You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
I am thinking of just running a front brake on my commuter. Been commuting for about 6 weeks now and been really lucky with the weather so only had to ride in the rain once but forgot how horrible v brakes become in the wet. So was going to get a front disc but for the last few days been trying the commute without running a back brake. Anyone else do this?
No. Think of braking on slippery surfaces.
why?
i did on a fixed wheel for a while but i much prefer having the second brake there even if you rarely use it.
Just because my commuter doesnt have mounts for disc brakes really and I never use it. On my xc bike I do on downhill sections etc but there isnt anything dificuult on my commute ride
No
Illegal and you need both brakes for control in the wet
front disc rear v. sorted 🙂
my commuter doesnt have mounts for disc brakes really and I never use it.
Leave it on then - what do you lose in doing so?
Leave it on then - what do you lose in doing so?
Nothing was just wondering really as I very rarely use it
I run only one brake now after refurbing my commuter.
You dont need two brakes if you're not hooning around, even in the wet, as long as you ride sensibly and keep your front brake in excellent condition.
I only ride 3-4 miels each way, at a gentle bimble (as I ride in my work clothes and dont want to get sweaty), in Central London, mainly off road.
As for legality, dont bet on fuzz knowing the law.
Stoner, it's not just about [i]your[/i] riding style/skills though. I like both (or three) brakes on a commuter because emergency stops aren't something I plan for...
if you need to make an emergency stop I suggest you're not riding carefully enough...
rubbish! it is impossible to anticipate the actions of every single other road user and crazy pedestrian
not rubbish at all.
I have been riding in London for over 10 years and cant recall the last time I had to make any kind of sharp braking manouevre. I always ride with an assumption that someone/something is going to do something stupid and so have an alternative line ready. Planning ahead, sympathetic speed, eye-contact and a good feel for the stupidty of others means you should, IMO, never need to perform an emergency stop.
My experience proves this to me. It sounds like your experience doesnt prove that to you. I reckon that says more about your riding style than your braking needs.
Nonsense. EDIT - nosense that reasonable commuting means you can anticipate EVERYTHING that may require an emergency stop.
You've just been lucky 😛
succinct argument there al. I assume you've been following me for the last decade and can point out where Ive got that wrong then?
I found the back very useful this winter in the wet and when it was icy when the front was very keen to lock up. But thats on a road bike with skinny little tyres
I guess it could be down to the fact that you bimble 3 miles through parks and I travel 15 miles from edge of zone 6 to central along main roads.
I can see Stoner point of view, my neighbour has been cycling her shopper daily to the shops for years and she has only a front brake.
I have even offered to fix it for her, but she said she is happy with it as it is.
Not sure if I would have the confidence/skill to use just the one brake.
Im going to disagree with you.
As for stopping qbruptly I havent said that that isnt possible with just a front brake. As I said, a brake in good condition, and giving yourself as much help as possible by intelligent riding as well as using your body weight transfer to help braking control as well is more than enough to ride safely.
Just leave the rear brake on, its essential if you go into a skid in the wet as your front wheel will slide out if you brake too hard! Sensible riding can obviously help prevent this but you can't account for everything!
Sympathetic speed? Slow you mean?
bimble 3 miles through parks
some of the dozy riders on the Park Lane path are every bit as erratic as any white van man.
If you mix with cars you either need to go very slowly or have good brakes. I use my brakes hard every time I ride in town and car drivers still amaze me how stupid they can be and how often you have to brake suddenly to avoid hitting them
Al is 100% correct - you cannot anticipate the unexpected correctly every time
This might be of interest....
Construction & Use Regulations
This Statutory Instrument (1983 No. 1176) is part of the Road Traffic Acts. Accordingly it is illegal to ride a pedal cycle, including an electrically-assisted pedal cycle, on a public road unless it meets the appropriate requirements. Specifically: the brakes must be as described below – except in the case of a pedal cycle that is sold for off-road racing on enclosed tracks. .
In the case of a pure pedal cycle (no electrical assistance) these regulations are simply and entirely concerned with the brakes.
Most sorts of cycle are required to have at least two efficient braking systems, by which the front wheel (or wheels) can be braked independently of the rear wheel (or wheels). This means that if there are two wheels at the front or rear, the relevant system must act on the pair. It also means that the combined operation of front and rear brakes from one lever is not allowed except as an extra braking system: additional to the two independent front and rear braking systems required by this law..... a fixed wheel drive counts as a braking system – on that wheel only.
Sympathetic speed? Slow you mean?
at the right time, yes.
