near death experience...

[Bukkake]

so I was very nearly killed riding to work today...

http://photos.nsmb.com/files/2/1/4/3/4/broken.JPG


my steel soma toe strap snapped in half as I was approaching a red light on broadway. Like.. what the hell?? They're solid steel...like.. what the hell?

Luckily I wear old school fingerless gloves with a thick leather palm so I was able to stop by grabbing my front wheel with my hand. Still freaked me out and pissed me off as I only run toe straps because they're supposed to be 100% reliable unlike SPD's..

it's almost enough to make me put a brake on my bike.....almost..

[Mic]

you ride a bike w/o brakes..:eek2: you nuts?

[the flying moose]

the life of a fixie rider.

[Bukkake]

you ride a bike w/o brakes..:eek2: you nuts?

no... I ride a fixed gear bicycle so I control my speed via my drivetrain. It's totally fine as long as my feet stay strapped to my pedals and my chain stays on.

I took it back to the place I bought it and the guy said "that's never happened before so we're not sure if it's covered by warantee" like what the hell? The owner wasn't there so I don't blame the guy for not giving me a new set right away, I'll talk to the owner on monday and see what he says.

[Mic]

no... I ride a fixed gear bicycle so I control my speed via my drivetrain. It's totally fine as long as my feet stay strapped to my pedals and my chain stays on.


Alright...so it is kinda like a bike you have to pedal along with otherwise you will not move....or crash. braking is done by not pedalling...hmm. saw that one on a messenger's bike a few years ago. simple...

but still NUTS. ;)


I took it back to the place I bought it and the guy said "that's never happened before so we're not sure if it's covered by warantee" like what the hell? The owner wasn't there so I don't blame the guy for not giving me a new set right away, I'll talk to the owner on monday and see what he says.

Wow. Hope you get it sorted. Could imagine they were not that cheap, eh?

[synchro]

confucius say:

man who ride bike without brakes might as well drive suv

[Mic]

confucius say:

man who ride bike without brakes might as well drive suv

:lol:

[Bukkake]

Alright...so it is kinda like a bike you have to pedal along with otherwise you will not move....or crash. braking is done by not pedalling...hmm. saw that one on a messenger's bike a few years ago. simple...

but still NUTS. ;)


well a lot of my stops are done by doing mini rear wheel lifts and kinda skipping the bike to a stop. It's possible to skid as well but I try not to do it because it increases my stopping distance and is a lot more damaging to my tire.

Skidding for fun is a different story, I once had a tire that was almost worn out so right before replacing it I did a 3 block long downhill skid until it exploded. That was hella fun.

Riding one of these bikes around town is indescribable. The mental state it puts you in is just addictive and it disappears when you attach a brake.

[Bukkake]

confucius say:

man who ride bike without brakes might as well drive suv

Confucious must have been on opium when he wrote that one. That was weak, I know you can do better. ;) I've been riding brakeless for months, even long road rides. I did an 80 k loop just recently around ubc and horshoe bay and back, no hand brakes. I don't actually consider myself brakeless at all really. I've seen a lot of bikes with two rim brakes that would take a hell of a lot longer to stop than mine just because they're so poorly mantained and crappy.

[Mic]

Riding one of these bikes around town is indescribable. The mental state it puts you in is just addictive and it disappears when you attach a brake.

Hmm...sounds good...but possible side efects are more damaging.

[nouseforaname]

Glad to hear you're ok.
I don't know who spouts the "toeclips are better than SPDs" line, but the only reason i can see for it is that it allows you to run your sweet pumps when you're riding to starbucks or wherever you happen to go on your fashion accessory fixed gear.
^ I know this isnt you Mike, but come on - SPDs are metal on metal, with a stiff sole. Toeclips are just fashion accesories. Choosing them says - i value looking god on my bike more than being attached to it.
[/toecliprant]
Having said that - i did break plastic cleat road pedal a while back on the FG - but never a MTB pattern cleat.

[rasd1]

when i was a bike courier there were dudes who were fixed gear.. I always thought that was fuc*ing nut bar.talk about living on the edge..if I need a jolt like that I drink a triple shot mocha..similar buzz, much safer.

[dEVoRider]

the price you have to pay to be a trendy hipster fixie rider

[Couch_Surfer]

Glad you're all right. Get a rear brake (doesn't mean you have to use it).

