# Why doesn't my BMX bike have front brakes?



## GotMojo? (Mar 25, 2004)

I know this isn't a BMX forum, but I know some of you are into BMX. I jJust picked up a DK Dayton bike and it has no front brake. None of the BMX bikes from DK seem to have them. And not many from Redline, Eastern, MirraCo, etc have them either.

Why not? For the type of riding I want to do, I think a front brake could be pretty useful. Am I missing something? Seems like it would be better to include one, and if you don't use it, then just remove it, no? So now if I want a front brake, I have to swap out the fork so I have brake posts. PITA!!

I'm a BMX noob so be gentle if the answer is obvious.


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## Sudden_Judgement (Sep 13, 2006)

Most true street riders go brakless, so you already have a leg up on the competition. Front brakes are for the 80's, your not really missin out. They do help with some tricks, but with some time and practice you won't need em:thumbsup: 

Seriously:yesnod:


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

You don't really need brakes. Learn to shift your weight or do footjams to get your rear end up. Brakes just end up being extra weight and something else that can break.


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## aggiebiker (Apr 18, 2006)

because they are lame


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## Raghavan (Aug 14, 2005)

Extra wires make barspins harder.


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## derfernerf (Jun 25, 2006)

the real reason is it for DJing not for street ones for street have a gyro


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## Dave Moore (Apr 15, 2004)

derfernerf said:


> the real reason is it for DJing not for street ones for street have a gyro


Not necessarily. The Dayton is designed for street. DK Site

The 4 Pack and 6 Pack and such are park/trail bikes.

DK dj bikes are the General Lee models.

Gyro's are not for front brakes anyways since the front brake cable is routed through the stem and out the fork leg. 
Gyro's are for the rear brake cable.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

Actually the front brake goes through a hollow compression bolt, through the steerer tube, loops around the fork and back into the brake. And yeah, gyros are for the rear. I think they make brakes suck though. I'd rather run an extra long piece of linear housing.

The front brake does not add any additional resistance to barspins. It's just simpler, lighter, and cheaper to not have a front brake.


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## dirtyharry (Jun 27, 2006)

If it's a BMX bike, a front brake is really not important. I'd probably run rear only if I didn't love to pivot my stoppie so much.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

dirtyharry said:


> If it's a BMX bike, a front brake is really not important. I'd probably run rear only if I didn't love to pivot my stoppie so much.


Learn how to throw your weight around or do footjams.


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## Vlad (Feb 7, 2004)

I've been brakeless for the last four years, but I've run every brake configuration possible. Rear brake only, front and rear brake, and front brake only. Front brakes actually are useful for some tricks, and they're so damn fun to use. Yeah, footjams, I know. They just don't do it for me. Rear brakes, on the other hand, NO THANKS. Don't think I'll ever run those again. my current frame doesn't have any brakemounts, either.


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## snaky69 (Mar 8, 2005)

I love my rear hyrdo, but I have no use for a front brake.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

toejams burn the hell out of my shoes! I guess it depends on how much elevation change there is in your city though....
I wish I could nose manual like hamilton w/out a brake, but the combination of my susp. fork, long mtb (compared with 20), and my lack of skill in that area, it's just not possible for me brakeless... spend all of my time working on my backwheel trickery as it is anyway...

typically, on a bmx, the front brake was more for flatland tricks, but even these days, a lot of the flatlanders are going brakeless, some still use front only though. Seems to me, DMC is the only guy I can recall rockin' the front brake for everything, although I'm sure there are others, but it's just kind of old school apparantly...


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

Bmxers are lazy, and can't be bothered with such complicated matters as brakes. Their bikes start out with them, but since they don't know which end of a wrench is which, they soon get torn off.


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## trailville (Jul 24, 2006)

I think it depends on what you want to use the bike for. I picked up a bmx cruiser a couple of months ago (my 1st bmx, I've been mtn biking for about 15 yrs) just to play around with and I also am having a real problem with a lack of a front brake. I got used to it sort of when riding in the street or in the skate park, but when I took in on some easy singletrack and came towards a switchback at a normal speed (for a mtn bike) only to find out that there was no way the bmx with just a rear brake was going to stop in time to turn into the switchback (I ended up going a few feet into the woods). 
For me just playing around occasionally with the BMX, I'm pretty sure I will be adding a front brake (looks like I'll have to put on a side-pull road-type brake) just for those moments.


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## dirtyharry (Jun 27, 2006)

My foot doesn't fit so well for footjams. It's too big (size 12)! Besides, I'm referring to running rear brake only for any bike in general, not BMX. I don't care for BMX, but then again there's really nothing to ride BMX on in my town except DJ, which really sucks with a BMX for me. 

