are there any tricks or ways to have brakes and still keep the lines on the bike clean?
i rock jsut a front brake on my daily commuter, so it keep it pretty clean looking still imo. I imagine you could really measure out the cable length so there isnt any unecessary extra cable and get a housing in a color that matches your frame as much as possible.
im sure some other folks who are more in the know can chime in with some better ideas though too.
you could look into coaster brakes. That's the way I'd go, if I were captured by the crime boss and forced to make a bike with no cables. You could coast, rail corners, bomb hills...I guess that's not appealing to fixie guys in the street, but those are high up on my bike fun goals.
I'm not sure if there are coaster brakes that look any different than they used to, but you could probably paint it the same color as your frame and make it seem smaller.
Some frames have internal cable routing. That's a nice pain in the ass that'll never go away.
Aesthetically, I understand the "simple is beautiful" thing with fixed gear bikes, but the frames some people choose are far more vomit-inducing than a cable would be: the 70s Peugeot's are the ones that kill me around Seattle. Long wheelbases, and those god damn forks that turn chrome halfway down and bend like three inches? Killing me!
I like any bike that the owner likes, but I can't always see them being good for me. Last page, bandagekills with this one:
You could take off the front brake for your simplicity needs, and it would still be acceptable to me because it could rail turns and bomb hills. But you're probably wanting to get rid of the back brake, because of all that pesky brake cabling, and now I'm afraid to bomb hills or rail turns on it.
there could be some weird internal drum coaster brakes out there...
the bmx street kids all ride brakeless, by the way. freewheel and all...sometimes freecoaster and all...insane.
OK, looks like I'm just going to have to deal with the brake lines because I'm not going without a rear brake just for looks.
I have a frame, a fork, a seatpost, a stem, and some handlebars. I also have the stuff between the frame and fork (headset?).
I guess I need: a seat, pedals, wheels, tires, hubs, skewers for the wheels, and single speed gear/cranks.
*oh yeah, and at least rear brake and lever
Anything I'm missing? Shit's complicated.
i forgot to ask if you were riding free wheel or fixie. if your not riding fixed, keep both brakes. if you have a fixed, you only need 1, i prefer the front brake, but the front brake is where you can stop the quickest due to weight trasnfering downard force to the street.
internal brake lines always struck me as a huge pain in the ass to replace/repair.
as duke mentioned, coaster allows you to do all sorts of fun shit.
sounds like you're at the point when you realize piecing a bike together can be more trouble than it's worth (provided you don't already have bins of parts laying around)... good luck.
you just need to learn how to stop on just a front brake (aka keep your weight back)
but the rear brake is nearly useless compared to the stopping power of the front brake.
you just need to learn how to stop on just a front brake (aka keep your weight back)
but the rear brake is nearly useless compared to the stopping power of the front brake.
I gets DOWN with mines bro! I'm 2 the Xtreem. If I only get one brake, it's a back brake.
REASONS (while understanding the physics that prove a front brake, in a straight line, is superior):
ONE: I ride one-handed sometimes. Holding Slurpees, beers, whatever. With one hand on the bars, front braking is too hard. Those same laws of physics that explain why, for example, motorcycles have double-rotor megabrakes up front, and barely anything out back, mean that the bars will be wrenched from my hand, and down will come baby, slurpee, all. Emergency one-handed braking (avoiding extra commas perhaps) is done with a rear brake.
TWO: I like to do wheelies and manuals. A finger on the rear brake can save me from looping out.
THREE: I live in Seattle. Shit gets wet. I'll take the decreased stopping power of only a single rear brake over the prospect of trying to slow down on a wet and mossy Deadman's Curve with only a front brake.
SOI is right; front brakes are preferred. More stopping power and minimal skidding. If you're riding one-handed (with a slurpee for example), it's not like you'll be hauling ass and unprepared to stop -- front brake should be sufficient.
Also, when mountainbiking, reliance on front-braking (with slight pressure on back brakes) is almost universally preferred. Back-braking causes skidding and therefore ruins dirt trails. Also throws up a lot of dust.
if this thread is testament to anything, it's that there really isn't a right or wrong...notice I made sure to say "I" need a rear brake. I leave it open in my logical space that you'd roll a freewheel and a front brake only, even though I think that crazed.
A rear wheel skid is still semi-controllable. Sometimes.
