NY Times: For Manhattan Couriers, Brakeless Bikes are the Way to Go
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NY Times: For Manhattan Couriers, Brakeless Bikes are the Way to Go

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Photo by David Perez Shadi

Just came across this article in the NY Times on track bikes:

Bicycle messengers, the speeding bane of New York’s pedestrians and motorists, have a new weapon – the brakeless bicycle.

The word on the street is that messengers are abandoning their traditional 10-speed bikes in favor of faster track bikes, which have no brakes and are made for racing.

Track bikes are built with a single gear ”fixed” to the back wheel, so that whenever the wheel spins, the pedals rotate. This means the rider has to keep pedaling as the bicycle moves.

Haven’t read this one yet? That’s because it’s from 1987. I was 6 and had been to NYC maybe once to visit family with my parents. Check out the rest of the article here!