Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Anyone give me some tips on skidding?

Ive had my fixie for about a month now and riding it is like second nature almost already....mainly because I have to ride everywhere I go and Im a busy guy. Anyways I really want to learn how to do some skidding so I can eventually take off my front brake. I try to use it as little as I can but sometimes I gain alittle too much speed for "dead legging" to a stop and have to give it a squeeze. I understand the general idea of skidding, unweight your back wheel by leaning forward and kind of jerk your peddles back, but I cant figure out how it works when Im on my bike. I try to lean forward and push back on my pedals and it just jolts me through another rotation and does nothing. Anyone have any tips on how I can get through this? Thanks!

it's easier to learn on wet pavement and/or with lower gearing. what are you pushing?

I just learned to do this in the last month or so - it helps me to not think of it as a series of steps (1. shift forward, 2. hop bike slightly, 3. jerk pedals, etc...) it is all sort of one motion. I had my first successful skip stop on wet pavement it really did help - once you feel it a single time it seems obvious.

also, make sure at LEAST your leading foot is clipped in. i haven't been skidding very long, but if i make sure to pull up hard on my leading foot AND push down on my trailing foot, i can basically skid/skip without really even leaning forward. i'm running 48x16, for the record.

Lean way forward (put your junk on the stem) and keep your body rigid (like an olympic ski jumper). Do not touch the brake(s). Lock your leg and hold on.

Enjoy

Thanks Ill remember these tips for next time. I didnt build my bike I think its a 42x16 or 44x16....either way its a pretty small gear.

Its real simple. Drink 5 or more beers while it rains heavily. On the ride home convince yourself that you're going to be able to skid. Skid.

Then the next morning when it's dry out, go out and try it, so you don't think it was just a dream. Problem solved, skidding accomplished.

It was a good weekend...

I learned by using the front brake to unweight the rear. Lock your back leg as the pedal starts to come up, then as the pedal pushes you out of the seat, lift up on your front pedal. Wet pavement helps, as does a few beers to overcome your self preservation instinct. I did my first one riding drunk home from the bar with a rolled up newspaper in my pocket and no helmet. Now I can do them okayish without using the front brake at all. I also stripped my hub. (See above post). Probably since I am 200lbs and not unweighting the rear enough.

I'm still wondering what I'm doing wrong when I accidently skip the rear wheel instead of skid it. Maybe I'm pushing backwards too hard?

Ive had my fixie for about a month now and riding it is like second nature almost already....mainly because I have to ride everywhere I go and Im a busy guy. Anyways I really want to learn how to do some skidding so I can eventually take off my front brake. I try to use it as little as I can but sometimes I gain alittle too much speed for "dead legging" to a stop and have to give it a squeeze. I understand the general idea of skidding, unweight your back wheel by leaning forward and kind of jerk your peddles back, but I cant figure out how it works when Im on my bike. I try to lean forward and push back on my pedals and it just jolts me through another rotation and does nothing. Anyone have any tips on how I can get through this? Thanks!




your legs need to become accustomed to it, so at first you may not be able to overcome the motion of the pedals. but your ratio is low enough, so you're good to go.

learn to skip first, where the wheel comes off the ground more. you'll get an occasional mini-skid out of that too.

also, putting your feet into action before they reach the 3 - 9 o' clock position may help.

I learned in the grass, on wet pavement and anywhere the roads were dusty/sandy or dirty. Also I agree that your legs need to be in pretty good shape or the pedals will just kick them back into the rotation.

Just make sure to tighten those asscheeks when you are skidding with those beers your system otherwise you will shard all over yourself. :P

I just lean forward lock my legs and lift the rear a little (not much)... ohh and hold on.

Wet ground is always fun to play on.

Its real simple. Drink 5 or more beers while it rains heavily. On the ride home convince yourself that you're going to be able to skid. Skid.

Then the next morning when it's dry out, go out and try it, so you don't think it was just a dream. Problem solved, skidding accomplished.

It was a good weekend...

And that sets up my skidding failure story... 5 or so beers in, it was time for a bar change so i am riding down 24th street on my way to west philly and i lean forward put my junk on the handle bars before i know it i'm slidding across the ground. My feet are locked, but i think i was doing it wrong. THe impression i got was the bike was supposed to be skidding with you on top, not you skidding with the bike on top. Anyway, me and 24th street, we're blood brothers now. I've got a little asphalt in my left leg, 24th street has a little of me in it. My left leg was the only injury i had thankfully which led to my buddys comment that i appreciated: "think of it as a battle between your two legs, your right leg won"

Here's how I do it:

I lean a little forward (you don't have to be waaaay up there). Wait for the right crank to come up to the 10:00 position. While lifting the front (left) pedal (clipped in), I press back on the right pedal which locks the wheel. I keep pressing which actually makes the wheel rotate backwards a bit to around the 8:00 position.

