Crazy Cyclists Competing With No Brakes

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SifuPhil

R.I.P. With Us In Spirit Only
Location
Pennsylvania, USA
These folks are a group of bicycle messengers from Manhattan that have races in various world-wide locales. The first one documented in this video takes place in Manhattan and is a series of checkpoints they have to register at during the race.

Now I spent a lot of years in Manhattan and I'm used to the antics of these guys, but I never realized they were THIS crazy. For starters, the bikes they're using for this event are fixed-gear (only one speed) and have no brakes.

Think about that when you watch these guys riding against traffic (against the law), over sidewalks (against the law) and "drafting" on passing vehicles (against the law).

I hope their messenger jobs pay well.

The video is over an hour long, but you'll get an idea of their insanity within the first few minutes.

Contains some strong language.

 

I'm wondering how this event is allowed to happen. Aside from endangering their own selves, they are putting the public at risk. I saw a few near misses with pedestrians and people swerving in cars to miss them. Personally, I think it's moronic.
 
Ozarkgal said:
I'm wondering how this event is allowed to happen. Aside from endangering their own selves, they are putting the public at risk. I saw a few near misses with pedestrians and people swerving in cars to miss them. Personally, I think it's moronic.
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My thoughts exactly. The organizer claims that New Yorkers are "used to it" and just accept it, but I'm pretty sure he isn't speaking for all of them. If one of those bikers came that close to running me over I'd knock him off his ride.

It's bad enough when they're doing it as work, but for the fun of it?
 
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Nothing new here. Heck, back in the forties when I got my pants cuff caught in the bike chain, no chain guard, it was total panic trying to get the darn bike to stop. All they had then was rear brakes. Sorry for the poor pic but it is ancient.
 

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Yeah, coaster brakes, I had a few bikes like that as well, but at least they HAD brakes of some sort. ;)

I bet that bike weighed more than you! Heck, the fenders alone look like they were stolen from a Buick! :D
 
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