There are times when hooning around isnt just unsafe but it's arrogant and puts other road users in danger. That doesn't endear the cycling classes to other users does it.
Legally no, ultimate sensible option - probably not.Worth removing an existing brake - probably not. Worth forking out for an expensive rear for a flat 1 mile commute? Nope.
Legality wise I reckon there are very few SPD owning commuters who meet the legal requirements for reflectors.
I'm going to agree that you can disagree with me.
If you're slow & skilled at riding in traffic I'd agree it's probably OK to do so on one brake...I just go a bit faster than you and I see no point in removing a brake.
I quite like taking things a bit close and braking at the last minute in order to make a point to sleeping drivers.
TJ - you are wrong, and that's final.
If you are braking hard, you are riding like a tit. Why on earth would you want to waste kinetic energy like that? As for speed, Im quite happy riding at 20-25mph in the traffic, I still do not need to drop the anchors all the time to deal with the anticpated stupidity of car drivers (actually London drivers are some of the best I've found. It may be an Edinburgh thing for you)
TJ you've said on another thread something about your town riding which (I think) puts an interesting colour on that comment
If you are riding a bike with no back brake which isn't a fixed gear and you hit a pedestrian who steps out in front of you, you can be prosecuted if they can prove that not having a back brake meant you couldn't stop in time.
My friend was involved in a similar incident and was very nearly prosecuted.
Not worth it!
so why did you want to take the brake off?
leave the rear v's on, add a disc up front if you like
or does the potential mismatched levers thing keep you awake at night
I quite like taking things a bit close and braking at the last minute in order to make a point to sleeping drivers.
I used to do that years ago, but grew up 🙂
Im quite happy riding at 20-25mph in the traffic
I'd call that quite fast.
Well IMO there's always something that can catch you by surprise; for instance sometimes cars pull out of side roads or onto roundabouts with little time to react - maybe 2 brakes won't save you either though.
Riding with only a front brake you are compromising your stopping ability. You are also breaking the law. Part of the reason for the need for two brakes is incase one fails.
Why would I brake hard? Traffic lights changing, cars pulling out, tourists stepping off the pavemnent - the list goes on.
Al - true. I shall have to do that vid - should cause a few arguments
Most of the BMX's round these parts run no brakes and they still seem able to breed in enough quantities to keep their numbers up?
😉
I agree with what Stoner says about riding style, but there's no way I would go to the effort of actually taking off a functioning brake just for the sake of it. 😕
blanky - [u]If[/u] I hit a ped (and Ive said up there Ive never even come close to being unable to avoid a ped by either braking normally or taking evasive action) [u]and[/u] they can prove that not having a back brake meant you couldn't stop in time (if full on front brake under control cant stop you, a back brake which will lock up isnt going to bring much to the party) it would be long enough odds that I'd by a lottery ticket.
so why did you want to take the brake off?
Something like that - I am a bit OCD 😳 - but then I like symmetry as well so I would prob think one lever would be wierd too!
Think it is something to do with my constant need to change bits on my bikes. I thought I had everything I needed done at the weekend and then I started thinking about new bits to change
I used to do that years ago, but grew up
I mean for instance approaching a turning car at 10mph rather than 3mph so I can still stop safely at the last minute. I stoppped doing risky stuff long before you'd even thought about it junior 😛
http://sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html
i was looking through this as well which got me thinking about it but hadnt thought about the fixie brake thing
Al - Ive never said I didnt ride fast. I just dont ride fast ALL the time or when I dont have alternative lines available should I need it.
for instance sometimes cars pull out of side roads or onto roundabouts with little time to react
If they do that and you hit them, that's your fault even if you can blame them. As someone once told me "there are lots of motorcyclists in hospital who were [i]right[/i]".
Why would I brake hard? Traffic lights changing, cars pulling out, tourists stepping off the pavemnent - the list goes on.
ditto. If you have to make an [u]emergency[/u] stop in such circumstances you arent riding very well. There's plenty of controlled braking to hand with just a front brake should it be needed to deal with normal road road user/ped behaviour like that.
I wouldn't remove one just for the sake of it, but then I'm a wuss.
I liked the point about braking late and hard to make a point to drivers though, it's something I do too. If a driver cuts me up I usually try my hardest to make them think I'm ploughing right into their rear end.
Stoner - you are talking tripe. Utter rubbish.
