I Rode Through the City on a Bike with No Brakes

I Rode Through the City on a Bike with No Brakes

 

There is a huge contingent of younger people out there who ride bicycles with no brakes whatsoever, including my oldest son.  These bikes are called fixed gears or fixies upon which the pedals move whenever the bike is moving.  To slow down, you have to either resist the forward momentum of the bike and your weight with the power in your own legs, which can be hard on the knees, or, if you are more desperate, you can use the side of your foot to apply pressure to the rim on the rear tire.  It has become popular to re-build old ten speeds as fixies with wild, homemade paint jobs. Some bike manufacturers are also making new fixies that are extremely light with frame geometries modeled after track racing bikes.  My son’s fixie is one of the latter, weighing less than 20 pounds, with very skinny tires.  It is the fastest, most responsive bike I have ever ridden….and probably the scariest.  I didn’t ride very far on his bike there in hilly Pittsburgh, but I did accelerate up to top speed and powered down to a stop a couple of times without crashing.  It felt exhilarating and terribly foolish at the same time.  In my bigger days I would have never even considered trying to ride that bike.  I would have missed the experience, like so many other things in life, because I was either afraid to try new, physically challenging things or I was convinced in advance that my weight would cause a catastrophe of some kind….or both.

 

While I don’t think I will be buying or building a fixie for myself any time soon, several bicycle manufacturers also make fast, light single speed bikes with freewheels AND brakes that are more up my alley.  Something to dream about in the colder months ahead…..uh, well, I have also been thinking about commuting by bike over the winter on a single speed bike here in Minnesota.  I guess I can’t escape the fact that I am just a wee bit crazy.

 

RP

I'm probably dating myself, but your topic title sounds like an old song lyric:  I've been through the desert on a horse with no name.  Was it intentional?  Or are you just that poetic? 

I am not that poetic.  It's good to know that I am not the only one *****members that song.

RP

You missed the next, rather appropriate line -

"It felt good to get out of the rain!"

That is especially true since it rained for all 900 miles of our drive out to Pittsburgh, but the streets were dry when I rode that crazy bike.

On another note, might I just say that you look absolutely miniscule next to that pumpkin!

RP

I was thinking the exact same thing, Renee!! Great minds think alike I guess!

Have a great day!
Audrey :O)