police confiscate fixeds

[hubgearfreak]

i don't live in berlin, but i'd imagine that like everywhere else, the police must have better things to do - like punish dangerous motorists?

http://bicycling.about.com/b/2009/07/11 ... tlawed.htm

 

[roadmaster]

californias bicycle law... "must have at least one wheel that can make a skid on dry pavement", to be concidered to have "brakes". a pair of brakes up front are always good idea to have. can't believe thry'd confinscate, but on another forum, someone from the sac area said "if you ride a fixie, you go to jail." but i don't know about that...

 

[bikebuilder]

I have seen a lot of people leave skid marks with their fixies.

 

[Foybles]

I built my fixie with brakes because I am not suicidal. That said, outlawing fixies is a little extreme if you ask me. It's like a helmet law; every man for himself.

 

[bicycleguy]

I have built a couple fixies one without brakes one with a front brake and even with a front brake I never used even when I rode it eveyday, I think that they are over reacting and should focus on real problems.

 

[Filthy Bill]

I actually witnessed an accident between a car a female fixie rider. The fixie rider was riding in traffic, when a car signaled to turn right into a parking lot, the fixie rider jumped into the bike lane trying to pass the car. Instead she ended up t-boning the car, tacoing her front wheel & taking a flight. After dusting herself off, she proceeded to rip into the driver of the car. Luckily for the driver I decided to stop as a witness to the accident.

The driver of the car did everything right, she signaled & she slowed down. The fixie rider thought that she was doing everything right by riding in traffic & then jumping into the bicycle lane for her convenience.

Local PD showed up & listened to both sides of the story, including several witnesses. At first, the officer had decided not to cite either of the ladies, but the fixie rider couldn’t/wouldn’t keep her mouth shut. She ended up getting a ticket

 

[mastronaut]

To make a bike a fixed gear that was once a beautiful 10-12 speed bike is a sin. I just saw a Schwinn Voyager 11.8 turned into a fixer! That is equivalent to neutering a champion breeder animal. It's needless and sad...my opinion. http://velospace.org/node/21731

 

[bicycleguy]

At least they didn't cut off the deraileur hanger so couldn't it ever be built back into it's original state.

 

[pjbaz]

I ride fixed with a front brake because I want options, but outlawing them? Maybe we should try and pass a law against WalMart junk being built incorrectly and sold as safe.

As for the bike/car accident mentioned above...I wasn't there but it sounds as if the motorist was at least partially at fault. She turned in front of a rider who was riding in traffic legally. Not sure about where you live and laws regarding bike lanes (we don't have any where I live in CT) but I ride in traffic all the time. I take the entire lane quite often actually, but always signal my moves and don't ride in the lane unnecessarily long.

I got hit on my regular roadie a few years ago...lady rolled a stop sign and plowed into me broadside. Guess who got the ticket? NOT ME! Failure to yield to a human powered vehicle I think it was.

Peace,
J

 

[SSG]

I feel bad for the kids. Pretty much everyone grew up on a brakeless fixed gear bicycle or tricycle :wink: Not that brakes are a bad thing but this is kind of silly. Reckless riders are going to be a problem whether they have brakes or not.

 

[deorman]

I ride fixed with a front brake because I want options, but outlawing them? Maybe we should try and pass a law against WalMart junk being built incorrectly and sold as safe.

As for the bike/car accident mentioned above...I wasn't there but it sounds as if the motorist was at least partially at fault. She turned in front of a rider who was riding in traffic legally. Not sure about where you live and laws regarding bike lanes (we don't have any where I live in CT) but I ride in traffic all the time. I take the entire lane quite often actually, but always signal my moves and don't ride in the lane unnecessarily long.

I got hit on my regular roadie a few years ago...lady rolled a stop sign and plowed into me broadside. Guess who got the ticket? NOT ME! Failure to yield to a human powered vehicle I think it was.

Peace,
J

If you think trying to pass on the right from behind someone turning right is riding "legally", don't ride here. You might get killed and no-one will be punished-except you if you survive.

 

[beatcad]

I have seen a lot of people leave skid marks with their fixies.

you dont need to be on yer bike to leave skid marks :lol:

 

[schwinnmesa]

I have seen a lot of people leave skid marks with their fixies.

you dont need to be on yer bike to leave skid marks :lol:

:mrgreen:

 

[mastronaut]

I saw this and had to post it....

 

[Filthy Bill]

As for the bike/car accident mentioned above...I wasn't there but it sounds as if the motorist was at least partially at fault. She turned in front of a rider who was riding in traffic legally. Not sure about where you live and laws regarding bike lanes (we don't have any where I live in CT) but I ride in traffic all the time. I take the entire lane quite often actually, but always signal my moves and don't ride in the lane unnecessarily long.

I got hit on my regular roadie a few years ago...lady rolled a stop sign and plowed into me broadside. Guess who got the ticket? NOT ME! Failure to yield to a human powered vehicle I think it was.

Peace,
J

We have "bike lanes" in NM for a reason....Bicyclists. If you ride with traffic you need to obey regular traffic laws. I am sure that if anyone driving a car tride to pass another car on the right while it was turning right would get a ticket, just like the bike rider did in the accident I mentioned. I ride my bike daily & it kills me when I see other bike riders blow through stop signs/red lights. There are car drivers & bike riders who think they are God of the streets & neither really has a clue! I've even seen local PD bike officers not stop at stop signs. Sad!

Here in Albuquerque, NM we also have what they call "Bike Boxes", which are saftey zones for bicyclist at red lights & a several streets dubbed "Bicycle Blvds", which the spped limit is set to 18 mph.

I agree 100% with the fact that drivers need to be more aware of bike riders. I am also for bike riders being aware of the fact that not all drivers do look out for bikers.

 

[Foybles]

I saw this and had to post it....

I like the concept of what a fixed bicycle is as far as being a bike, the whole hipster attitude thing is way past me. I'm all grown up and impressing people is no longer part of my gig. I really dig all bikes and want to apply some Rat-atude to all of my bikes. All cyclists unite!

 

[voodoo curse]

Looks like the fixie crowd is going through what us skateboarders have been going through for the past 2 decades.

 

[GodHatesCleveland]

"No handbrakes....eliminates the need for upper body strength"

That was priceless. And I needed the laugh, too.

I've got no problem with a law requiring at least one brake. At least it will quiet the fixed-gear-uber-alles hipsters from arguing that a fixed gear bike can stop as well as a front braked bike by virtue of making the point mute. It's not like they understood the physics behind braking the front vs rear tire. But what do I know, I'm just an engineer with a 4.0 cumulative GPA and a master's degree.

 

[deadman13]

may be a ....... question, but why not a coaster brake? and, if fixies have brakes like we did when we were kids, wouldnt that basically make the rule about locking up a tire void?

i dunno. ive never "got" the whole fixie thing. most of them have bad attitudes, questionable choices in clothing/partners & hygen.

 

[Duck]

IMHO I think all bikes should have at least one brake. It's just smart. Why not go coaster brake on a fixie? Oh yeah, it just wouldn't be cool. Believe me I feel the same way about BMX riders who ride in traffic and public areas without brakes. One thing to be in a non traffic area riding without fear of injuring others. It is another thing to be a vehicle on the road.

I think confiscation is a little extreme. I can see reasoning behind a ticket though.