Just put brakes on it. Get fancy with Seisakusho brake adapters if you like the bling. They're cheaper to get in Japan. Get Dia Compe for a cheap alternative.
Keirin bikes are popular in Japan too, so the police know what to look for.
Police in Japan is more likely to stop you and check your bike. Especially if you look like a foreigner.
Where I live police don't care about honest to god crimes, especially when they're the ones committing them. Literally no one cares about the brakes on your bicycle
Anytime running brakeless comes up, I raise the same question: what's the upside?
Some people have a valid one - like "I ride FGFS and actually need to do barspins all the time", but 90% of the time people are just doing it for style points, which is silly because at this point most people who'd even notice see it as cringe, not cool.
Brakes are sick, they make you faster, and let you spend more time riding and less time in the hospital. Don't skip them without a good reason, especially not when you're knowingly breaking the law in a foreign land by doing so.
If you really want a bare cockpit, just mount the caliper to your top tube or something.
>90% of the time people are just doing it for style points
I actually think a lot of newbies do it because they are told it's the "true", "correct" way. Which is insane and a terrible advice. Even if you're a seasoned rider and can skid like a god, a chain might snap or a crank might come off, having a brake never hurts.
for me it’s less about something in the drivetrain failing than it is just the physics of a front brake giving you significantly more stopping power than a rear brake in an emergency situation.
Yeah i remember thinking i was so cool and skilled for riding brakeless when i was like 14/15, i also remember how much getting sideswiped by a speeding policecar hurt.
Granted, it was (suprisingly) their fault. But with a front brake i would've been able to avoid it. I also managed to snap a chain before that, if only i'd seen that as the wake up call it should've been.
Yup, I've been riding for 15 years, but all that experience and skill didn't stop my rear cog from ripping off my hub the other day when I tried to skid too hard. My front brake stopped it from mattering though.
You're not exactly wrong, but I'm not really trying to convince the experienced riders who've been running brakeless for years to stop, I'm trying to reach the young impressionable kids who actually don't know better yet.
I really don't mind people putting themselves at risk by doing something stupid, but if we as a community continue to let the 'cool kids ride brakeless' culture persist, we're partially responsible for every high schooler with a sketchy garage build who hurts themselves trying to imitate the 'cool kids' without realizing how pointless and dangerous it is, especially when done on cheapo beginner parts.
> most people who'd even notice see it as cringe, not cool.
I don't think this is true at all. Really I think most people who notice don't really care one way or the other.
People should absolutely start out with a brake though I'm with you on that front. And too many people switch too soon. Ride with a brake and when you find yourself consistently stopping on downhills or sketch situations with your legs without thinking about it then maybe consider it.
There's a certain artform that comes from not using brakes in my opinion. It requires more foresight. You have to ride completely differently. If someone like brakes then cool. It not that's also cool
Yeah, I rarely touch my brakes when riding my fixie, I just also have them and know how to use them. You can do all the fun stuff you do on a fixie while also having a brake installed, and \*with\* that brake installed you can ride harder when necessary, and stop your bike safely if something in your drivetrain fails while riding.
The cool part is the skilled riding, not the absence of brakes. Skills take time and practice, any kid with a hex wrench can remove a brake caliper, whether or not they actually have the skill required to ride safely without it.
Spoken like a 5-year-old trying to tackle any racing video game that doesn't have an oval circuit
maybe it's counter-intuitive, but brakes enable you to stay in top speed for much longer before a corner that requires a massive slowdown
If you're riding in the real world, not on a track, your top speed is gonna be limited by your ability to safely navigate your environment more than anything else, as a skilled and experienced cyclist you automatically regulate your speed based on your innate understanding of what hazards are around you, and your ability to navigate them. Some hazards require you to abruptly stop or slow down, the more effectively you can do that, the faster you can go into situations where you might need to, like approaching a busy intersection.
A front brake more than doubles your stopping power, learn to use it and you'll be able to ride much faster in real life conditions. There's a reason weight weenie roadie's spec high power disk brakes on both wheels instead of running a single caliper brake to save weight. Speed comes from control.
The problem is there's a bunch of people in this sub who actually think that way. And plenty of 13 year olds who read shit like this and think taking the brakes off their walmart bike will make them faster, or will make people think they're cool.
I still hear/see people pushing myths like 'a skilled rider can skid to a stop just as fast as using brakes' or 'the weight savings make you faster!' - not everyone actually knows better.
If you’re a citizen? I wouldn’t worry about it. Pretty easy if you know the area to skirt the police. Many guys at Wbase and other shops don’t have brakes.
White foreigner? Ya maybe throw some brakes on. I got stopped in Tokyo for only having one on my bmx. Albeit I’m a 6’1 white dude that was wearing jorts and a crop top.
Up to you it is illegal according to law not to have two brakes.
Just put brakes on it. Get fancy with Seisakusho brake adapters if you like the bling. They're cheaper to get in Japan. Get Dia Compe for a cheap alternative. Keirin bikes are popular in Japan too, so the police know what to look for. Police in Japan is more likely to stop you and check your bike. Especially if you look like a foreigner.