On Deadman's Curve? You're gonna overcook Deadman's Curve on a wet day, and grab a handful of front brake? Bro. Deadman's Curve!
Mountainbiking: I grab all sorts of brake. I wish I had a third sometimes.
This dude's talking about a bike with a freewheel, I think. I'm not sure I've ever seen a coast-able bike with only a front brake. People ride that? That's craze. I made sure to preface my One Brake Reasoning with an understanding that with two brakes, the front does the majority of the work, but if I only get one brake, I want a rear (with a direct drive, I'd be considering the rider's legs as a brake).
On my mountainbike, if I got to the top and had to ditch a brake, I'm keeping the rear. And I'm going to have way more fun.
mitigating_factor: today is Day 128 of pins in my wrist/no bikes ahahaha
Good looking on the advice. Damn I always thought a front brake is scary as fuck to slam on. I usually slow down as much as possible with the rear before engaging the front. I guess if you learn to put your weight back behind the seat instinctively it would be ok, but in a true emergency situation it seems like it might be easier said than done.
Yeah piecing together a bike seems kind of a pain but it shouldn't be too bad hopefully since I am going the single speed route.
I am probably gonna get a a flip-flop hub so I can mess around with fixed a little but the main goal is freewheel single-speed.
This dude's talking about a bike with a freewheel, I think. I'm not sure I've ever seen a coast-able bike with only a front brake. People ride that? That's craze.
Yeah, people generally freak out about my set-up being sketchy, but I've been riding a track bike with freewheel and front brake only, in the city, for over 12 years - including a good 4 as a bike courier bombing lights and traffic 8 hours a day - and only flipped over the bars once. ever. ... while riding one-handed and some chick blew a stop sign 10 feet in front of me. I'm not saying it's "as safe" as two brakes, but I will definitely say that if it comes down to only rear or only front, you have to go front. And that front brake only on a freewheel is nowhere near as sketchy as everyone wants to think, if you know how to ride and get used to it. I can't ride anywhere as well as I did 10 years ago as a messenger, but I used to be able to do some sick skid-stops on my front wheel, frame up at like 45 degrees with me almost upright over the back tire. ah, youth.
This dude's talking about a bike with a freewheel, I think. I'm not sure I've ever seen a coast-able bike with only a front brake. People ride that? That's craze.
Yeah, people generally freak out about my set-up being sketchy, but I've been riding a track bike with freewheel and front brake only, in the city, for over 12 years - including a good 4 as a bike courier bombing lights and traffic 8 hours a day - and only flipped over the bars once. ever. ... while riding one-handed and some chick blew a stop sign 10 feet in front of me. I'm not saying it's "as safe" as two brakes, but I will definitely say that if it comes down to only rear or only front, you have to go front. And that front brake only on a freewheel is nowhere near as sketchy as everyone wants to think, if you know how to ride and get used to it. I can't ride anywhere as well as I did 10 years ago as a messenger, but I used to be able to do some sick skid-stops on my front wheel, frame up at like 45 degrees with me almost upright over the back tire. ah, youth.
Yeah, this is not an unusual set up at all. I was an NYC messenger for 7 years with this and never went over the bars.
I think that generally if your riding a single speed then two breaks is preferred. Fixed gear your only running a front break as your legs are your back brake, Or no break at all but im not ready for that yet.
After my bro went over his bmx handle bars back in the day after our dad helpfully tuned them up for him and didn't tell him. I am painfully aware of not using excess front brake and trying to slow down by backwards pressure the pedals.
At the end of the day its what works for you and your ride.
On Deadman's Curve? You're gonna overcook Deadman's Curve on a wet day, and grab a handful of front brake? Bro. Deadman's Curve!
this had me cracking up. A+
dukeofdelridge said:
mitigating_factor: today is Day 128 of pins in my wrist/no bikes ahahaha
i was waiting for piece to come in somewhere.
it made sense to me that you preferred a back only in your explanation. i'd prolly still use the front simply because im more comfortable with it now having rode w/ a front for so long. and as mentioned, a little lean back helps keep you from supermanning over your handlebars.
OK, well all this talk has got me considering riding fixed with a front brake only.
How do you get rid of cable guides on a frame? If I can't get rid of them before I get the frame powder coated then I might as well keep the back brake.
