Re: [CR]NOW: Stopping with glove WAS: Fixed gears

(Example: Production Builders:Cinelli:Laser)

From: <DavidS4410@aol.com>
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2003 16:01:52 EST
Subject: Re: [CR]NOW: Stopping with glove WAS: Fixed gears
To: chuckschmidt@earthlink.net, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org


I too used to ride the streets of San Francisco in the 50s with a track bike with no brakes. First on Oscar Juner's prewar German Schumacher that he had sold me in 1953, then later on an early post war Paramount, originally built for Oscar's younger brother, Bob. We used heavy duty cycling gloves, but I don't remember the brand. You could also buy leather work gloves and cut the figures off. I subscribed to the glove on the front wheel method. You would reach down to the wheel from behind the handlebar so your hand wouldn't fly forward. "Glove it" we would yell out as a warning to stop. I also used the jumping the rear wheel and reversing pedal direction method on many occasions. I remember on one occasion my cycling buddy, Eric Von Neff had to prove to a policeman that he could stop quickly without brakes. He rode back up the street a ways and pedaled back towards the policeman and then jumped his rear wheel and skidded to a quick stop. The policeman was satisfied and went on his way. However, Eric had skidded a big flat spot on his tire.
Dave Staub
Orange, Ca