‘No-brake’ fixed-gear bikes surge among teens despite deadly risks
Jin, a sixth-grade student, demonstrates a skidding technique on his fixed-gear bike at Seoul Saek Park in Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, Thursday. Korea Times photo by Oh Se-woon
At 5 p.m. on Aug. 21, two sixth-graders raced across Seoul Saek Park in Yeouido, practicing skidding techniques on their “fixies,” or fixed-gear bicycles. With scabbed knees from repeated falls, the boys were undeterred. For them, Saek Park has become a sanctuary for teens to show off tricks and their prized bikes, alongside Songpa’s Olympic Park.
Fixed-gear bikes, unlike regular bicycles, lock the pedals to the rear wheel, meaning if the wheel spins, the pedals must spin too. Originally designed for velodrome racing, these stripped-down bikes have gained rapid popularity among Korean teenagers, celebrated for their sleek look and potential for tricks.
“I’d say six out of ten of my friends already ride fixies, and the others are planning to switch,” said a 12-year-old rider, adding that he had been pleading with his parents to buy him one.
What troubles parents and authorities is a growing trend among teens to remove the brakes entirely, creating so-called “no-brake fixies.” Riders claim it adds thrill, but the dangers are obvious.
On Aug. 12, a middle school student in Gwanak District was killed after crashing into an air conditioner unit while riding a no-brake fixie downhill.
Police have since pledged to classify such bicycles as vehicles under Korea’s Road Traffic Act, which requires all vehicles to be equipped with braking systems.
“We will crack down on the road use of no-brake fixies as a violation of safe-driving obligations,” an officer said.
This reporter tries riding a brakeless fixed-gear bicycle for the first time near Gwangmyeong Velodrome in Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. At low speed, he was unable to maintain balance and had to put his foot on the ground to stop. Korea Times photo by Oh Se-woon
Testing the danger
To illustrate the risks, a comparative braking-distance test was conducted with three bicycles: a standard road bike, a fixie with only a front brake, and a no-brake fixie. On a 20-meter slope, the road bike stopped within 95 centimeters.
The front-brake fixie slid 4.5 meters before halting. The brakeless fixie, however, kept rolling for at least 20 meters — four to five times farther — despite attempts to stop by pedaling backward.
“Riding a brakeless fixie on the road is basically suicide,” said Lee Jae-il, a professional cyclist with 20 years of racing experience. “It’s like letting a teenager drive a sports car. Some of these bikes cost tens of millions of won, and young riders are taking them straight onto the streets. It’s extremely dangerous.”
Lee added that after a keirin race, a Japanese style of velodrome racing, even elite cyclists take two laps around a 333-meter track before fully stopping. “Without brakes, a fixie is a ticking time bomb on public roads — a threat not just to the rider, but to everyone around them.”
This reporter tests the braking distance of a brakeless fixed-gear bicycle on a downhill road near Gwangmyeong Velodrome in Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Despite pedaling backward to stop at the marker, the bike continued about 20 meters further before halting. Korea Times photo by Oh Se-woon
Peer pressure and tragedy
Despite the known dangers, teens admit peer pressure fuels the trend. “If you don’t remove the brakes, people call you a coward,” said a 17-year-old rider who invested nearly 20 million won ($15,000) in three bikes. “Some kids even get excluded from the group if their fixie still has brakes.”
One 12-year-old recounted how a friend was injured when a car appeared suddenly on a road. “After that, I was too scared to ride on regular streets,” he said.
The fatal accident has accelerated calls for regulation. Rep. Ko Dong-jin of the People Power Party has introduced a bill to ban no-brake bicycles on public roads, with fines of up to 200,000 won for violations.
Police also point to rising youth accident rates as justification: of 5,571 bicycle-related accidents last year, 26.2 percent involved riders under 18, up from 18.3 percent in 2021.
The black fixed-gear bicycle on the left is equipped with a front-wheel brake, seen in the red circle, while the blue one on the right is a brakeless racing model. Korea Times photo by Oh Se-woon
Still, enforcing the crackdown may prove difficult. “If someone is riding very slowly on a brakeless fixie and can stop safely, it’s hard to apply penalties,” said Ji Yeon-hwan of the National Police Agency’s traffic safety division.
Online cycling communities remain divided. For now, parents, professionals and lawmakers are united in urging caution. “On the road, a no-brake fixie isn’t a toy or a fashion statement,” Lee warned. “It’s a weapon.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.