I pump off two of those in emergency situations or when I want to slow down a bit from a moderate pace.

Also, you can do this with any tire. I use Vittoria Diamante Pro racing tires that are *very* sticky. I can lock up while in a sitting position. The key is to pull up with the front pedal, too.

Also, don't lock your knee. Keep your knee slightly bent and use your thighs to power push the cranks backwards and modulate.

you shouldnt have skidding be your main means of stopping, skipping is way more effective, actually brakes are the most effective, but skipping works well enough. so get good with skipping for stopping, skiddings only good for showing off/having fun really

but yeah, i think its all been said, when your leading leg is bent around 10 oclock, thats when you should be humping the stem and locking up. dont literally lock up your knees though, they should have some flex in them.

wet roads are really the best though, cause then you're like "oh, thats what its suppose to feel like" and it gets much easier from that

skidding is no substitute for a front brake. you'd have to change your whole style of riding.

I just learned to do this in the last month or so - it helps me to not think of it as a series of steps (1. shift forward, 2. hop bike slightly, 3. jerk pedals, etc...) it is all sort of one motion. I had my first successful skip stop on wet pavement it really did help - once you feel it a single time it seems obvious.

From how you described your skidding, this is the recipe for destroying a hub. You definitely want to shift your weight forward. If anything, weight transfer is the key. You should NOT have to "hop" or anything like that, and "jerking" the pedals backwards is gonna strip a cog and/or eventually hurt your knees.

If you get your weight up front, it should be a very simple and smooth motion. You just have to stop pedaling.

Just make sure to tighten those asscheeks when you are skidding with those beers your system otherwise you will shard all over yourself. :P

I just lean forward lock my legs and lift the rear a little (not much)... ohh and hold on.


oh god i just spit beer all on my keyboard!

it's kind of a leap of faith to really throw your body onto the bars the first time, isn't it. when folks say lean forward, they mean really lean forward. just about all of your weight should be help by your arms. in one motion, lean way forward, and then stop the wheel--it will stay stopped. wet streets are fun to practice on. if you're skipping and not skidding, you're not pushing back too hard. what's likely happening is that you've got too much weight on the rear wheel. that was my problem, too, and i overcame it by really throwing my body forward onto my bars.

Its real simple. Drink 5 or more beers while it rains heavily. On the ride home convince yourself that you're going to be able to skid. Skid.

ditto that. it's how i learned.

skidding is no substitute for a front brake. you'd have to change your whole style of riding.

shhh don't give the secrets away...

The other day I saw a guy doing a 1block soft skid. Thats what I want to learn how to do. Kinda pointless but looks cool as hell. almost like his back wheel was floating.

I learned on a smooth/slick concrete garage floor, then went to a school parking lot, and within two tries I was able to get a full rotation backwards while skidding. put your nuts on the stem dude....

I was also stoked with myself when on the first day I did a skid with one foot while throwing the other leg over the frame and smoothly dismounting when the bike stopped. Do I fully know how I did it? hell no, but I was stoked, more than enough for me.

Try this. Right before you attempt the skid, think to yourself, "I'm gonna stop like a badass".

...one last thing. You can skid going slow as easily as going fast. So, I would suggest that you practice at a moderate speed.

Pulled off my first skid tonight. Felt awesome. I suggest working on your lean first without trying to lock your legs. Just to get used to the forward movement. Like carlton says you don't need a lot of speed. I was able to do skids at low speeds which allowed me to concentrate on leaning forward instead of worrying about a highspeed tumble.
This picture also helped a little.
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=35368
Instead of trying to keep my leg with a slight bend I really tried to emphasize the bend. It really helped out when I tried to lock the wheel. Hope this helps.

Im a big fan of the hop,skip,skid it works for me although I dont quite know how to explain how it happens if you ride clipless it helps. Sorry if someone else said that already I didnt read the whole thread.

I'm still wondering what I'm doing wrong when I accidently skip the rear wheel instead of skid it. Maybe I'm pushing backwards too hard?

this happenned to me when i first started skidding, i just didnt commit enough. i dont think you are pushing back too hard, but rather you are not resisting strongly enough. just my opinion.