from Rookie’s keyboard,
Hello, friends
This morning a customer left a bike (low-end fixie model) with a request to put a rear brake on it. Naturally, I started the procedure. (I always start with the simplest tasks first).
Later, the manager told me that what I was doing was somewhat weird, but that I should proceed nonetheless because “the customer is always right”.
I understand the narrative. A fixie already has a built-in brake (when you resist the pedals the rear wheel slows down).
But when you think about it an extra rear unit can have some positives, namely:
- More Controlled Deceleration
Slowing down by locking the pedals requires a lot of energy and stresses the chain, the axle, and the cranks. Also, the technique demands a greater degree of skill that not every rider has.
Meanwhile, handbrakes make deceleration simpler and before all more controlled.
- Evenly Distributed Stress On The Rims
If you rely only on the front brake during long descents, the front rim and brake pads can overheat and wear down faster. Using a rear brake helps distribute the stress and heat, extending the lifespan of the front rim and brake pads.
- A Backup
If you are only using a front brake and the cable snaps, you will be left with no brakes except for the pedals.
In such a situation, having a rear brake would be helpful as it can still provide some braking power for the bike.
If you don’t have an emergency brake cable, you can remove the one from the rear and install it on the front brake.
The cable will be much longer than necessary, but you can coil the excess and secure it with a zip tie. Later, you can trim the cable to the correct length at home.
- Safety On Wet Roads
On slippery terrain, using only the front brake can be risky. If the front wheel skids, a fall is almost certain to happen. On the other hand, if the rear wheel skids due to wet conditions, there’s a much better chance to regain control.
- An Easy Switch to Single Speed
A fixed-gear bike enables you to stop via the pedals, but a single-speed does not. That’s why it’s advisable to have two brakes if you have a freewheel.
If the rear wheel is equipped with a flip-flop hub, it’s much safer and faster to switch to the freewheel cog if you already have a rear brake installed.
- Easier descending
On a fixed-gear bike, descents could be scary because you can’t coast, and your legs have to move along with the pedals.
If you have brakes, you can safely slow down and reduce the rotations per minute to a more comfortable number.
The Cons
And now it’s time for the downsides of my “morning adventures”:
- Additional Weight
A rear brake plus its cable and housing add a bit of weight.
The table below contains the weight of popular caliper brakes:
Model | Weight (1 unit) |
Shimano Ultegra BR-R800 | 180g |
Campagnolo Chorus Skeleton Rim | 151g |
Shimano 105 BR-R7010 | 173g |
TRP RG957 | 169g |
SRAM Force | 150g |
TRP R879 | 140g |
Dia Compe BRS202 | 188g |
XLC BR-R03 | 155g |
FSA Gossamer Pro | 165g |
Campagnolo Centaur 11 | 162.5g |
Average weight: | 163.35g |
On average, a rear brake would add 163.35 grams. When you account for the weight of the cable and housing, the final number gets to 200-250grams.
200-250 grams can seem like a lot of weight, but the average cyclist is unlikely to notice them.
- Poor Aesthetics
Some fixie lovers/purists want to preserve the super simplistic and clean look of a fixie and try to keep the gear and accessories to a minimum. Sometimes this means no brakes at all. It’s not a move that everyone approves of, but it is a trend in the fixed gear community.
Another hit on the bike’s aesthetics besides the brake itself is the housing. Unless your frame is designed to accommodate a rear brake from the get-go, chances are that it doesn’t have cable stoppers.
This scenario leaves us with two options:
- Run a cable from the brake lever all the way to the rear brake and zip-tie it to the frame. As you can guess, the fans of ultra-clean lines would cringe at this idea, but functionally it can work.
- Install clamp-on cable stoppers on the top tube and run the cable and housing through them. This approach is a little more aesthetic, but obviously, not as aesthetic as having dedicated cable stoppers on the frame.
Installation Issues
You could face the following issues during installation:
1. No Mounting Hole
If your fixie is practically a track bike, it won’t have a mounting hole for the brake. In that case….well there isn’t a solution.
2. No Cable Stoppers
Another problem could be the absence of cable stoppers on the frame. As already mentioned, there are workarounds.
Front Brakes > Rear Brakes
Never forget that front brakes are KING.
When you brake, the weight of the bike shifts forward toward the front wheel, increasing the traction of the front tire with the ground.
This extra traction allows you to apply more braking power.
Meanwhile, the weight on the rear tire is reduced, decreasing the rear wheel’s traction with the ground.
If you primarily use the rear brake, the rear tire may skid or slide due to the lack of traction.
Therefore, the rear brake isn’t as reliable as the front one. However, the rear brake is still helpful, especially when you want to slow down a bit rather than come to a complete stop.
Until next time,
Rookie
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