Why Run Brakes On a Fixed Gear?

Here's why:

It's the classic JRA (Just Riding Along). I was cruising along, going downhill even, not doing a thing which would make you think the chain would fail. No skidding, sprinting or mashing the gear uphill.

Just Riding Along.

Then, I heard something go "PING".

"Ping?" I thought. "That's not a good sound..."

Then, as a follow-up to "ping", I heard "Whappity-whappity-whappity", and the bike shifted to neutral. I realized then that the chain had broken. So I stopped (Brakes, man! Brakes are handy!), and looked back behind me to see where the chain had ended up. But I didn't see it anywhere in the street.

Then, I looked at the rear wheel, and saw the chain wrapped around the cog. The "whappity" sound was the loose end of the chain coming around with each wheel revolution and smacking the seatstay.

So, I scootered the bike back to the laundromat (I had taken the bike with me so I could jet over to Kaladi Brothers while the clothes were in the dryer) and drove to the coffee shop.

In retrospect, it makes me glad that I took the orange Peugeot on my 20 mile coffee-shop ride, yesterday.

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