OK, well all this talk has got me considering riding fixed with a front brake only.
How do you get rid of cable guides on a frame? If I can't get rid of them before I get the frame powder coated then I might as well keep the back brake.
you would have to get them sawed and sanded down but make sure they dont leave holes into the top tube or something.
maybe someone else can chime in with more specific info. post a picture of them maybe? give us a better idea of how they look etc.
i had those water bottle rack things attached to an old frame i had and i wanted to get rid of them, but they would leave a hole in the frame if you just cut them off, so i was stuck with them unless i wanted to do a little more extensive work-shopping on them.
OK, well all this talk has got me considering riding fixed with a front brake only.
How do you get rid of cable guides on a frame? If I can't get rid of them before I get the frame powder coated then I might as well keep the back brake.
If you are going to repaint the frame, just take a sharp chisel and give them a quick whack. Make sure you lay the chisel as flush to the frame as possible to not cause a dent. Any remaining solder can be filed down. Not too tough of a job. Good luck!
Nice frame, all lugged steel, you will be happy with it, but i would for sure put on a rear brake because if you remove the braze ons you will still have the cantilever brake mounts on the back of the frame sticking up which will ruin that fakeafixie look. This is a touring frame and can probably accommodate bigger tires.
If I were you I would get a decent set of used cantilever brakes, wheel set and a set of cyclocross tires (probably cheaper to get these from a local shop or craigslist than ebay) and build it up as a do anything commuter. The relaxed frame geometry will lend itself well to racks (i prefer a big front rack over rear racks or panniers, they are a pretty big pain) and cruising even on gravel/fireroads.
If you post a closeup of the sprocket/crank I could tell you if you will need a new crankset or not to run singlespeed.
Nice frame, all lugged steel, you will be happy with it, but i would for sure put on a rear brake because if you remove the braze ons you will still have the cantilever brake mounts on the back of the frame sticking up which will ruin that fakeafixie look. This is a touring frame and can probably accommodate bigger tires.
If I were you I would get a decent set of used cantilever brakes, wheel set and a set of cyclocross tires (probably cheaper to get these from a local shop or craigslist than ebay) and build it up as a do anything commuter. The relaxed frame geometry will lend itself well to racks (i prefer a big front rack over rear racks or panniers, they are a pretty big pain) and cruising even on gravel/fireroads.
If you post a closeup of the sprocket/crank I could tell you if you will need a new crankset or not to run singlespeed.
Good luck.
Thanks for the advice.
Yeah, I forgot that the brake mounts. I'm not exactly sure what I am going to do with it.
My original idea was to go with the Fuji headbadge theme and make an all Japanese parts bike. Dark Plum color powdercoated frame, moving parts silver, everything else blacked out.
The cranks and pedals currently on the bike are going to have to go they are pretty junked up. I do have a seat post that should work.
are there any tricks or ways to have brakes and still keep the lines on the bike clean?
As stated before an internal routing frame is one option (agreed on the high maintenance tip). I was thinking about using black zip ties on my frame for my cables. Coaster brakes are very fun, I think I am going to build my next bike around this part. Most of my friends that rock both brakes do so because they are beasts when it comes to doing wheelies (back brake is very helpful).
still broken, but I still go watch the dudes jump. Had a pretty big double birthday jumping jam out in the woods about a month ago with a lot of dudes jumping. I had my digi elph and made another epic:
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/15926476" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe>
these dudes get up and walk around after packing on a 20 foot hip...
INJURY UPDATE:
My scaphoid is still dead. CT scan from three weeks ago looks like the CT scan from ten weeks ago. No change. I am trying to jumpstart bone growth (ayo) by any means necessary: piles of supplements, I'm going in and out of ice/hot water all day, and I'm using an ultrasonic bone stimulator. Embracing quackery, but I don't want to look back on all this and think, "I wish I would've tried that..."
if you like bikes and good music check out this film that uses my old band's music. It's premiering with the Bike Film Festival http://www.bicyclefilmfestival.com/
Comments
this is really slick looking. i like it a lot.
i rock jsut a front brake on my daily commuter, so it keep it pretty clean looking still imo. I imagine you could really measure out the cable length so there isnt any unecessary extra cable and get a housing in a color that matches your frame as much as possible.
im sure some other folks who are more in the know can chime in with some better ideas though too.
