Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - The best skipping/skidding tire ever?

I don't know but we are going to find out.
We ordered a handful of the Continental Ultra Sport Home Trainer Tire. It has a very high durometer and is built just for long life on the trainer. But we thought they might work well as a skidding tire. So when they show up, the two of us that like to abuse the back wheel are going to give them a go and see how they hold up. And see how they grip when leaned over.

the best skipping/skidding tire is a free one.

the dumpster is your friend.

i think "best" is a vague term.

longest lasting?
smoothest to skid on / least resistive?

i have been going through about one to two back tires, a month.

michelin were the worst, some types only lasting about 2 to 3 days!
panaracers were so-so.
continentals - slightly better than average.

bontrager race lite are heavy as hell, but seem to last. honestly, they are kind of crap tires, but can't argue with lasting more than a month (with me).

what about armadillos or gatorskins, i'm about to get a new bike and was thinking about putting some gatorskins on my new bike and putting the new bikes tires on the old one. I figure any tire with kevlar in it must do some good.

i have been going through about one to two back tires, a month.

maybe its time to run a brake? sure would save you some money. how much is street credit really worth?

apparently more than tires.

this question is like "what's the best grip tape for my skateboard" they're all the same when it comes down to it...

the best for stopping quickly? oh yeah that's the tire that doesn't skip/skid, my bad.

I usually go through about a tire a month sometimes two, and the only tires that have lasted more than a month have been Botranger/Trek tires. I actually have a pair of trek tires on my bike right now and they've been on there for two months or actually almost three now! I went through conti-ultra gp's in a week and a half. I went through armadillos in a month and a half. I enjoy skidding I don't care about street cred' I just like getting sideways through turns.

i think i just needed to get it out of my system.
once i got better at skidding, i wanted to do it more and more.
but alas, my tires couldn't hold up.

slowly but surely, it just became more about riding rather than for whatever reason i was skidding so much (oh showing off)...

i have had the same tires for like a year and juvikyle rode the **** out of them before that...

this question is like "what's the best grip tape for my skateboard" they're all the same when it comes down to it...

i completely disagree in both regards. Skateboardingwise, sometimes you got the tape that lost its grippiness in a week and other times you had that tape that lasted months. I could usually tell by the rawness of my thumb after a day of skating.

Tires are the same deal, each has its own feel, i have ridden tires that felt like i was riding on ice around turns and then there tires that grip the road like no other.

You could make this aruguemnt for innertubes however!

yes there are different grip tapes, but they're almost all the same. stop buying the clear neon pink kind if you want it to last.

tires are going to skid through no matter what and one road tire isn't going to skid easier/better than another because it just has to do with how much weight is up front. maybe if you're talking knobby vs slicks, but anything else.. naaaah

um actually you're wrong... Would you like to know how I concluded this? You said you've had the same tires for a year and anyone who has had the same tires for a year does not skid. Yep, stickier tires will be a little harder to innitiate skid on... and if you really want to make it easy to skid, get 18's and pump them up to 130psi then skid like you're on ice.

but that's not even the point of this thread... he's testing a trainer tire to see how long it will last.

My armadillos last. I mean last. Sure they suck in lots of other ways (wet traction anyone?) On average though I can make the rear tire last about 4 months and then just switch the front tire to the back at that point. So in other words on one set of armadillos I can go 8 months, then again I only skid maybe 5 times a week and never for distance.

true, i don't skid the **** out of my tires because there's no point... i skip to stop most of the time or just go through the red lights. i mean, my rear tire has flat spots all over the place, i deifnitely need new tires, but trying to find out what tire skids easier is still worthless... you need to buy your tires for riding performance... they all skid. who cares if it skids well if you can't hold yourself in a sharp turn.

you are, however, correct that higher pressure will make the skid easier.

Well the record is 479 feet?(497?) and the tire went flat the last twenty feet. So something that slides a little easier, low grip) combined with a more durable compund, less wear, would be good for a guy that likes to screw around skidding. Or for someone trying to get the hang of shifting the bike by sliding the back tire.
For every day street use this would not be a good tire, it has very low grip.
My regular tire is a Vredstein Fortezza, very grippy, supple ride, and I get decent mileage out of them.

geez guys..tires lasting a few days? i'm so glad i don't utilize skidding/skipping in my riding unless absolutely necessary. my tires usually last me like 9 months.

Michelin Carbons

it's not that bad, I usually get tires for about $15 a pair and now I have like 5-6 fronts laying arround my apt. so I just started using those now.

michelin were the worst, some types only lasting about 2 to 3 days!