[Bukkake]

Glad to hear you're ok.
I don't know who spouts the "toeclips are better than SPDs" line, but the only reason i can see for it is that it allows you to run your sweet pumps when you're riding to starbucks or wherever you happen to go on your fashion accessory fixed gear.


:lol:

the truth is I always figured a steel toe strap would be more solid than anything else. What I'm worried about with spds is tearing the cleat through the sole. I never made that decision based on looks, I prefer the feel of SPD's I just didn't trust them, honestly.

Everyone bags on a brakeless fixie but once you got comfortable on them they actually feel pretty safe. At 30km/h my stopping distance is easily shorter than a bus or a truck so all I have to do is pay attention and look up the road a bit. Whistler always scared me waaaaaay more than this type of riding ever has.

[Silk]

The mental state it puts you in is just addictive and it disappears when you attach a brake.

Or until...

steel soma toe strap snapped in half as I was approaching a red light on broadway

[connor]

I hear caps are way more indestructible than helmets too. why is it that Hipsters refuse to wear helmets anyways? I rode along the 10th bike route at about 6 one day, and don't think I've ever seen more bikers not wearing helmets, or stopping at stop signs/red lights either..

[Mic]

I hear caps are way more indestructible than helmets too. why is it that Hipsters refuse to wear helmets anyways? I rode along the 10th bike route at about 6 one day, and don't think I've ever seen more bikers not wearing helmets, or stopping at stop signs/red lights either..

well, sad, kinda....prolly gotta have to learn the hard way...:(

http://media.hgtv.com/HGTV/newsletter/gardening_newsletter/vol_014/watermelon.jpg

[patrolskid]

hey ' kake , i can dig the clean look and pure simplicity of a fixie , but for situations such as you described , wouldn't it be nice just to have it there ?


doesn't mean you have to use it , just there , in case . . . .

[XXX_er]

isnt the 1st thing they get ya to do in spro-kids a panic stop with the back brake only , now go back and try it using both brakes ... see how much faster you stop kids?

I know its a cultural thing kinda like telemark vs fixed heels ... but unless i am hallucinating there usually arent any buses on the mountain

[Bukkake]

hey ' kake , i can dig the clean look and pure simplicity of a fixie , but for situations such as you described , wouldn't it be nice just to have it there ?


doesn't mean you have to use it , just there , in case . . . .

ya there really is no good reason not to have one but I'm still not putting one on.

instead I am now running SPD's with redundant toe straps, I'll be fine now.

[Bukkake]

I hear caps are way more indestructible than helmets too. why is it that Hipsters refuse to wear helmets anyways? I rode along the 10th bike route at about 6 one day, and don't think I've ever seen more bikers not wearing helmets, or stopping at stop signs/red lights either..

any fixie rider who rides on bike routes is an idiot, brakeless fixie + bike route = death

major streets like broadway are way safer due to the lack of unpredictable cross over traffic, 4 way stops and roundabouts....

On another note my fitness level is higher than it's ever been, the fact that I never really get to rest is having amazing results. I lapped stanley park in 16 minutes the other day.

[gary j]

but you run two different pedal assemblies and still no emergency front brake?

fixies..........cool

logical........not so much

[Mic]

any fixie rider who rides on bike routes is an idiot, brakeless fixie + bike route = death


:???:

[Couch_Surfer]

brakeless fixie + bike route = death

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that it's not the bike route part of that equation that == death.

[XXX_er]

I had a buddy just outa high school who used to ride a 350 kawasaki triple with no brakes ...he eventualy wrecked it

[TheGiggler]

ya there really is no good reason not to have one but I'm still not putting one on.

instead I am now running SPD's with redundant toe straps, I'll be fine now.



so ... if your chain breaks you still won't have any brakes. personally... i've broken many chains.

your setup is pretty sketch in terms of failure. all you need is a single point of failure in any of cranks, pedals, chain and you are without brakes. none of those are un-heard of.

[Couch_Surfer]

so ... if your chain breaks you still won't have any brakes. personally... i've broken many chains.

your setup is pretty sketch in terms of failure. all you need is a single point of failure in any of cranks, pedals, chain and you are without brakes. none of those are un-heard of.

True - but at least he won't be dodging roundabouts on a bike route. He'll be out in open traffic where it's safe.

[the Master Plan Dan]

True - but at least he won't be dodging roundabouts on a bike route. He'll be out in open traffic where it's safe.

And it isn't like cars don't pull out in front of bikes... ever!