One road I go down I can hit 30 mph on it. If the lights change at the wrong moment you have to brake hard or go thru on red. Braking is for sure for sure 75% front 25 % rear on a dry road ( with skill you can do 100% front as the rear will lift off the surface) - but what about in the wet? You simply cannot stop as hard in the wet front brake only. Or as often happens when diesel is spilt on it? Or as it is at the moment when its bumpy?
I have been riding cycles and motorbikes in heavy urban traffic for 35 yrs - I can control a bike under braking as well as the best (It'll get laughed at again) up to the point of practising locking the front wheel to know where the limits are.
Riding without a rear brake is simply stupid and compromises your ability to stop on poor / wet / slippy road surfaces.
You are correct in the point about lots of bikers in hospital who were right. Being right don't stop it hurting
[url= http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html ]Sheldon says[/url]
But I don't think at any point does he suggest leaving the rear brake at home. There are conditions in which you need two and I'd rather have a back up even in perfect conditions. I've been trying front wheel braking alone recently on my commute which is off road and while it works well there have been a couple of occasions where the front wheel has started to slide. In fact I've had to pick myself off the floor once when I foolishly tried to brake and steer on a thin layer of wet mud and gravel.
You may never need it your rear brake, I've never even scratched a helmet in 25 years of cycling or had a seat belt lock in 25 years of driving, I could have left both at home but I'm not about to start now.
One road I go down I can hit 30 mph on it. If the lights change at the wrong moment you have to brake hard or go thru on red
and if someone said much the same thing about driving a car you would be the first one to throw your toys for the same reason that if you have to make an emergency stop at the limits of your braking capacity you are taking liberties and riding in an undisciplined way.
Yeah whatever stoner. You are braking the law of the road and ignoring the laws of physics. Do you ride in the wet? Y#In the wet you will have half the possible braking with your O so macho front brake only. I hope you don't injure any innocents when you crash - not if but when as you will.
robbo, why not just clean and replace all your bearings, again
not if but when as you will.
thanks for the bad juju mister knowitall.
he will not injure anybody as he will be going so slowly. also don't forget he has has visualised the upcoming collision and laid some carpet over a bit of bubblewrap at the scene of the 'accident' the previous evening.
Saint Sheldon is being invoked here to back up the front brake only theory but he also raises a very salient point, which is that if you only have one brake and it fails then you are toast.
I think Stoner is in the grip of the phenomenon known as "false exclusivity", which is where you go around thinking "it'll never happen to me" right up until the moment that it does. 😐
This has been fun.
I'm just off to change the pads an my front AND REAR brake.
If anyone does insist on running a single brake may I suggest that they follow boriselbrus and take an angle grinder to there cranks thus reducing the weight they have to bring to a halt.
if the mismatched levers bother you get a cable disk at the front 🙂
and no amount of 'proper maintenance and my brake wont fail' cr*p is going to hold any weight as no amount of maintenance in the world can prevent that teeny tiny metal defect that you cant see, check or prove even exists from a visual inspection, in that critical bolt from catching you by surprise.
and all this arguing is all very well and good but on the day your single brake fails for whatever reason I really really hope that you don't find yourself under a bus.
I'm running just a rear brake on my commuter at the mo cos the front one broke. I'm riding noticeably slower as I have to anticipate far more, I'd be toast if I had to emergency stop as you can only scrub so much speed with just the rear wheel.
Much better having both brakes as you can pull stoppies and massive skids, Hooyaaa!
I'm with Stoner on this
I've been riding for years on the roads round Sheffield, commuting down one of its busiest roads and coming down some of its steepest hills with only a front brake & slick tyres. I've done emergency stops / endo no end of times but you get used to it and naturally throw your weight back when you use the brake.
I've also ridden for a whole weeks commute (130 miles) to work and back with only a front brake on my motorbike when the drum seized and couldn't get it fixed till the weekend. also done this quite a few times before and after but only for a couple of days. drum brakes and salty roads suck.
I found I just learnt to read the road better, anticipate stuff more and over all ride calmer, you cant panic riding with front only because if you panic you grab a hand full and go over the bars. no one understand why I don't go over the bars all the time and its because I can control the brake, its not ON / OFF, its gentle.
you cant do emergency stops on a fixie (without your legs exploding) but you're all jumping on that band wagon.
a lot of the BMX guys run no brakes and manage to get round everywhere ok.
its not the best idea but then neither are a lot of things that we all happily do.
most brakeless BMXers arent on a daily commute with the traffic, they're normally on the pavement, and I have seen a brakeless BMXer come-a-cropper due to not being able to stop.
And you might be lucky and spend your entire life riding with one brake and never have an issue but it's just a stupid stupid risk, for you AND the people you endanger.
