to remove the brakes to have that fun.
yes you do shred wheels
but with a hockey stop you can stop wayyy faster.
theirs a reason roller hockey players play with out them. and its not just for looks
Though that’s definitely part of it!
looks are part of everything. and to some extent they are important
function is way more important. another think, with brakes on skates while playing hockey the get in the way.
i got ur back wankerman, tis all about brakeless.
i don’t know whats up with that cat hatin’ on the fixies…i think they’re realy cool. it does take quite a bit more skill than a regular bike, and is not to mention more fun…its just more legit. more old school, like how bikes used to be. if you have a fixed gear, then you don’t need a brake.
and to be sure, it is a fad, but messengers are awesome, and if you hate on aevery fad (especially ones that are not that widespread like fixies) then you’re just trying to exile yourself from society. which i have spent most of my life doing, and i now realize isn’t worth it/ isn’t fair to those who happen to genuinly liek the fad.
why don’t you just ride a road bike…the whole point of a fixie kind of is to be brakeless, and it’s not supposed to be entirely practical. it’s supposed to be about taking it back to the roots of road cycling.
thats just my opinion. i like fixies for the sake of fixies rather than for the sake of a road bike…sometimes its about having fun with it rather than sheer practicality.
You make a strong point. I don’t scoff at those who use breaks. I really wasn’t trying to take a dump on brakes or anything, the point of my question was more to explore why things that might not NEED brakes seem to be more fun. Also, you get mad props for riding fixies. I am going to be building one sometime this month. However, i will not be putting brakes on it. Partly because i have no money for brakes, and partly because I don’t want to be tempted to use it. I do realize i would become one of those people you don’t like who have it just as an “urban toy,” but I’m going to do it anyways, partly to feel cool and partly because the possibility of painful learning experiences is exciting (not that i like pain, but you have to admit that pain is sometimes the best teacher). You can hate me for it, but as long as I feel cool i really couldn’t give a damn about how other people view me.
As for Muni brakes, i don’t hate you if you use them, but there can be no argument that not having one makes you way beefier and more hardcore. A brake on a uni makes stopping easier on your legs, not faster. There is no added safety when you attach a brake, it just makes things easier. Personally, i have never pooped out in the middle of a muni ride because my legs couldn’t handle it, and i see not having a brake as a really good way to build massive amounts of leg muscle.
Longboarding is just fun. Going top speed down a hill with very little chance of being able to stop soon enough if someone steps in front of you is a huge rush.
I think that’s why having no brakes is fun. It’s a rush bacause it’s dangerous. I think those that have a brake and don’t use it don’t get quite as much excitement just because they have that added security. Having no backup plan keeps you on edge and more alert. It keeps stuff interesting.
skimboarding. 
Okay FIRST thing, i’m just starting a discussion for fun, i’m not trying to “boast my opinion” or impose it on anyone.
Also, stopping on a track bike is A MILLION TIMES harder than squeezing a lever and letting the hydraulics do all the work. It’s not as simple as just locking your legs. I would guess you’ve never ridden one before.
I respect that you enjoy freeride more than other stuff, and i’m not trying to be a jerk with this response. On the other hand, i can’t just sit around and watch someone make me look like a jerk for starting a thread.
PS sorry about 2 posts in a row
i love WANKERMAN.
Thanks for your support buddy. SF Riders betch!!!