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Firstly there is brakes on that bike depicted in the video front and back, secondly a fixed gear bike could be any ratio you want. It doesn't have to be geared for going fast.
The only issue here is no brakes, using a bike with no brakes for everyday use is just plain stupid.
The video is intended for those that don't know what a fixed gear bike is. I'm not referring specifically to that bike. I assumed people outside of Portland or Seattle knew what a Fixie is, but apparently a lot of people don't know about this popular trend in inner city bike culture.
So hear is the deal
People make custom bikes out of older style 10 speeds called fixies. They have a fixed gear does not allow a bike to coast, and they typically have NO BREAKS. The cranks on these bikes are always in motion providing the rear wheel is spinning like a unicycle. You can purchase a commercially made fixie with hand breaks like the one in the video, but due to the laws of physics these bikes do not stop easily. The momentum of the rear gear overpowers the breaks at moderate speeds, which severely effects your ability to stop unless you hammer the font break, which will cause you to wreck.
here is a better video that is more specific to the actual bikes I'm talking about for those that are unfamiliar with them.
Who in his right mind would ride a bike with no brakes, where he might expect traffic?
If a car or pedestrian pops up in front of them, how do they stop???
If you know how to ride one of those bikes, it is actually pretty easy to ride it in traffic. I know a number of guys who have full control over their bikes as if it is an extension of themselves.
How do you stop on a bike with brakes if a pedestrian or car pops up in front of you? People on fixed gear bikes also use their brakes, but the brakes on a fixed gear are different than the brakes on a regular free wheel bike.
If I am not mistaken, motorcycles have a much different brake system from a bicycle.
I ride both. Barring a few over-engineered linked systems (looking at you, Honda), motorcycle brakes are just dimensioned to deal with the much larger forces - the rear-to-front load shift happens for both.
Leave them be. If they are breaking the law they should be ticketed for that. The fact that YOU don't like something doesn't mean they should be banned.
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