fixies

in Amsterdam, a city with over 700 000 bicycles, and where over 50% of all traffic is by bike, the new fad is fixies, or fixed-gear bikes. the bikes are urban versions of those used in the velodrome, with minimalistic design and superthin wheels. another, and more characteristic, feature with these badboys is that they have no breaks! they are so-called fixed-gear bikes, which means that whenever the bike is in motion, the pedals will go around. so the only way to slow the bike down is to try to slow down the pedals.

because of the kinda obvious dangers with breakless biking in the traffic, Dutch police has suggested to forbid the bikes. the riders themselves, on the other side, are opposing the ban, and as I read on some websites “brakes are not needed for safety, if you know how to control your bike, slow and stop” and “your legs are your breaks”. good luck with that.

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