Fixed wheel bike no brake?

[mattsccm]

Oops . 3rd crank said it first

[[XAP]Bob]

... it was new that day. ...

To satisfy my idle curiosity, where did that information come from?

I spoke to his riding partner who was about to talk to the police. It was only when a friend arrived to retrieve the bike and we noticed it was impossible to remove the wheels because of the bolts on the axles I noticed it was a fixie and the lack of a secondary brake. I wish I had made a note of the name of the bike but even a bike nut gets distracted in these situations -it incorporated the word 'fixie' on the downtube.

It is quite a steep hill and I expect that someone unused to a fixed wheel might have struggled to keep the speed down and/or panicked on meeting the van on the blind corner. I'm not wanting to apportion blame, rather interested in the legality of the brake issue given that bike shops go to great lengths to supply a bell with a new bike and that this was a brand new machine. There is a chance his riding partner will get in touch as I asked her to update me about his well being.

No secondary brake is a very different statement from the OP no brake.

As has been pointed out a fixed wheel (i.e. one which cannot rotate independently of the pedals) is considered to be a brake, since you can resist the motion of the pedals to slow down (and even lock the wheel if you are 'brave').
However if that rear wheel has a freewheel, such that the pedals can rotate independently of the wheels then you cannot 'resist the motion'. However you could have a coaster brake in the hub, which would be a legally compliant brake, but which wouldn't necessarily be obvious on first inspection.

[thirdcrank]

Re the coaster brake: once upon a time, a single coaster brake was OK in The Netherlands and may still be. If so, then a visitor from that country could legally ride such a bike from there here, as a visitor. I'm not familiar with the details and I have a vague feeling that when it's come up before, somebody may have explained that this is no longer so.

[geocycle]

Just to be clear, there were no brakes. I consider the fixed wheel to be a braking mechanisms hence use of the term secondary brake. My understanding from the discussion is that a fixed wheel bike should have an independent brake as well as the ability to moderate speed through the pedals.

[tatanab]

…….. a fixed wheel bike should have an independent [b]FRONT[/b] brake as well as the ability to moderate speed through the pedals.

Note important word inserted.

[SimonCelsa]

I know it's a Dutch site but I have seen a couple of these around;

http://robertharmsnl.webshopapp.com/en/ ... ma-in.html

Pretty sure they're not a track bike, only brake is a back pedal one in the SRAM hub,

All the best, Simon

[thirdcrank]

Just to be clear, there were no brakes. I consider the fixed wheel to be a braking mechanisms hence use of the term secondary brake. My understanding from the discussion is that a fixed wheel bike should have an independent brake as well as the ability to moderate speed through the pedals.

Not only must a fixed wheel bike have a brake, it must be on the front wheel, where it will be most effective.

For anybody who missed it, this issue was covered in some detail in the thread about the Charlie Alliston case, which is the subject of a link early in this thread posted by Pete75
viewtopic.php?p=1155053#p1155053

[tatanab]

If in any doubt, this is covered by paragraphs 7 to 9 of the Construction and Use Act 1983, which includes a section on temporary imports http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1983 ... 176_en.pdf

[Brucey]

AFAIK it is still legal to have one brake only on bikes in the Netherlands, the USA and many other countries. Machines from/for such countries are often (quite illegally) imported and used in the UK. This potentially leaves LBSs in a bind; are they expected to tell every customer with such a bike that their machine is illegal? The same is true of many fixie riders, who insist on having no brakes, just a chain (that can fall off).

BTW the NIG version of the SA hub was first built to fulfil the US market, in ~1983 I think. SA had been sued by an American company who had been stupid enough to fit an SA AW based coaster brake as the only brake on their bikes. The 'neutral' that appears between gear 2 and gear 3 on old AWs meant that there was no coaster brake either, should the gear cable go out of adjustment. They first built the NIG hub for the US market only; in coaster brake form it would work regardless of the gear cable setting.