I'm not sure if there are coaster brakes that look any different than they used to, but you could probably paint it the same color as your frame and make it seem smaller.
Some frames have internal cable routing. That's a nice pain in the ass that'll never go away.
Aesthetically, I understand the "simple is beautiful" thing with fixed gear bikes, but the frames some people choose are far more vomit-inducing than a cable would be: the 70s Peugeot's are the ones that kill me around Seattle. Long wheelbases, and those god damn forks that turn chrome halfway down and bend like three inches? Killing me!
I like any bike that the owner likes, but I can't always see them being good for me. Last page, bandagekills with this one:
You could take off the front brake for your simplicity needs, and it would still be acceptable to me because it could rail turns and bomb hills. But you're probably wanting to get rid of the back brake, because of all that pesky brake cabling, and now I'm afraid to bomb hills or rail turns on it.
there could be some weird internal drum coaster brakes out there...
the bmx street kids all ride brakeless, by the way. freewheel and all...sometimes freecoaster and all...insane.
that one.
I have a frame, a fork, a seatpost, a stem, and some handlebars. I also have the stuff between the frame and fork (headset?).
I guess I need: a seat, pedals, wheels, tires, hubs, skewers for the wheels, and single speed gear/cranks.
*oh yeah, and at least rear brake and lever
Anything I'm missing? Shit's complicated.
i forgot to ask if you were riding free wheel or fixie. if your not riding fixed, keep both brakes. if you have a fixed, you only need 1, i prefer the front brake, but the front brake is where you can stop the quickest due to weight trasnfering downard force to the street.
internal brake lines always struck me as a huge pain in the ass to replace/repair.
as duke mentioned, coaster allows you to do all sorts of fun shit.
like MOB hills and RAIL corners!
sounds like you're at the point when you realize piecing a bike together can be more trouble than it's worth (provided you don't already have bins of parts laying around)... good luck.
you just need to learn how to stop on just a front brake (aka keep your weight back)
but the rear brake is nearly useless compared to the stopping power of the front brake.
I gets DOWN with mines bro! I'm 2 the Xtreem. If I only get one brake, it's a back brake.
REASONS (while understanding the physics that prove a front brake, in a straight line, is superior):
ONE: I ride one-handed sometimes. Holding Slurpees, beers, whatever. With one hand on the bars, front braking is too hard. Those same laws of physics that explain why, for example, motorcycles have double-rotor megabrakes up front, and barely anything out back, mean that the bars will be wrenched from my hand, and down will come baby, slurpee, all. Emergency one-handed braking (avoiding extra commas perhaps) is done with a rear brake.
TWO: I like to do wheelies and manuals. A finger on the rear brake can save me from looping out.
THREE: I live in Seattle. Shit gets wet. I'll take the decreased stopping power of only a single rear brake over the prospect of trying to slow down on a wet and mossy Deadman's Curve with only a front brake.
If I only get one brake, it's a rear.
Also, when mountainbiking, reliance on front-braking (with slight pressure on back brakes) is almost universally preferred. Back-braking causes skidding and therefore ruins dirt trails. Also throws up a lot of dust.
A rear wheel skid is still semi-controllable. Sometimes.
On Deadman's Curve? You're gonna overcook Deadman's Curve on a wet day, and grab a handful of front brake? Bro. Deadman's Curve!
Mountainbiking: I grab all sorts of brake. I wish I had a third sometimes.
This dude's talking about a bike with a freewheel, I think. I'm not sure I've ever seen a coast-able bike with only a front brake. People ride that? That's craze. I made sure to preface my One Brake Reasoning with an understanding that with two brakes, the front does the majority of the work, but if I only get one brake, I want a rear (with a direct drive, I'd be considering the rider's legs as a brake).
On my mountainbike, if I got to the top and had to ditch a brake, I'm keeping the rear. And I'm going to have way more fun.
mitigating_factor: today is Day 128 of pins in my wrist/no bikes ahahaha
Yeah piecing together a bike seems kind of a pain but it shouldn't be too bad hopefully since I am going the single speed route.
I am probably gonna get a a flip-flop hub so I can mess around with fixed a little but the main goal is freewheel single-speed.
