Australia – In every state, bicycles are regarded as vehicles under the Road Rules. By law, a bike is required to have at least one functioning brake.
Denmark – All bicycles are required to have working brakes on both wheels, as well as reflectors and bells.
France – To be approved for road traffic, a bike must have 2 brakes, 2 lights, numerous reflectors, and a ringer. However the laws are rarely enforced, and the sight of all kinds of non officially approved bikes is quite common.
Germany – All bicycles are required to have working brakes on both wheels, as well as reflectors and bells. In Bonn a local court accepted that the fixed-gear mechanism was suitable back brake, but high-profile crackdowns specifically targeted fixies in Berlin, in an attempt to control what police described as a "dangerous trend"
New Zealand – By law all bicycles must have a minimum of "...a good rear brake..."–and those made since 1 January 1988 must also have "...a good front brake..."
Spain – All bicycles are required to have an adequate brake system on front and rear wheels, plus a bell.
United Kingdom – The Pedal Cycles Construction and Use Regulations 1983 require pedal cycles "with a saddle height over 635 mm to have two independent braking systems, with one acting on the front wheel(s) and one on the rear". It is commonly thought that a front brake and a fixed rear wheel satisfies this requirement .
United States – The use of any bike without brakes on public roads is illegal in many places, but the wording is often similar to "...must be equipped with a brake that will enable the person operating the cycle to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level and clean pavement..." which some have argued allows the use of the legs and gears. The retail sale of bikes without brakes is banned by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission – but with an exception for the "track bicycle" (...a bicycle designed and intended for sale as a competitive machine having tubular tires, single crank-to-wheel ratio, and no free-wheeling feature between the rear wheel and the crank...).
Denmark – All bicycles are required to have working brakes on both wheels, as well as reflectors and bells.
France – To be approved for road traffic, a bike must have 2 brakes, 2 lights, numerous reflectors, and a ringer. However the laws are rarely enforced, and the sight of all kinds of non officially approved bikes is quite common.
Germany – All bicycles are required to have working brakes on both wheels, as well as reflectors and bells. In Bonn a local court accepted that the fixed-gear mechanism was suitable back brake, but high-profile crackdowns specifically targeted fixies in Berlin, in an attempt to control what police described as a "dangerous trend"
New Zealand – By law all bicycles must have a minimum of "...a good rear brake..."–and those made since 1 January 1988 must also have "...a good front brake..."
Spain – All bicycles are required to have an adequate brake system on front and rear wheels, plus a bell.
United Kingdom – The Pedal Cycles Construction and Use Regulations 1983 require pedal cycles "with a saddle height over 635 mm to have two independent braking systems, with one acting on the front wheel(s) and one on the rear". It is commonly thought that a front brake and a fixed rear wheel satisfies this requirement .
United States – The use of any bike without brakes on public roads is illegal in many places, but the wording is often similar to "...must be equipped with a brake that will enable the person operating the cycle to make the braked wheels skid on dry, level and clean pavement..." which some have argued allows the use of the legs and gears. The retail sale of bikes without brakes is banned by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission – but with an exception for the "track bicycle" (...a bicycle designed and intended for sale as a competitive machine having tubular tires, single crank-to-wheel ratio, and no free-wheeling feature between the rear wheel and the crank...).
