[*BCM*] Are Fixies Illegal?

Thomas John Vitolo tjvitolo at bu.edu
Sun Aug 13 06:24:49 EDT 2006


1.  The judges questions and qualifications on brakes were stupid.  What if the
brake wire broke?  What if your hand muscles were suddenly not strong enough to
squeeze?

2.  The M-W definition was a good stunt: the chain and riders' leg muscles work
to stop the tire just as a caliper and riders' hand muscles do.  Sure,
mechanical advantage and extra friction help in the latter, but it's the same
principle.

3.  Is a fixie with a hand break still a fixie?  Is this modern cyclists' new
philosophical dillema?  It sounds like Oregon isn't waging war on fixies, just
fixies lacking a handbrake.  Incidentally, how about tricycles and bigwheels? 
Does this only apply if you were riding on the road?  What about youth bikes
without handbrakes: I had a bike as a kid that had no freewheel, but it wasn't a
fixie either.  You could pedal forward or not, but pressure backwards slowed,
skidded the tires.  It too would fail the judge's test.


 - stomv

Quoting Jim Leonard <vleonard at infinet.com>:

> Note that this is in a) in oregon where the requirements are
> different
> (and absurd, being able to skid is meaningless, If I grease my tires
> I can
> get just about anything to skid) b) this person didn't have any
> "brakes"
> on the bicycle at all other than being able to stop the fixie by
> pushing
> backwards on the pedals.
> 
> Fixies, especially with one or two standard brakes, are perfectly
> legal.
> 
> -- jim
> 
> On Fri, 11 Aug 2006, Vicki Siolos wrote:
> 
> > http://bikeportland.org/2006/07/28/judge-finds-fault-with-fixies/
> >
> > I'm interested in everyone's thoughts on this. I'm going to Harris
> tomorrow to ask about
> > getting a new bike, and
> > I don't know, STILL, if it should be fixed or not. I'm very on the
> fence...but then again, I was
> > when I switched
> > from PC to Mac three years ago, and I never went back ;)
> >
> > -V
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
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> >
> > .
> >
> >
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