I think you prob skid way way way way too much

My michelins (axial sport) lasted me a really really really long time non-fixed...and now I'm riding them fixed, and they have held up so far so good

I like fixed gear riding because, I like to move in, out of, and through situations (red lights, pedestrian crossings, oblivious motorists) and NOT break all the time...yes...skidding is fun, but... DAMN....2-3 days?

Vittoria ---> Rubino
Nice long skid .... many colour to choose from...
Here go my side advertisement....I have a pair of red Rubino for sale (brand spanking NEW) $45 SF local pick up only. PM me if anyone interested..

kenda kouriers are the thickest 700c tires i have ever seen. i skid and skip for great distances every day and they've lasted me like 4 months. when you skid on them, it sounds like a hive of angry bees zipping up their jackets

Unless you're doing skid competitions every night I really don't see how someone could go through 1 tire every month. I skid/skip for emergencies only and if I approach a red light too quickly and I've had tires last me over a year. My Michelin Carbons are showing absolutely no sign of wear and I've had them for a couple of months.

Skidding should be used when it's the only option. The whole point of riding brakeless is to find a hole or a way around things. Not to stop for things. if you're stopping that often you might as well put a brake on.

look it's just fun sometimes... I've been riding brakeless for a while and it's still fun. I know how to skid to stop and I know it's not always the most effective way to stop, but it's fun. funfunfunfunfun don't you understand I like doing it. I like getting sideways on my bike for the same reason I like getting as low as possible on a turn or catching somebody's wheel in a sprint... it's fun! This thread was never about why people skid or how long a tire should last, it was about having a bit of fun with a home training tire.

fine... you win you're better than me for skidding less and making your tires last longer.

I like getting sideways on my bike for the same reason I like getting as low as possible on a turn or catching somebody's wheel in a sprint... it's fun! This thread was never about why people skid or how long a tire should last, it was about having a bit of fun with a home training tire.

Exactly. I should have titled it, "The most fun skidding tire ever" They should show up before to long.

Unless you're doing skid competitions every night I really don't see how someone could go through 1 tire every month. I skid/skip for emergencies only and if I approach a red light too quickly and I've had tires last me over a year. My Michelin Carbons are showing absolutely no sign of wear and I've had them for a couple of months.

Skidding should be used when it's the only option. The whole point of riding brakeless is to find a hole or a way around things. Not to stop for things. if you're stopping that often you might as well put a brake on.

Skidding should be used whenever the hell anyone wants to skid (as long as I am not paying for their tires)! Depending on the geography of your riding territory skidding may or may not be optional for handbrakeless riders.

And it is fun, fun, fun! So much fun that I have been practicing crossfooted skids last night!

Skidding should be used whenever the hell anyone wants to skid (as long as I am not paying for their tires)! Depending on the geography of your riding territory skidding may or may not be optional for handbrakeless riders.

I don't think $0.00/Gal was saying that someone shouldn't be able to skid as much as the fuk they want...you're right, they should...but...I don't think ANYONE buys tires to only use for a few days or just a week ( for those who enjoy buying new tires every month, great for them). If that happens...you're prob doing something wrong, at least when it comes down to your pockets.

like you say...Although I would like to ride in a way that makes my components last, I ride in a very hilly area (and brakeless), so skidding is very necessary at times...I manage, however to use it minimally, however, because I'm not obsessed with it, and I enjoy turning the pedals over


With that said....everyone rides their own way and everyone rides for their own reasons. Some people ride in a way that they like to get places smoothly and swiftly, others would rather use cool fun moves to acheive what they need to get done. To each their own (and as each and their wallets/purses allow).

yes...skidding is fun fun fun tho...

I tried a leg over the bar skid the other day for the first time, and it was surprisingly easy (at least at the low speed that I did it)

then I got confident and almost busted my fukin' assss....the grip on my michelin axial sport (and I'd like to at least think some quick reflexes too) saved me tho!

The tires I ride would cost about $276/year if I got a new one every month.
If you put away $0.75 every day you could get a new tire at the end of every month.
$0.75 a day does not seem harsh on my wallet at all. Of course budgets vary, but 75 cents a day - I could have pulled that in highschool.

$138/year skidding habbit myself. So that is roughly $0.37 a day. Public transportation would cost $3. I am skidding at my heart's desire and the wallet is not complaining at all.

the soma tire is sweet, that thing is thick and beefy as heck. everyone should ride em' and shut up

http://www.somafab.com/tires.html#top

Skidding should be used when it's the only option.

