Ventura County, CA bans fixed-gear bikes on trails
12-12-13, 11:29 AM
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Ventura County, CA bans brakeless bikes on trails
Edit: Made changes to the title to reflect article edit.
https://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/dec/...y-park-trails/
I seriously wouldn't expect a County Board of Supervisors to know any better.
All bicycles without brakes will no longer be allowed on county park trails following a decision Tuesday by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors.
The board unanimously approved the new rule during a second reading of the ordinance. County parks officials pushed for the new rule to be added to their general ordinance after a hit-and-run accident in September left a rider with severe injuries.
A hit-and-run collision between two bicyclists on the Ojai Valley Trail left one man critically injured. A second rider fled after the crash but apparently was riding a bicycle without brakes at a high speed, according to parks director Ron Van Dyck.
Fixed-gear bicycles, known as "fixies," without brakes have become more prevalent among riders. Without the brakes, riders must slow down by using their legs or riding in reverse. The bikes lack a freewheel, so the pedals continue to rotate as long as the bike is moving forward.
The new rule will restrict riders from using any type of bicycle or motor bicycle without brakes on county, hiking or horseback riding trail and bicycle path.
The board unanimously approved the new rule during a second reading of the ordinance. County parks officials pushed for the new rule to be added to their general ordinance after a hit-and-run accident in September left a rider with severe injuries.
A hit-and-run collision between two bicyclists on the Ojai Valley Trail left one man critically injured. A second rider fled after the crash but apparently was riding a bicycle without brakes at a high speed, according to parks director Ron Van Dyck.
Fixed-gear bicycles, known as "fixies," without brakes have become more prevalent among riders. Without the brakes, riders must slow down by using their legs or riding in reverse. The bikes lack a freewheel, so the pedals continue to rotate as long as the bike is moving forward.
The new rule will restrict riders from using any type of bicycle or motor bicycle without brakes on county, hiking or horseback riding trail and bicycle path.
I seriously wouldn't expect a County Board of Supervisors to know any better.
Last edited by Pinkbullet3; 12-14-13 at 12:38 PM.
12-12-13, 12:07 PM
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Wow!! thats insane !! well I wont be goign to VC to ride anymore
12-12-13, 12:13 PM
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Isn't the problem really not having brakes??? Portland, OR requires at least a front brake on fixies.
My Gravity 29er SS would be IMPOSSIBLE to stop without brakes - except via a crash.
As a former (and longtime) resident of Ventura, CA I have to say that the trail is for both walking and riding, with a horse path adjacent to it. There are also many driveway and street crossings along the way. It also has a number of blind turns going up through the 'Avenue' area in Ventura.
The more dangerous bike/walking path IMO is the Promenade along the beach front, which the above trail connects to at its lower end. Far more people, bikes, dogs and kids on this section. It's wider, but requires even more 'attention' as to what's going on around you. This portion, however, is City owned vs. County owned, and there were no restrictions as of mid-2011, when we moved back North.
Would have to agree with OP - not the best solution if you're bike versed.
Lou
My Gravity 29er SS would be IMPOSSIBLE to stop without brakes - except via a crash.
As a former (and longtime) resident of Ventura, CA I have to say that the trail is for both walking and riding, with a horse path adjacent to it. There are also many driveway and street crossings along the way. It also has a number of blind turns going up through the 'Avenue' area in Ventura.
The more dangerous bike/walking path IMO is the Promenade along the beach front, which the above trail connects to at its lower end. Far more people, bikes, dogs and kids on this section. It's wider, but requires even more 'attention' as to what's going on around you. This portion, however, is City owned vs. County owned, and there were no restrictions as of mid-2011, when we moved back North.
Would have to agree with OP - not the best solution if you're bike versed.
Lou
Last edited by Foldable Two; 12-12-13 at 12:20 PM.
12-12-13, 01:16 PM
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hahahahahahahahahahhahha
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12-12-13, 01:20 PM
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when i was interning at UCSB i used to do the saturday ROCO ride that went around lake Casitas, and down to the ocean via Ventura bike path b4 heading back to SB along the coast.
thos are some nice paths.
thos are some nice paths.
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12-12-13, 03:56 PM
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Wow bureaucracy....
Apparently it was too difficult to make physical standalone brakes a requirement so they decided to ban the whole shabang.
Then again I have a feeling there's a lot of people who can't tell the difference between a fixed gear bike with brakes and a SS.
Apparently it was too difficult to make physical standalone brakes a requirement so they decided to ban the whole shabang.
Then again I have a feeling there's a lot of people who can't tell the difference between a fixed gear bike with brakes and a SS.
12-12-13, 05:44 PM
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That was my point. Brakeless SS is far worse - no way to lock-up the rear wheel, except by sacrificing you foot & ankle and the wheel, too.
Interestingly enough, most casual riders are on cruisers along the beach-front bike path. Geared bikes (road and mtn) are the most prevalent on the Ventura to Ojai trail because the ride to Ojai is about 15 miles and something like a 750' elevation gain, gradual being an old RR bed, but still up.
Lived in Ventura for 2.5 yrs (most recently) and never really noticed that many fixies - even at the beach where it's totally flat.
Lou
Interestingly enough, most casual riders are on cruisers along the beach-front bike path. Geared bikes (road and mtn) are the most prevalent on the Ventura to Ojai trail because the ride to Ojai is about 15 miles and something like a 750' elevation gain, gradual being an old RR bed, but still up.
Lived in Ventura for 2.5 yrs (most recently) and never really noticed that many fixies - even at the beach where it's totally flat.
Lou
Last edited by Foldable Two; 12-12-13 at 05:54 PM.
12-12-13, 06:17 PM
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12-12-13, 08:10 PM
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scumbag is a little harsh... replace it with doucchebag and its probably true, on average
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12-13-13, 05:17 AM
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You need to read the link, not what was posted. The ruling is about brakeless bikes, not fixed gear bikes.
12-13-13, 07:09 AM
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PinkBullet quoted the whole article. I'm not sure if pink-bullet changed the first sentence from "Bicycles without brakes" to "Fixed gear-bicycles" or if the linked article changed after he posted it. Either way someone is being a bit deceptive.
12-13-13, 08:00 AM
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I dont think pinkbullet was trolling us...
It says at the bottom...
"This story previously said that all fixed-gear bikes were banned on county trails."
Read more: https://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/dec/...#ixzz2nMa3VwPY
- vcstar.com
It says at the bottom...
"This story previously said that all fixed-gear bikes were banned on county trails."
Read more: https://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/dec/...#ixzz2nMa3VwPY
- vcstar.com
12-13-13, 08:08 AM
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I'm glad that straightens it out. Someone at the VCStar thought Bicycles without brakes == fixed-gear and they were corrected.
12-13-13, 07:31 PM
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Yup, sounds like the incorrect info in the original VC Star story got everyone's attention. Interesting they corrected it - makes more sense now.
Lou
Lou
12-14-13, 02:13 AM
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It makes sense now but it's still not as satisfying as riding said trails brakeless SS as mentioned previously. 
12-14-13, 12:39 PM
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Ah, thanks for pointing that out. Made edits in my post to reflect that of the article's.
12-29-13, 11:51 AM
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I've been on the trail, mostly hard pack dirt and sand pending on how far up the trail you get. Not a remote trail, lots of foot traffic. Not a place to hauling ass hoping you can pull a skid long enough to slow down. What a P***y for running (ridding) away.