I don't understand your logic...

The Giggler is correct... of the chain goes, the only thing stopping you would leave quite a mark.

[XXX_er]

no brakes are totally acceptable on a closed track where you don't need them ... everywhere else you need brakes IMO

I imagine at one time somebody had to ride their track bike on the road and now its cool to do that on purpose

[Bukkake]

ya and riding a bike on a 3" plank ten to fifteen feet in the air is sooooo necessary..... :rolleyes:


most of you guys think its so nuts because you've never ridden one and therefore have no frame of reference.

[Bukkake]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that it's not the bike route part of that equation that == death.


I probably wouldn't ride on them anyways anymore, most of the routes are too narrow and force you into the door zone and cars rip up them at twice the speed limit trying to use them as shortcuts.

That section of tenth near the hospital is like a war zone in the morning....

[Dave K]

True - but at least he won't be dodging roundabouts on a bike route. He'll be out in open traffic where it's safe.

Broadway is waaay nicer than the off-broadway bike route. Even though it is a "bike route", there is a fair bit of car traffic on it. With the narrow lanes and parked cars it is much less predictable. Cross traffic on the bike routes is silly. Cars, bikes and pedestrians barely pay attention to stop signs nor do they seem to look both ways before crossing. People are much more cautious crossing major roads.

I find that I can predict what traffic is doing on major streets much better than the chaos on side streets. Especially when I want to be booking along at 40 kmh. Some other bike routes are nicer. Adanac near Burnaby is ok. Union/Francis is not bad either. Mostly, the roads are wider with less trees so the sight lines are better. But given the choice of bike route or a major road, I tend to avoid the bike routes. Mostly I find them slower.

Dave

[Dave K]

so ... if your chain breaks you still won't have any brakes. personally... i've broken many chains.

Fixies (and singlespeeds for that matter) put much less stress on the chain than bikes with multiple gears. The side loads when shifting is what really taxes the chains (which is usually when you break them). Fixies run almost perfect chainlines all the time. So as long as you take care of the drivetrain it will last much longer than a geared bike.

[Bukkake]

Fixies (and singlespeeds for that matter) put much less stress on the chain than bikes with multiple gears. The side loads when shifting is what really taxes the chains (which is usually when you break them). Fixies run almost perfect chainlines all the time. So as long as you take care of the drivetrain it will last much longer than a geared bike.

I also run a 415 BMX chain and those never break, but having said that it's three months old and I'm going to be replacing it in the next few days...

[ito]

ya and riding a bike on a 3" plank ten to fifteen feet in the air is sooooo necessary..... :rolleyes:


most of you guys think its so nuts because you've never ridden one and therefore have no frame of reference.

I've been commuting, touring, and riding road for over two years with no brakes on one of my bikes. Stupid? Yes, but that is part of the fun, it DOESN'T make any sense.

I have other bikes with two fully functional brakes, but nothing is more fun than hopping on the fixed gear and having that rush.

And seriously, you run a strong chain, you check chain tension before each ride, and you learn how to skid or skip stop and you ride intelligently. I know how long it takes me to stop in pretty much any situation from ice on the roads to dry and dusty at any given speed.

It just works and maybe someday us damn fixie riders will become a smear on the side of an Escalade. But you know what? I've got two friends paralyzed from the neck down from dirt jumping, another was in a coma for two months after smashing his face riding park, and I just had a friend die from heart failure in a 24 Hour race. I can think of worse ways to bite it.

"On a long enough time line the survival rate for everyone drops to zero"

The Ito

[freakonaleash]

Man roadies in traffic are fun.. I shred pitt meadows in traffic for fun on my roadie, which i plan on painting today. Its from the 70's, its loud, it doesn't stop well, and theres almost nothing more fun.

[XXX_er]

I dunno I always look for patterns and trends in cars/weather/people/computers/finance ... life

you have 2 threads on almost punching yer ticket in like 1 month ... anybody else see what might be termed a downward/negative trend or is it just me?

[pete]

I run road cleats with my ultegra pedals and carbon soled shoes on my fixie.

Also, snapping a chain is a non-issue. I lube mine every 3 rides. It runs a perfect chainline and has zero slack so when I lock up the rear wheel there is no shock load transfered to the chain.

Fixie for life!

