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AND it's a fixie?? Is that the norm for tall-bikes? We have a bunch here in Portland (Ore.) and I always figured they had breaks but never really looked closely

by Fezzik 10y ago

AND it's a fixie?? Is that the norm for tall-bikes? We have a bunch here in Portland (Ore.) and I always figured they had breaks but never really looked closely... but I see none in the video. That seems 10x as terrifying.

LeifCarrotson 10y ago
No, it's a coaster brake single speed. Back pressure on the chain engages the hub brake. You can see him coast at 2:20.
Tiktaalik 10y ago
A fixie for a tall bike makes sense because one can (presumably?) track stand to keep the bike upright while stopped. Otherwise you gotta hope there's a stop sign you can lean up against or just never stop...
- codingdave 10y ago
  Well, his technique of having a crowd of cops and fellow riders to block traffic for you seems to work for getting around without having to stop. Maybe not practical for everyday riding, though...
  - jacquesm 10y ago
    I'm amazed it works as it is, he's going pretty slow at times. All it takes is one person not noticing and it's done.
    - lostlogin 10y ago
      It's a long fall - if vertical that's about 1.7s and if he falls in an arc it would be longer. It could easily kill the person that gets hit too.
- lstyls 10y ago
  Usually what you do is keep moving and either turn right with traffic or circle around. You can also grab onto something but if you're on the street there isn't really anything within reach. A track stand is hard to pull off for very long for even experienced riders on normal fixies.
gamache 10y ago
I've seen only one fixie tallbike. It's a hard thing to pull off because even at very high chain tension, a run of chain that long has a lot of slop. This one is singlespeed (you can see him coast a few times), and I am not even sure it has a brake at all! I didn't see a coaster brake arm at the end of the video where the drivetrain is visible. (EDIT: I am wrong, there is a coaster brake.)
lstyls 10y ago
@gemache is right, they're mostly single speed. It's way too easy to have the chain slip off, and when that happens you have no choice but to bail. That happened to me before and I broke my foot. I had one and rode it for years. Single speed, no brakes. I stopped by putting my foot down on the rear tire :)
deleted 10y ago
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by Fezzik 10y ago

LeifCarrotson 10y ago

No, it's a coaster brake single speed. Back pressure on the chain engages the hub brake. You can see him coast at 2:20.

Tiktaalik 10y ago

A fixie for a tall bike makes sense because one can (presumably?) track stand to keep the bike upright while stopped. Otherwise you gotta hope there's a stop sign you can lean up against or just never stop...

codingdave 10y ago
Well, his technique of having a crowd of cops and fellow riders to block traffic for you seems to work for getting around without having to stop. Maybe not practical for everyday riding, though...
- jacquesm 10y ago
  I'm amazed it works as it is, he's going pretty slow at times. All it takes is one person not noticing and it's done.
  - lostlogin 10y ago
    It's a long fall - if vertical that's about 1.7s and if he falls in an arc it would be longer. It could easily kill the person that gets hit too.
lstyls 10y ago
Usually what you do is keep moving and either turn right with traffic or circle around. You can also grab onto something but if you're on the street there isn't really anything within reach. A track stand is hard to pull off for very long for even experienced riders on normal fixies.

gamache 10y ago

I've seen only one fixie tallbike. It's a hard thing to pull off because even at very high chain tension, a run of chain that long has a lot of slop. This one is singlespeed (you can see him coast a few times), and I am not even sure it has a brake at all! I didn't see a coaster brake arm at the end of the video where the drivetrain is visible. (EDIT: I am wrong, there is a coaster brake.)

lstyls 10y ago

@gemache is right, they're mostly single speed. It's way too easy to have the chain slip off, and when that happens you have no choice but to bail. That happened to me before and I broke my foot. I had one and rode it for years. Single speed, no brakes. I stopped by putting my foot down on the rear tire :)

deleted 10y ago

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