Having suffered brake failure myself I would never ride with just a single means of braking, and for regular road use I would have two rim brakes fitted even with a fixed gear.

cheers

[djnotts]

The wording long ago was AFAIR "an independent means of retardation to each wheel". The requirement remains just that. Like Brucey, while I did for a while occasionally ride fixed with only one brake, having had one fail when on a fixed with two I never again relied on just one plus leg power!

[thirdcrank]

The wording long ago was AFAIR "an independent means of retardation to each wheel". ...

Is that for pedal cycles or Roman chariots? I'm 73 and the oldest I remember is Statutory Instrument 966 of 1954: Brakes on Pedal Cycles regs 1954.
To satisfy my curiosity and check my memory I've looked at the legislation archives. Although there are some gems eg The Non-Indigenous Rabbits (Prohibition of Importation and Keeping) Order 1954, I can't see anything about bike brakes.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1954/p?page=1
=======================================================================

I don't know if the Mr Snow here is an ancestor of the CUK president, but he didn't like window-cleaning cyclists
https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hans ... egulations

[Cyril Haearn]

Just to clarify it had no brake or did it have not have a brake on the back wheel ? If it was a fixie then the pedals are the back brake you just need a front one. Or has the law changed.

To be thread to needle, if a bike has a front brake, then fixed wheel is an exception to the need for the second brake. While that means that to all intents and purposes, fixed wheel counts as a brake, it isn't one.

Both are true, +2
My Gillott fixed has two rim brakes but I never use them
Driving too I hardly use the brakes, I take my foot off the gas early instead

[thirdcrank]

... I wish I had made a note of the name of the bike but even a bike nut gets distracted in these situations -it incorporated the word 'fixie' on the downtube. ...

I lead an increasingly sheltered life. I've just discovered there's a company called Santafixie who, perhaps unsurprisingly sell fixies. These seem to be intended for road use, but some of the pics seem to show no brakes on the bikes. A quick look at the detail of one of the bikes says "two brakes included." One of the wheelsets includes a coaster brake. I had assumed that these were only fitted to roadsters etc., but I suppose if you want the look of fixed-wheel without having to work out how to ride it, this may be just the job.
https://www.santafixie.co.uk/#
It looks like a mail order operation based in Spain. Nothing directly connecting this incident with this company, of course, but a casual inspection of the www gives the impression of bikes with no brakes being fashionable. (There must be a more fashionable word for fashionable. )

[Annoying Twit]

... I wish I had made a note of the name of the bike but even a bike nut gets distracted in these situations -it incorporated the word 'fixie' on the downtube. ...

I lead an increasingly sheltered life. I've just discovered there's a company called Santafixie who, perhaps unsurprisingly sell fixies. These seem to be intended for road use, but some of the pics seem to show no brakes on the bikes. A quick look at the detail of one of the bikes says "two brakes included." One of the wheelsets includes a coaster brake. I had assumed that these were only fitted to roadsters etc., but I suppose if you want the look of fixed-wheel without having to work out how to ride it, this may be just the job.
https://www.santafixie.co.uk/#
It looks like a mail order operation based in Spain. Nothing directly connecting this incident with this company, of course, but a casual inspection of the www gives the impression of bikes with no brakes being fashionable. (There must be a more fashionable word for fashionable. )

All of their photos, that I saw, of people riding on roads show at least a front brake. Their video of how to put a fixie together shows a front brake attached, and also shows the front brake lever being attached to the handlebars.

But, I'm not happy about their bikes being shown without brakes at all. I'm personally concerned that this is a bit nudge-nudge wink-wink with bikes being sold in the knowledge that some purchasers won't bother with the brakes.

People riding without proper brakes not only endanger themselves, they endanger others as well. And they may also create bad publicity/impressions of cyclists.

[Paul20v]

(There must be a more fashionable word for fashionable. )

Mmmm i think the word for fashionable if you want to ride a bike with no brakes on the road is Bloody Stupid !!

What is wrong with people apart from them being selfish