Yeah, people generally freak out about my set-up being sketchy, but I've been riding a track bike with freewheel and front brake only, in the city, for over 12 years - including a good 4 as a bike courier bombing lights and traffic 8 hours a day - and only flipped over the bars once. ever. ... while riding one-handed and some chick blew a stop sign 10 feet in front of me. I'm not saying it's "as safe" as two brakes, but I will definitely say that if it comes down to only rear or only front, you have to go front. And that front brake only on a freewheel is nowhere near as sketchy as everyone wants to think, if you know how to ride and get used to it. I can't ride anywhere as well as I did 10 years ago as a messenger, but I used to be able to do some sick skid-stops on my front wheel, frame up at like 45 degrees with me almost upright over the back tire. ah, youth.
Yeah, this is not an unusual set up at all. I was an NYC messenger for 7 years with this and never went over the bars.
After my bro went over his bmx handle bars back in the day after our dad helpfully tuned them up for him and didn't tell him. I am painfully aware of not using excess front brake and trying to slow down by backwards pressure the pedals.
At the end of the day its what works for you and your ride.
this had me cracking up. A+
i was waiting for piece to come in somewhere.
it made sense to me that you preferred a back only in your explanation. i'd prolly still use the front simply because im more comfortable with it now having rode w/ a front for so long. and as mentioned, a little lean back helps keep you from supermanning over your handlebars.
How do you get rid of cable guides on a frame? If I can't get rid of them before I get the frame powder coated then I might as well keep the back brake.
you would have to get them sawed and sanded down but make sure they dont leave holes into the top tube or something.
maybe someone else can chime in with more specific info. post a picture of them maybe? give us a better idea of how they look etc.
i had those water bottle rack things attached to an old frame i had and i wanted to get rid of them, but they would leave a hole in the frame if you just cut them off, so i was stuck with them unless i wanted to do a little more extensive work-shopping on them.
If you are going to repaint the frame, just take a sharp chisel and give them a quick whack. Make sure you lay the chisel as flush to the frame as possible to not cause a dent. Any remaining solder can be filed down. Not too tough of a job. Good luck!
Nice frame, all lugged steel, you will be happy with it, but i would for sure put on a rear brake because if you remove the braze ons you will still have the cantilever brake mounts on the back of the frame sticking up which will ruin that fakeafixie look. This is a touring frame and can probably accommodate bigger tires.
If I were you I would get a decent set of used cantilever brakes, wheel set and a set of cyclocross tires (probably cheaper to get these from a local shop or craigslist than ebay) and build it up as a do anything commuter. The relaxed frame geometry will lend itself well to racks (i prefer a big front rack over rear racks or panniers, they are a pretty big pain) and cruising even on gravel/fireroads.
If you post a closeup of the sprocket/crank I could tell you if you will need a new crankset or not to run singlespeed.
Good luck.
Thanks for the advice.
Yeah, I forgot that the brake mounts. I'm not exactly sure what I am going to do with it.
My original idea was to go with the Fuji headbadge theme and make an all Japanese parts bike. Dark Plum color powdercoated frame, moving parts silver, everything else blacked out.
The cranks and pedals currently on the bike are going to have to go they are pretty junked up. I do have a seat post that should work.
As stated before an internal routing frame is one option (agreed on the high maintenance tip). I was thinking about using black zip ties on my frame for my cables. Coaster brakes are very fun, I think I am going to build my next bike around this part. Most of my friends that rock both brakes do so because they are beasts when it comes to doing wheelies (back brake is very helpful).
http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/sturmey-archer-shows-2-speed-kickback-hub-with-coaster-brake/
Oh and new grips.
and to keep it record related:
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/15926476" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0"></iframe>
birsday freakout at the trails from a man on Vimeo.
final crash with real camera:
<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/16002340" width="400" height="226" frameborder="0"></iframe>
JBVO Trail Crash from Mike Hammond on Vimeo.
these dudes get up and walk around after packing on a 20 foot hip...
INJURY UPDATE:
My scaphoid is still dead. CT scan from three weeks ago looks like the CT scan from ten weeks ago. No change. I am trying to jumpstart bone growth (ayo) by any means necessary: piles of supplements, I'm going in and out of ice/hot water all day, and I'm using an ultrasonic bone stimulator. Embracing quackery, but I don't want to look back on all this and think, "I wish I would've tried that..."
Friday will be six months.
/bish