Yes, slowing down is almost as quick as you accelerate, unless you skid.
I have a track bike. It's a Soma Rush. I use a brake also.
Riding fixed to me is akin to driving a musclecar stuck in third gear with no clutch.
The really neat thing is that $500 gets you a sub-twenty pound bike with a ultra efficient drive train.
Anything past 10 mph you really feel like you have pop for accelerating up to over 20 mph where you tend to spin out.
The learning curve is quick. It took me about 2 blocks to get used to. Then there's things like clipping in or getting into the toe straps, once you start moving you're looking for a moving target. It takes a week or two to learn other things like not cornering to hard because of pedal strike. Bunnyhops are nearly impossible.
Track bikes tend to have toe overlap, where your foot gets in the way of your front wheel, only a problem when you're going real slow.
A lot of track frames have steep steering head angles making steering quick or twitchy. It feels good though.
The kids around here all ride brakeless and skip and skid all over the place. I get knee weirdness if I skip or skid.
Climbing is easier in that one gear, there's a scientific reason for it, but I don't know what it is.
Track bikes just plain look awesome, sometimes.
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2005/se ... _email.htm
That isn't my Soma, I'm presently ratting mine. (!)
I have a track bike. It's a Soma Rush. I use a brake also.
Riding fixed to me is akin to driving a musclecar stuck in third gear with no clutch.
The really neat thing is that $500 gets you a sub-twenty pound bike with a ultra efficient drive train.
Anything past 10 mph you really feel like you have pop for accelerating up to over 20 mph where you tend to spin out.
The learning curve is quick. It took me about 2 blocks to get used to. Then there's things like clipping in or getting into the toe straps, once you start moving you're looking for a moving target. It takes a week or two to learn other things like not cornering to hard because of pedal strike. Bunnyhops are nearly impossible.
Track bikes tend to have toe overlap, where your foot gets in the way of your front wheel, only a problem when you're going real slow.
A lot of track frames have steep steering head angles making steering quick or twitchy. It feels good though.
The kids around here all ride brakeless and skip and skid all over the place. I get knee weirdness if I skip or skid.
Climbing is easier in that one gear, there's a scientific reason for it, but I don't know what it is.
Track bikes just plain look awesome, sometimes.
http://www.fixedgeargallery.com/2005/se ... _email.htm
That isn't my Soma, I'm presently ratting mine. (!)
