Originally Posted by Mikefule

The only reason not to have brakes, apart from on the track, is style. I can understand the visual appeal of a minimalist stripped to the bone bike, but if I'm on the road, I want to be ready to deal with the unforeseen: the kid or dog who runs out, the car that pulls out at the last moment, the pothole or patch of gravel just round a bend, or the style-obsessed solipsist on a bike with no brakes who sails out of a side road assuming that no one else is there.

Even if you can do it on your fixed gear bike, skidding is not as efficient as braking under control, which is why they developed ABS for cars and motorbikes, rather than automatically locking brakes— which would have been far easier to invent.

I can ride uphill and down, on and off road, urban and rural, for an hour without touching the brakes on my fixed, but they do me no harm when I'm not using them, and one day might save my life or someone else's.

As for legality: that will vary with different jurisdictions. Surely someone rebellious and stupid enough to ride a brakeless fixie doesn't worry about legality? <wink>