I have a buddy who is planning on putting a freewheel on his next build. He told me last night that he only wants to run a front brake. I, obviously, told him this was idiotic and completely unsafe. He is convinced that it is perfectly fine and he will be safe and have plenty of stopping power.
I obviously read him the riot act about how he will have plenty of stopping power but will have no stability upon needing to brake hard. Thus, he will only be able to cruise around at about 10mph to avoid “oh shit” moments. He was unphased.
I asked him why he only wanted a front brake and he said “Because it looks cleaner and I don’t want to have to hassle with a rear brake”. Obviously, I laughed in his face and was not convinced these were valid reasons to risk his life on a bicycle.
SO, my question is: How the hell do I convince this friend of mine that when running a freewheel it is very important to have both front and rear brakes?
and please, don’t just say “let him run just a front brake and find out how much of a dumbass he is” because I really want to help him. He’s a good friend and just very confused.
lol, I’ll do that.
But I’m right, right? When running a freewheel the rear brake is not necessarily a “backup brake” but rather just as important as the front brake… right?
Most people use a combination of both, with most pressure on the front. In adverse weather, you want to use mostly rear. You don’t want to skid your front tire, ever.
After fraying a cable, I ran a front brake only on my geared for less than a week. I was terrified the cable would slip, or break, or something.
I wouldn’t say as important, but pretty damn important.
If he’s gonna be riding drops, you could describe to him the ecstasy that will be his when he has the hand position that only two hoods can provide AND the virtues of actually having the other lever do something significant.
[quote=“Petr5”]Most people use a combination of both, with most pressure on the front. In adverse weather, you want to use mostly rear. You don’t want to skid your front tire, ever.
After fraying a cable, I ran a front brake only on my geared for less than a week. I was terrified the cable would slip, or break, or something.
I wouldn’t say as important, but pretty damn important.
edit2: This article is also half of what convinced me to run a brake on my fixed as well.[/quote]
Thanks for the educated and thought out response. You’re the best. I will show him sheldon. I don’t know why I never thought to do that.
Ummm, ok? That defeats the purpose of him wanting to build up a single speed with a freewheel. He also rides fixed though.
i always ride with two braking systems, one on each wheel: fg + front hand brake, coaster brake + front hand brake, freewheel + both hand brakes. i think safe is sexy. and i’d always suggest that people do likewise.
however, plenty of people ride around with one brake, esp. brakeless fg and coaster brake with no handbrake and, i guess, that’s their decision. one hand brake seems to me to be safer than either of those previously mentioned one brake systems: i’ve personally never seen a handbrake fail catastrophically, has anyone?
anyway, i think you’ve told your friend how you feel about it, maybe just let it drop. and occasionally take a look to check on brakepad wear and cable stretch.
ps i disagree with your statements about it being “completely unsafe” and your assertion that he “will have no stability upon needing to brake hard.”
[EDIT] minneapolis huh? i guess with snow a rear does become a lot more important…
I was about to call your buddy short-sighted for thinking that was cool, then I went on a bike ride… And realized that I only have a front brake on my road bike too. Never had any problems though… But still, what a hypocrite I was about to be.
My girlfriend rides singlespeed with a front brake. If you’re bombing hills and riding in heavy rain I’d suggest a rear brake too, but if you ride casually it’s not the biggest deal.
I saw someone with riding singlespeed with the rear caliper on the inside of the rear brake bridge (seat post side) and I could only assume it was because it looked a little cleaner. Maybe that would work for him?
I don’t think a rear brake is necessary for casual riding, plenty of people ride with just a front. I hardly touch mine on my geared bike, and the only time I do is in wet conditions or down hills where I want to give my front a break from the heat.
However, I think it’s good to have both just to be safe.
The front gives the majority of the stopping power. It may be the sheldon article that says that maximum braking occurs at the point at which the rear wheel just begins to lift off the ground. At that point, the rear brake has no effect. Ask josh to explain how some guy rigged both brakes together and had a mechanism that adjusted the braking force on each wheel according to how much the rear wheel was skidding.
For cruising, it shouldn’t matter a whole lot. Lots of people do it. But those people are generally stupid and not too experienced with bikes. I would never feel comfortable on a freewheel with just a front. The rear adds to the range of modulation available and provides more powerful braking while keeping both wheels on the ground. I’m going to get all elitist and say that the majority of people who only run a front on their SS fall into one of the following groups:
-ride too slow to notice the lack of a rear
-have never ridden a bike with two well-functioning brakes
-have not bothered to learn how to properly use two brakes in conjunction
I ran a front only for a while on a single speed bike, but I’m rebuilding that one right now and it’s going to have both brakes. There were always places where I felt a little too exposed on my rides - coming to a “T” in the road with a stop sign at the bottom of a hill, for instance. I just didn’t like the feeling where if something slips, that’s all I have. Plus, that frame will look a lot better with rear brakes than with bare canti studs sticking out.
You are way overestimating the importance of a rear brake on a SS. A front brake only will work fine, as long as the brake is kept in good working order. Its not as good as two brakes, but its better than only having a rear brake (like BMX racing bikes or beach cruisers) and its way better than a brakeless FG. Nobody’s worried about people riding brakeless FG and coaster brake only setups, so whats the big deal with a front brake only?