[Bukkake]

I dunno I always look for patterns and trends in cars/weather/people/computers/finance ... life

you have 2 threads on almost punching yer ticket in like 1 month ... anybody else see what might be termed a downward/negative trend or is it just me?

well it's really hard to say if I'm in a downward trend, I've been riding a lot more than I used to since I got the fixie so the odds of shit happening go up considerably. I've also always been pretty aggresive in traffic no matter what I was riding no change there, random shit just happens....the same type of accident as my most recent one (T-bone from careless left turn of truck) has occured to a large number of cyclists with calmer attitudes than mine and more effective braking sytems. I wasn't even riding agressively/sketchy when this accident occured it was completely the other guys fault..

just wait until I start riding to work in Tokyo, I'll have some good stories then I'm sure... with my wrist being a little fucked, I'll probably be running a brake for the first couple months.

[sanrensho]

just wait until I start riding to work in Tokyo, I'll have some good stories then I'm sure...

New development? You got a date set for leaving?

[Bukkake]

New development? You got a date set for leaving?

ya about halfway through august, already got my ticket, taking a TESL that finishes end of this month, don't have a job yet. :lol:

What I do have is a g/f over there who I get to be re-united with who's promised to take care of me until I find work.

http://photos.nsmb.com/files/2/1/4/3/4/mnkmass27feb.jpg


Armed with looks, charm, a strong ally and some actual teaching credentials I should find a job in less than three days, but it's gonna be touch and go for a bit.

[sanrensho]

^^^Holy sh*t, a Japanese girl who rides (and looks good in a helmet)?

Keeper for sure. I will be expecting to see 'kak babies in a few years.




Which city are you job-hunting in?

[CraigH]

any fixie rider who rides on bike routes is an idiot, brakeless fixie + bike route = death


By any chance was that you heading South on the bike route parrallel to Granville, crossing 70th Ave at Marine Dr at about 7:00am this morning?

Bright orange Masi with a BMX helmet.

Edit: seeing your pic above, it might not have been you but some other guy with the same bike.

[derwood]

(T-bone from careless left turn of truck)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Duke View Post
would brakes have helped?
not at all, I had my head down and was on the drops for extra speed. I saw him and it looked like he was going to wait for me before turning left, next time I looked up I was less than three feet away from the side. No time to do anything.

ORLY?

[Hack On Wheels]

ya about halfway through august, already got my ticket, taking a TESL that finishes end of this month, don't have a job yet. :lol:

What I do have is a g/f over there who I get to be re-united with who's promised to take care of me until I find work.

*snip*


Armed with looks, charm, a strong ally and some actual teaching credentials I should find a job in less than three days, but it's gonna be touch and go for a bit.

Haha, nice jacket!

I've got the exact same one... anyways, back to the regularly scheduled programming... I hope you have a good time over there!

[Bukkake]

ORLY?

ya rly

I saw him wanting to turn left, he saw me, I saw him seeing me, I went down on the drops to get past him quickly so I wouldn't fuck up his left turn too much, I looked up and realized he had decided to make his left turn after all....

I assumed after making eye contact that he would give me my right of way, maybe I shouldn't have assumed that but everybody who drives/cycles makes that assumption many times every commute.

[derwood]

lol

[Couch_Surfer]

ya rly

I saw him wanting to turn left, he saw me, I saw him seeing me, I went down on the drops to get past him quickly so I wouldn't fuck up his left turn too much, I looked up and realized he had decided to make his left turn after all....

I assumed after making eye contact that he would give me my right of way, maybe I shouldn't have assumed that but everybody who drives/cycles makes that assumption many times every commute.

I'll have to give you that one - some clod did the stutter start for a left turn in front of me as I was booking down my hill to work yesterday. I saw him as I was heading down and I find it hard to see how he didn't see me, I can only guess that he couldn't gauge that I was doing 60kph. Thankfully he didn't go for it, but I was in skidding lockup when he did the stutter.

At least it gave me a great adrenaline shot.

[Six]

Why do 99.9% of the bike commuters here use a geeky single pannier? Unless you are loaded down doing the 'ol cross Canada tour those things should be left in the closet to collect dust where they belong.

[CraigH]

Because it is nice to take the weight of change of clothes & lunch off your back. Less sweaty, etc.

I've tried both but prefer a pannier. I still use a camelback for water, tools & tube though.

[Couch_Surfer]

Why do 99.9% of the bike commuters here use a geeky single pannier? Unless you are loaded down doing the 'ol cross Canada tour those things should be left in the closet to collect dust where they belong.

