7 ms·

My bike doesn't have a front brake. Rear pedal brake is the way to go! It allows you to carry things with your hands and do other things while you bike (not sa

My bike doesn't have a front brake. Rear pedal brake is the way to go! It allows you to carry things with your hands and do other things while you bike (not safe, don't do it! haha). In emergencies you can literally stand on it, make an epic slide and save yourself while looking seriously cool. It also doesn't break or screw up as easily as hand brakes, which is quite important if you use your bike in a city.

resoluteteeth 4y ago
Even if you like coaster brakes it's better to also have a front brake for the reasons described in the article as well as generally having redundancy and being able to brake if your feet slip off the pedals in wet conditions.
- codeptualize 4y ago
  For sports you indeed probably want the better breaking power and redundancy, but for everyday city use your hand brakes are way more likely to break than the pedal one, they can go years without maintenance as they are not exposed to the conditions. Speeds are also generally not that high so even if you screw up (which rarely happens, even in icy conditions), you can recover just fine.
ro212 4y ago
If the chain breaks or comes off the crank you no longer have any breaks. That is a serious deficiency. I have had the chain come off on several occasions, and it can be common on a badly tuned bike. Hand breaks all the way.
- codeptualize 4y ago
  Never happened to me, but every bike I had with hand brakes broke very quickly. The brakes deteriorate because the brake lines get caught in other bikes when you put it in a bike rack, and water/ice screws everything up. Usually after a while you are left with one break that takes a crazy amount of effort to engage. Sure if you want to use a bike for sport it makes sense to have hand brakes, but for everyday city use, simple is better. A single speed bike with pedal brake is almost indestructible as all the moving parts are usually fully covered. It can go years without any maintenance.

resoluteteeth 4y ago

Even if you like coaster brakes it's better to also have a front brake for the reasons described in the article as well as generally having redundancy and being able to brake if your feet slip off the pedals in wet conditions.

codeptualize 4y ago
For sports you indeed probably want the better breaking power and redundancy, but for everyday city use your hand brakes are way more likely to break than the pedal one, they can go years without maintenance as they are not exposed to the conditions. Speeds are also generally not that high so even if you screw up (which rarely happens, even in icy conditions), you can recover just fine.

ro212 4y ago

If the chain breaks or comes off the crank you no longer have any breaks. That is a serious deficiency. I have had the chain come off on several occasions, and it can be common on a badly tuned bike. Hand breaks all the way.

codeptualize 4y ago
Never happened to me, but every bike I had with hand brakes broke very quickly. The brakes deteriorate because the brake lines get caught in other bikes when you put it in a bike rack, and water/ice screws everything up. Usually after a while you are left with one break that takes a crazy amount of effort to engage. Sure if you want to use a bike for sport it makes sense to have hand brakes, but for everyday city use, simple is better. A single speed bike with pedal brake is almost indestructible as all the moving parts are usually fully covered. It can go years without any maintenance.