Yeah, as people have said, this isn't going to replace a racing bike or a mountain bike-- it's a cruiser. It's just to look cool and interesting. I wouldn't be surprised if it didn't have any brakes like a fixie, but you'd be going a whole heckuv a lot slower. My brother makes cruisers in his spare time and they are not fast, brakes really are not that crucial because the bikes are heavy, kind of odd to ride, and, hey, you want people to look. His use coaster brakes, btw, but this bike doesn't look like it ever has coasters. Probably fixie style.