Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - skidding while seated?

I was riding with my friend Adrian the other day and he pulls this bada$$ manuever. Then Justin did it the other day... what the hell? I can only skid when i unweight my rear wheel, and then it's still hard on my arms and i have to work hard to keep the pedals from coming back up. how is this done? No it was not a skip, it was clearly a skid, i saw it AND heard it.

Do they ride front brakes?
It's really easy to skid while seated with a front brake.

I think I can do it just barely lifting out of the saddle. The thing is, your butt doesn't really move but you still take your weight off the saddle. The feet can also be used to kick the rear wheel up a little bit. I don't know anyone who can skid with all their weight in the saddle, that sounds crazy.

Do they ride front brakes?
It's really easy to skid while seated with a front brake.


beautifully brakeless

i think i've been thru enought school to second the notion that skidding while still having weight on the saddle is humanly impossible.

unless of course you are dealing with someone with some serious tree truck legs... then.. maybe.. but only in rumors.

I think I can do it just barely lifting out of the saddle. The thing is, your butt doesn't really move but you still take your weight off the saddle. The feet can also be used to kick the rear wheel up a little bit. I don't know anyone who can skid with all their weight in the saddle, that sounds crazy.

ok. maybe he lifted a little but it was really fast and he didn't assume the superman leaning forward pose. it was very suave.

Bulhorns or drops? I've been able to skid just barely out of the saddle with bullhorns before, drops not really, but I seem to have some problems skidding in general with drops...

Andrea (guy) from way back in the day (who was also on the forums - forgot his username) used to ride with us before he moved out to Cali for school. He could skid fully seated with ease and on a dime. He said he learnt it when he first started riding fixed on a 40x20 gear! Because the gear was so low he was able to learn it that way and when he moved to a normal gear he could do it as well. So I'm guessing it comes down to technique.

He was graceful doing that.

Andrea (guy) from way back in the day (who was also on the forums - forgot his username) used to ride with us before he moved out to Cali for school. He could skid fully seated with ease and on a dime. He said he learnt it when he first started riding fixed on a 40x20 gear! Because the gear was so low he was able to learn it that way and when he moved to a normal gear he could do it as well. So I'm guessing it comes down to technique.

He was graceful doing that.

That wasn't cyclorat, was it? I just remember that he went out to cali, and I never met the guy.

Yep, yep, that was him. I totally blanked on his username.

Bulhorns or drops? I've been able to skid just barely out of the saddle with bullhorns before, drops not really, but I seem to have some problems skidding in general with drops...


drops

Andrea (guy) from way back in the day (who was also on the forums - forgot his username) used to ride with us before he moved out to Cali for school. He could skid fully seated with ease and on a dime. He said he learnt it when he first started riding fixed on a 40x20 gear! Because the gear was so low he was able to learn it that way and when he moved to a normal gear he could do it as well. So I'm guessing it comes down to technique.

He was graceful doing that.


i met a kid named andrea in an alley cat this past summer who was a messenger in chicago who now goes to school at uc santa cruz . same kid?

That's him. Here's a photo from one of the very first DCC rides, he's the first one:

http://www.boochakanan.com/foto/0821.jpg

ya, that's him, i ran into him again after the veloswap last year at some pizza joint. is that 165 on the end? back to point. can anyone tell me how to skid seated?

Yep, 165 on the end. More photos of the crew in the DCC photos thread.

i can easily skid while seated (or just above the saddle). of course, they're not 100 ft monster skids, but i can get about 40 ft. i could never do it with bullhorns or drops, but--and you're not going to like this--i have no problem doing it with flat/riser bars. there's something about the leverage/control of those bars that just makes it easy. i'll try to be aware of it tomorrow and come back with some more insight.

dammit, i just can't keep my mouth shut about my damn handlebars lately!

Yeah, I met that dude at the Behind the Green Door/Messenger Appreciation day alleycat, and then again the day after riding around randomly. That guy is funny, we were chillin at Buena Vista park and some lance'd out Marina roadie rode by all slowly while on his aero-bars and Andrea screamed at the guy "You're supposed to ride fast when you're on the aero bars you *****". I about died laughing at the look on that dude's face.

He could skid fully seated with ease and on a dime. He said he learnt it when he first started riding fixed on a 40x20 gear!

He was graceful doing that.

I was going to say it's probably their gearing but then Absntr busts out this fable of a mythical skid god named Andrea who probably skids clear over SUV's for fun. What a baller. I have trouble even comprehending the fully seated skid on a 40x20. I must have a long way yet. Somebody please tell me he can also sit-skid with the cellphone in one hand.

Yep, 165 on the end. More photos of the crew in the DCC photos thread.

is he holding a can of mr. browns? i used to love that stuff

On a side note - I can skid seated but barely, maybe a foot or two at most. It's tough as heck.

I can't imagine how much spin is in a 40x20 gear. But I can imagine skidding would be much easier.

Yep - that's pretty much all you see in 165's hands that's not alcoholic. For the most part anyway, he's always got that Surly flaskful of whisky handy...

I'd think that it had something to do with seat height, too. You'd have to lock one knee on the foward pedal, and really be pulling up on the other. I'd imagine it would be pretty hard to keep the rear wheel from fishtailing, though.

you can get it in chicago? ive only seen it in chinatown in los angeles.. and i think in s.f... my offfice is no longer in chinatown so my intake has greatly declined

most asian supermarkets should carry the stuff

my uncles got a bunch stocked at his convenience store

Kind of glossed over the Mr. Browns. I need to go buy a case of that tomorrow. Very close to those Starbucks DoubleShots, but MUCH MUCH better.