What's your commute like? I've got a 30 km round trip, and the return trip is a long tiring climb up. While I haven't switched to panniers, the Roach bag sucks under those conditions. You sweat more, and you get a worse back strain then if the weight were on the bike.

I'm looking around for bikes specifcially for commuting and being able to take panniers is a must have.

[Dave K]

What's your commute like? I've got a 30 km round trip, and the return trip is a long tiring climb up. While I haven't switched to panniers, the Roach bag sucks under those conditions. You sweat more, and you get a worse back strain then if the weight were on the bike.

I'm looking around for bikes specifcially for commuting and being able to take panniers is a must have.

My commute is pretty long, but I don't think I'll use panniers. I've used them before and I found that I don't like the added weight on the bike. It makes it handle funny.

Nowadays I just use a backpack to carry my stuff in. A smallish 24-28 liter pack is enough to hold everything I need for a day.

Dave

[Couch_Surfer]

It makes it handle funny.

You sound like Noel - substitute Pannier for Kenda.

[CraigH]

I'm looking around for bikes specifcially for commuting and being able to take panniers is a must have.

I'm thinking a 29er HT would be the hot ticket, big wheels for top end, but still useable off road. The only thing is that no one in the GVRD carries them.

[ChunkyMonkey]

I'm thinking a 29er HT would be the hot ticket, big wheels for top end, but still useable off road. The only thing is that no one in the GVRD carries them.
Saw one at OT yesterday - B1 frame, not sure of the model. Kind of a franken-bike of mtn & road parts. Very strange build.

[Couch_Surfer]

I'm thinking a 29er HT would be the hot ticket, big wheels for top end, but still useable off road. The only thing is that no one in the GVRD carries them.

Interesting idea - hadn't thought of 29ers. I've been leaning towards a Cross bike.

[CraigH]

Since you are on the NS, OT = On Top and not Over Time?

[CraigH]

Interesting idea - hadn't thought of 29ers. I've been leaning towards a Cross bike.

I have an ancient road bike, but it doesn't have rack mounts so haven't used it for commuting.

I'd like discs too for those wet, close to freezing rides home. Some cross bikes have discs but most don't as they apparently aren't legal for racing?

Duncan uses a cross bike for his commute (Deep Cove to SFU), he recently replaced the frame under warranty as his old one cracked.

My brother uses a couple of old touring bikes for his commute.

[Couch_Surfer]

Agreed on the wanting of discs for wet weather riding. Looks like a lot of the newer Cross bikes are coming with disc tabs - so it's an upgrade option. But that probably boosts the bike price close to 2K - which seems a little excessive (even for a bike whore) for a commuter.

[CraigH]

Norco's new 29er (never seen one in person, would like to test ride)

http://www.norco.com/2007bikes/images/bikes_enlarge/148_1.jpg

http://www.norco.com/2007bikes/Mountain/CrossCountry/model.php?id=148&view=1&deets=1

Norco's Cyclocross with discs

http://www.norco.com/2007bikes/images/bikes_enlarge/96_1.jpg

http://www.norco.com/2007bikes/Road/Cyclocross/model.php?id=96&view=1&deets=1#

No idea if either of them have rack mounts.

Kona makes a couple of 29ers but they don't sell them in Canada. (also make Cyclocross)

Brodie does Cyclocross but not 29er.

I don't think RM does either but I may be wrong.

Then there are the US & import bikes...

[Couch_Surfer]

I don't think RM does either but I may be wrong.


RM makes a cross - have seen them at Different Bikes. No discs on the stock build.

[Dave K]

You sound like Noel - substitute Pannier for Kenda.

Unlike you, I am not accustomed to carrying around an extra 10-15 lbs on my caboose. :)

Rocky has a cross bike with disc tabs on the fork and frame. Look here: http://www.bikes.com/bikes/2007/cx/solo-cx.aspx

You'd have to supply your own cable actuated disc brakes though. And I dunno the cost.

There is also the Sherpa 10:
http://www.bikes.com/bikes/2007/touring/sherpa-10.aspx

Comes with discs.

Keep in mind as soon as you put disc brakes on that fitting a pannier rack (and fenders) becomes more difficult. There just isn't a lot of room to fit all the attachment points on the caliper side. Not saying that it can't be done, but expect some headaches and some minor fabricating of brackets.

Dave

[ChunkyMonkey]

Since you are on the NS, OT = On Top and not Over Time?
Nope, Overtime.