I'm honestly disgusted that you would ride your motorbike with only one working brake.
You can't compare riding through Hyde Park to riding along a Central London road. And you can't anticipate every possible danger. If you took defensive driving techniques literally you'd never move anywhere because there'd always be hazard.
I've been hit three times by cars. And on each occassion there was no way for me to avoid being hit. I have also hit several pedestrians who stepped straight out in front of me without any form of signal that they were intending to do so (I wasn't travelling fast either). I have fresh stories every ride about me having to avoid someone doing something stupid in front of me but I have anticipated what they were going to do and avoided it. Thus they're only stories.
Stoner is right in what he says about observation but it's not infallible. You can never rule out that someone will do something stupid in the space in front of you so that you can't react in time. The faster you go the longer this space is.
In all the time I've been commuting I feel lucky that I've only had seven instances when there was nothing I could do to avoid an accident.
As for the OP. Run a fixie if you only want a front brake. Otherwise, keep the V brake and fit a BB-7 on the front.
Cheers for all the comments! Dont worry I'm notgoing to take the rear brake off - as you say a bit pointless as it is already there. I also wasn't suggesting that Sheldon said to remove the rear brake completley but just that it got me thinking about if the brake was required! Really dont fancy a fixie either - I am sure that would be more dangerous to the general public as I would no doubt go flying off!
amedias - most brakeless BMXers arent on a daily commute with the traffic, they're normally on the pavement, and I have seen a brakeless BMXer come-a-cropper due to not being able to stop.
they may not commute but they are throwing them selves off buildings / walls / steps accross pavements into roads / traffic / pedestrians and i've seen people come-a-cropper with both brakes. most people think I should run rear if i'm going to only run one. most people are wrong.
And you might be lucky and spend your entire life riding with one brake and never have an issue but it's just a stupid stupid risk, for you AND the people you endanger.
is it a stupid stupid risk to be running anything other than discs then? because I bet many people can out brake some one with front & rear canties if they only had a front disc.
I'm honestly disgusted that you would ride your motorbike with only one working brake.
yeah not a smart move I'll admit but when it seizes open half way through the ride I had no other option likewise I had no other way to get to work when the shop didn't have the parts in. you learn to leave triple the space and travel at significantly lower speeds. i fell off when both brakes were fully functioning, I'd lost concentration, that was much sillier.
you cant do emergency stops on a fixie (without your legs exploding)
rubbish.
yes you can, unfortunately i have had to do this a couple of times, the front brake does most of the braking, you slow down the rear with your legs without locking up.
if you get it right you feel the rear just start to go light and ease the braking a bit. if anything being able to control the rear stops you locking it up unless you want to plus you feel the traction go as soon as it starts to lose grip due to the weight transfer.
much better doing emergency stops in the wet with fixed as you will never lock the rear if your legs are still moving.
having used gears and fixed on the road i feel safer stopping in the wet with fixed
Kinhell
Get a grip lads, eh? 😯
i ride without grips. my hands haven't slipped off the bars in ten years of riding. yet....
TJ - care to back up your claim that it's illegal?
that's cos you got death grip caused by fear of not being able to slow down
GW - there is a quote from the law on this thread. construction and use regs IIRC
Edit*
Quoted for you
Construction & Use Regulations
This Statutory Instrument (1983 No. 1176) is part of the Road Traffic Acts. Accordingly it is illegal to ride a pedal cycle, including an electrically-assisted pedal cycle, on a public road unless it meets the appropriate requirements. Specifically: the brakes must be as described below – except in the case of a pedal cycle that is sold for off-road racing on enclosed tracks. .
In the case of a pure pedal cycle (no electrical assistance) these regulations are simply and entirely concerned with the brakes.
Most sorts of cycle are required to have at least two efficient braking systems, by which the front wheel (or wheels) can be braked independently of the rear wheel (or wheels). This means that if there are two wheels at the front or rear, the relevant system must act on the pair. It also means that the combined operation of front and rear brakes from one lever is not allowed except as an extra braking system: additional to the two independent front and rear braking systems required by this law..... a fixed wheel drive counts as a braking system – on that wheel only.
As for the point about being able to stop hard with a front brake only - yes you can get 100% slowing front brake only - on a dry grippy road - the rear wheel will be just hovering over the ground at which point a rear brake would be useless. However this only applies on a dry grippy road without bumps - add in wet road / diesel spills, bumps etc and you can generate more retardation with both brakes as you cannot brake hard enough front brake only to get all the weight off the rear