You can also score Mr.Brown's at the Sultan in Chicago (and a few other places as well I am sure).
http://www.alnamura.cz/obrazky/clasic.jpg

Oh, and this has zilch to do with yer sit-skid...

i can do it running my 44x16 gear

i have always been able to sit skid...that was how i first thought skidding took place mainly to stop...then i wised up and learned the ways of skidding forever

Somebody please tell me he can also sit-skid with the cellphone in one hand.

No he wasn't but he's actually trackstanding in that photo - he talked for a good 10 minutes or so, completely effortless trackstand. Kid was crazy.

As for Mr. Brown - Asian supermarkets and grocers and most ethnic places carry it.

So I practiced this a bunch this morning on my ride in, it's not really all that hard. There's definitely a technique to it. If you use the brake it's effortless, if you don't use the brake it's a little harder but not too bad. You just aren't going to pull off any long skids while sitting, or at least I'm not...

i was riding with marcus and he could skid, skip, and trackstand
all while holding a cup of coffee (no lid!) oh and hold a conversation
all the while.

jeff

Ah, Marcus and his magical ways...

The trick is to start by taking weight of the seat but not actually standing up or pushing yourself against the bars. That gets you in the habit of using your arms and legs right. As time goes by (and your legs and knees grow stronger), you'll need to unweight your butt less and less until you reach your cherished objective. Running through snow, chasing a chicken, and punching meat (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075148/) will also help.

riding in the rain is the best way to learn all those ninja tricks you've always wanted to do on yer track bike. skidding while seated is really easy on wet pavement. once you get that mastered you can move on to the shaolin-style one foot over the handlebar skid.

Both are right - I actually learned how to skid in the seat during this past winter. The snow made it oh so easy to lock up the legs while seated. Wet pavement would do the same as stuart mentioned. But it's harder to translate that to dry conditions, at least for longer skids. More practice, grasshopper!

Can anyone skid the front wheel while pedaling backwards? (F brake required)
That would really impress the ladies.

Enjoy

I wish I could get going backward fast enough and straight enough for that to be a necessary maneuver. Usually if I'm going backward and need to stop, I just fall over (which is not, I'll admit, so impressive to the ladies).

what about riding backward while sitting backward on the handlebars? that's a fun one, esp if you can schwill beer at the same time.

The trick is to start by taking weight of the seat but not actually standing up or pushing yourself against the bars.

having your seat high - bars low makes this easier as well....

...just skip stop like you really mean it.

Kind of glossed over the Mr. Browns. I need to go buy a case of that tomorrow. Very close to those Starbucks DoubleShots, but MUCH MUCH better.

terror.. dont care about your silly sit skid when theres caffeine to discuss....

and im gonna have to go ahead and ...ummmm.. disagree with this?

mr browns is great for the casual coffee drinker.. but if you need the caffeine.. i cant take how much sugar i have to also ingest to get the buzz i need.. thats just me.. those things will make you fat..and feel ****ty

46x17 on my pursuit bike with drops, bulls, or risers. i'm pretty sure i can also do it on my other bike that currently has 42x15, but used to have 44x16.

on the pursuit bike, i have the seat high, and the bars are already pretty low, plus i have a zero rake fork on it which pulls the front end really close to the rest of the bike, which makes unweighting the rear end frighteningly easy, so much so that i don't really feel safe leaning out over it.

bill brasky used to skid giant figure eights while seated, no-handed, with 100lbs in his mess bag, while drinking coffee and reading the morning paper. dude was mad.

.

on the pursuit bike, i have the seat high, and the bars are already pretty low, plus i have a zero rake fork on it which pulls the front end really close to the rest of the bike, which makes unweighting the rear end frighteningly easy, so much so that i don't really feel safe leaning out over it.


you know exactly what i mean...good 411 on the zero rake fork, i'll keep that in mind when i swap out forks

bill brasky used to skid giant figure eights while seated, no-handed, with 100lbs in his mess bag, while drinking coffee and reading the morning paper. dude was mad.

In what? a Camaro?

*phwoooom*

that was the sound of the joke flying over your head. ;) kidding.

the legend of bill brasky: old snl bit.

bill brasky used to skid giant figure eights while seated, no-handed, with 100lbs in his mess bag, while drinking coffee and reading the morning paper. dude was mad.

dammit, i was going to tell tales of how bill brasky used to skid while delivering triplets

what about riding backward while sitting backward on the handlebars? that's a fun one, esp if you can schwill beer at the same time.

i actually can do this.

I pulled a nice 4 footer on the way down a hill when a car going the opposite direction as me took a left turn through a yellow I was trying to catch. I still don't see how you could get any distance while in the saddle, though.

i can do it running my 44x16 gear

i have always been able to sit skid...that was how i first thought skidding took place mainly to stop...then i wised up and learned the ways of skidding forever

ditto. eats through a tire like crazy, though, which is why i don't do it much any more...unless i'm drunk...so i guess i do do it a lot......

I learned to skid while sitting down on my 44x16 but I can still do it on my 48x17 and I could do it when I was running my 48x16. I usually fishtail a bit when I do it though because it's when I really want to slow down and it's fun to look at yourself fishtailing while sitting down in the reflection of the back of an suv. It really eats through my tires like mad but I guess that's why I buy the $5 sale tires at the lbs 'round here.