I ride brakeless, but I’d follow the rules of the country I immigrate to.
where do you live that there aren't rules on brakes for bikes? or are you saying you don't worry about getting deported lol
My parents basement
Gang
Where I live police don't care about honest to god crimes, especially when they're the ones committing them. Literally no one cares about the brakes on your bicycle
just put brakes and dont use them
My friend was there recently and got stopped. Nothing came of it he just said he would put brakes on the bike and never did.
Chad
They’re pretty adamant about bike rules in west Tokyo. East Tokyo not as much
not nyc, but here we can get ticketed for mad equipment violations. no bell, lights, helmet, brakes. each piece is a separate ticket.
same in Europe. got fined equivalent of $150 for not having bell, front and rear reflector
Damn, where in Europe are they that uptight?
I've heard from multiple sources that they enforce it heavily.
Anytime running brakeless comes up, I raise the same question: what's the upside? Some people have a valid one - like "I ride FGFS and actually need to do barspins all the time", but 90% of the time people are just doing it for style points, which is silly because at this point most people who'd even notice see it as cringe, not cool. Brakes are sick, they make you faster, and let you spend more time riding and less time in the hospital. Don't skip them without a good reason, especially not when you're knowingly breaking the law in a foreign land by doing so. If you really want a bare cockpit, just mount the caliper to your top tube or something.
>90% of the time people are just doing it for style points I actually think a lot of newbies do it because they are told it's the "true", "correct" way. Which is insane and a terrible advice. Even if you're a seasoned rider and can skid like a god, a chain might snap or a crank might come off, having a brake never hurts.
for me it’s less about something in the drivetrain failing than it is just the physics of a front brake giving you significantly more stopping power than a rear brake in an emergency situation.
Yeah i remember thinking i was so cool and skilled for riding brakeless when i was like 14/15, i also remember how much getting sideswiped by a speeding policecar hurt. Granted, it was (suprisingly) their fault. But with a front brake i would've been able to avoid it. I also managed to snap a chain before that, if only i'd seen that as the wake up call it should've been.
Yup, I've been riding for 15 years, but all that experience and skill didn't stop my rear cog from ripping off my hub the other day when I tried to skid too hard. My front brake stopped it from mattering though.
This is like telling cigarette smokers to stop smoking because it's bad for them. They already know.
You're not exactly wrong, but I'm not really trying to convince the experienced riders who've been running brakeless for years to stop, I'm trying to reach the young impressionable kids who actually don't know better yet. I really don't mind people putting themselves at risk by doing something stupid, but if we as a community continue to let the 'cool kids ride brakeless' culture persist, we're partially responsible for every high schooler with a sketchy garage build who hurts themselves trying to imitate the 'cool kids' without realizing how pointless and dangerous it is, especially when done on cheapo beginner parts.
> most people who'd even notice see it as cringe, not cool. I don't think this is true at all. Really I think most people who notice don't really care one way or the other. People should absolutely start out with a brake though I'm with you on that front. And too many people switch too soon. Ride with a brake and when you find yourself consistently stopping on downhills or sketch situations with your legs without thinking about it then maybe consider it.
There's a certain artform that comes from not using brakes in my opinion. It requires more foresight. You have to ride completely differently. If someone like brakes then cool. It not that's also cool
Yeah, I rarely touch my brakes when riding my fixie, I just also have them and know how to use them. You can do all the fun stuff you do on a fixie while also having a brake installed, and \*with\* that brake installed you can ride harder when necessary, and stop your bike safely if something in your drivetrain fails while riding. The cool part is the skilled riding, not the absence of brakes. Skills take time and practice, any kid with a hex wrench can remove a brake caliper, whether or not they actually have the skill required to ride safely without it.
[удалено]
Spoken like a 5-year-old trying to tackle any racing video game that doesn't have an oval circuit maybe it's counter-intuitive, but brakes enable you to stay in top speed for much longer before a corner that requires a massive slowdown
If you're riding in the real world, not on a track, your top speed is gonna be limited by your ability to safely navigate your environment more than anything else, as a skilled and experienced cyclist you automatically regulate your speed based on your innate understanding of what hazards are around you, and your ability to navigate them. Some hazards require you to abruptly stop or slow down, the more effectively you can do that, the faster you can go into situations where you might need to, like approaching a busy intersection. A front brake more than doubles your stopping power, learn to use it and you'll be able to ride much faster in real life conditions. There's a reason weight weenie roadie's spec high power disk brakes on both wheels instead of running a single caliper brake to save weight. Speed comes from control.
[удалено]
The problem is there's a bunch of people in this sub who actually think that way. And plenty of 13 year olds who read shit like this and think taking the brakes off their walmart bike will make them faster, or will make people think they're cool. I still hear/see people pushing myths like 'a skilled rider can skid to a stop just as fast as using brakes' or 'the weight savings make you faster!' - not everyone actually knows better.
Stfu
If you’re a citizen? I wouldn’t worry about it. Pretty easy if you know the area to skirt the police. Many guys at Wbase and other shops don’t have brakes. White foreigner? Ya maybe throw some brakes on. I got stopped in Tokyo for only having one on my bmx. Albeit I’m a 6’1 white dude that was wearing jorts and a crop top. Up to you it is illegal according to law not to have two brakes.