I think you really needed to develop that braking skill to survive. Have a look at this original condition 30's CCM racer on ebay.
#*http://tinyurl.com/yat8og
*It came stock to the public with a 50 X 16 fixed gear and those Endricks are the rare Dunlops with 647 mm beads. (no replacement tires there.) I think that's over 90 gear inches. Inagine the potential horror when you flip the wheel over to ride the 18 tooth freewheel and start downhill. Near certain-death on todays urban streets.
It has the rear Phillips boat-anchor brake of course. You just had to heave it into the gutter and maybe it would catch a sewer grate.
Warren Young Wolfville NS.
Kristopher Green wrote:
> Chuck Scmidt wrote:
>
> One additional note here: you just know that if today's bike
> messengers knew about how the hard men (Ted's a Charter Memeber)
> braked the front tire with their hand back in the day, they'd be all
> over it.
>
> ______________
>
>
> Yup.
>
> http://tinyurl.com/
>
> Kristopher John Hicks-Green
> Olympia, Washington (State)
> United States of America