[*BCM*] Are Fixies Illegal?

[Lee Peters]

I am sure the lawyers on this list will get typing on this issue, and soon 
drown us out but....

Does this get resolved by discussing semantics of the laws or is a safety 
study performed to prove the stopping power of a fixed gear bicycle?


My memory places a hand brake on the right rear wheel of the Big Wheel. No?



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Thomas John Vitolo" <tjvitolo at bu.edu>
To: "Boston Critical Mass" <list at bostoncriticalmass.org>
Sent: Sunday, August 13, 2006 6:24 AM
Subject: Re: [*BCM*] Are Fixies Illegal?


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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