Originally Posted by
AlmostTrick
I've been wondering about this for a while. Fixed gear bike, going down a long steep descent, feet attached to the pedals. No brakes or not using brakes. Bike and pedals keep speeding up, eventually the riders legs are not going to be able to keep up.
It seems to me that at some point a crash will be inevitable, but how exactly will it happen? Be specific if you can.
Do you climb into barrels and roll down hills? Why no brakes? I ride with quality leather toestraps in good condition and pulled tight. Aluminum cleats with deep slots. My feet don't come out. But I am not willing to perform your test. Yes, I will ride that hill, but with brakes. (And quite likely with a cog small enough to be kind to my undercarriage.)
This is really should be a "why would you do this?" question, not "what would happen?"
Edit: if you are planning to ride hills you cannot survive without brakes, it just might be smart to have two. Brakes have failed. Rims have gotten too hot. Fewer front brakes fail when a fair share of the routine braking is done with a rear and having both can go a long ways to keeping rim temperatures down below critical. (IQ required to figure this stuff out - not much.)
Ben