Brakeless just plain sucks (except for halfpipe, where you don't brake anyway). If you get out of control and are about to run into a hole, off of a ledge, or hit a tree, without brakes you either have to jump bike or risk the landing.


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

You have these things called feet. Plant them firmly on the ground.


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## aggiebiker (Apr 18, 2006)

sitting duck im going to asume you were really just trying to be funny and didnt really mean to make fun of bmxers, and not get mad at you. dirty harry your feet are small i have 13s and there still growing


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## turrick (Aug 21, 2006)

If you want front brakes, put em' on. Fronts add a lot of braking performance and a few tricks to try. Rear only sometimes just let you skid out of control, and brakeless? Not enough speed control on street or park. If you want to try brakeless tricks, great, you don't need to remove brakes to try new riding styles not involing your brakes.


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## BikeSATORI (Mar 20, 2004)

turrick said:


> If you want front brakes, put em' on. Fronts add a lot of braking performance and a few tricks to try. Rear only sometimes just let you skid out of control, and brakeless? Not enough speed control on street or park. If you want to try brakeless tricks, great, you don't need to remove brakes to try new riding styles not involing your brakes.


He can't just "put them on". It would require a relatively costly list of parts, including a new fork with 990 mounts welded on.
also seems funny, I never skid out of control with only a rear brake... maybe just 'cuz my powerskids are so stylee that nobody knows I'm outta control! hang it out without a doubt! :thumbsup:


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## ---->SWERVE76<---- (Jun 20, 2005)

Depending on the fork, he could put a side pull brake on. Not the best, but it works.


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## Tracerboy (Oct 13, 2002)

I'm not calling this dude a tool, but it takes a big tool to make a statment like this and mean it.


Sudden_Judgement said:


> Most true street riders go brakless, so you already have a leg up on the competition. Front brakes are for the 80's, your not really missin out. They do help with some tricks, but with some time and practice you won't need em:thumbsup:
> 
> Seriously:yesnod:


A front brake cost the company more, just because you have to provide the brake, the cables, and a fork with brake mounts. Most of the riders I know except a few old schoolers into flatland ride rears only, or brakeless.

On a 20" in most situations you don't need front brakes, 20" tend not to roll as fast, and we tend not to ride on terrain that would require a front brake.

I mainly ride park and street with only a rear brake, but a few of my buddies are brakeless, and they also ride park and street.

Front brakes really are not neccessary on a 20.

BTW on that first statement Mike Tag, Butcher, are Serious street riders, and they both run rear brakes.


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## turrick (Aug 21, 2006)

You could get a fork with 990 mounts, brake, cable, and lever for less than a 100 bucks. Not that bad.


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## sovietspyguy (Dec 4, 2005)

I'll bet in ten years when everyone is brakeless people are going to post questions on the forums like "So how do you guys stop fast?" and then people like Will are going to reply "There are these things called brakes." And everybody will get really quiet and frightened because they are in old school brake territory and only losers and senior citizens use brakes while everyone else practices sticking their feet into their wheels. Seriously people pay too much attention to all these "movements" or whatever you'd like to call it. 

A lot of it is no different from kids who watch freeride videos and decide they need 8 inches front and rear to ride off of curbs. Only now they watch bmx videos and decide they don't need brakes. Ride how you want, if you're having trouble with something there's plenty of other ways to try it before other people start convincing you that your brakes are the problem.


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## sittingduck (Apr 26, 2005)

BikeSATORI said:


> He can't just "put them on". It would require a relatively costly list of parts, including a new fork with 990 mounts welded on.


I have one of these on my BMX. I had to drill the holes out in the fork though, the thing has a 10mm bolt!


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## XSL_WiLL (Nov 2, 2004)

sovietspyguy said:


> I'll bet in ten years when everyone is brakeless people are going to post questions on the forums like "So how do you guys stop fast?" and then people like Will are going to reply "There are these things called brakes." And everybody will get really quiet and frightened because they are in old school brake territory and only losers and senior citizens use brakes while everyone else practices sticking their feet into their wheels. Seriously people pay too much attention to all these "movements" or whatever you'd like to call it.


HAHAHAHAHA. Oh man. That's great.


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## Proformance Cycle (May 28, 2004)

To all:

Is it wrong to place one's foot in the fork above the tire to stop? 

I found BMX racing was all about going as fast as you can then diving under the guy in front of you and railing his tires like using him for a berm. 

What was the question?


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## Sudden_Judgement (Sep 13, 2006)

jherich said:


> I'm not calling this dude a tool, but it takes a big tool to make a statment like this and mean it. BTW on that first statement Mike Tag, Butcher, are Serious street riders, and they both run rear brakes.


 Get a dictionary and look up the word sarcasim:thumbsup: You forgot about hamilton, he runs rear only too.


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