Dangit people listen the hell up. Multiple people have now said you should only skid when it's needed. FACT: do not skid if you want to stop quickly. I know you're probably all too cool to own cars, but they have this thing called anti-lock brakes. It's not there to save you from buying tires for your car more often. Skid for fun all you want (although it seems like a terrible waste to fill up landfill withs tires that could have lasted much longer) but do not rely on it when a car pulls out in front of you.

i don't think anybody ever mentioned that it was any faster to stop by skidding

Oh man I'm stupid. Those people who said "only skid when you NEED to" must have meant when they are in the middle of an old school skid-off, likely michael jackson style handcuffed to each other.

Seems you don't read good.

i don't think anybody ever mentioned that it was any faster to stop by skidding

maybe it depends on your gearing, but I think it often is...especially down hill

I think skipping is very very efficient for going down hills

I sing the song usually for to get into the flow of it, "skip, skip, skip to my lou....skip, skip, skip to my lou"

so regardless of how much one skids or skips, or if chronic skidding is good or bad, i put
my vote in for the michelin carbon. i just don't like the red or yellow stripe.

i must say i don't skid or skip that much, but i do rotate my tire slightly to avoid burning
a whole in the skid/skip spots.

"maybe it depends on your gearing, but I think it often is...especially down hill"

It is not how high or low your gearing is, but the ratio. If it is an ever number, you will skid through your tire 17X faster than me. Someone else explained this much better on this forum: do a search for "skid patch".

That soma fab tire is a rebadged panaracer T-serve (for messenger), not that thats a bad thing. They sound like walking in cords when you skid on them.

Arguing about the aesthetics/pragmatics of skidding is like arguing about who's cooler: Destro or Cobra Commander. Sure, it's fun and there's compelling arguments on both sides (Cobra Commander -- pros: ostensibly in charge, bandana look + sharp uniform = pretty tight cons: not the best voice for public speaking, secretly not really in charge :: Destro -- pros: actually in charge (probably), great speaking voice, metal head + weird fur collar = P.I.M.P. cons: has to pretend that he's down with CC, metal head doesn't *necessarily* attract the ladies), but ultimately the argument's pretty stupid.

Like, go brakeless and skid all over the place. A little more risky, sure, but more fun, more Zen, and chicks and dudes alike will want on you. Run brakes, don't skid, save money on tires and lower insurance premiums.


Everybody wins.

ps - the best skidding tire is one that's covered in snow.


FYI.

I have a pair of Armadillos on my bike now. I've had them for about 13 months and a heavy amount of skidding has been done on them. The rear tire finally just started to get a bald patch. Definatly the best $60 I've ever spent.

"maybe it depends on your gearing, but I think it often is...especially down hill"

It is not how high or low your gearing is, but the ratio. If it is an ever number, you will skid through your tire 17X faster than me. Someone else explained this much better on this forum: do a search for "skid patch".

no.....I was talking about how efficient skidding is toward actual stopping.......


when I'm spinning on my 42 x 16 really fast, backpedaling might take me a while to really slow down, while lifting up to....skip, skip, skip to my lou...or simply skiddd...stops me a lot quicker...

if I were on a higher gear and the pedals were rotating less, I suspect that I would be able to put more force into backpedaling and maybe stop faster just applying a rugged backpedaling force

then again I only skid maybe 5 times a week and never for distance.

yeah, but thats only cuz you suck

pwned!

Arguing about the aesthetics/pragmatics of skidding is like arguing about who's cooler: Destro or Cobra Commander. Sure, it's fun and there's compelling arguments on both sides (Cobra Commander -- pros: ostensibly in charge, bandana look + sharp uniform = pretty tight cons: not the best voice for public speaking, secretly not really in charge :: Destro -- pros: actually in charge (probably), great speaking voice, metal head + weird fur collar = P.I.M.P. cons: has to pretend that he's down with CC, metal head doesn't *necessarily* attract the ladies), but ultimately the argument's pretty stupid.

Like, go brakeless and skid all over the place. A little more risky, sure, but more fun, more Zen, and chicks and dudes alike will want on you. Run brakes, don't skid, save money on tires and lower insurance premiums.


Everybody wins.

i don't know, i get the feeling the arguments here are based on a misunderstanding of everyone else's arguments...i think everyone just wants to know what tires are best for their uses. some want long skids. some want tires for frequent skidding i myself would want to be able to have the tire that'd last the longest with occasional skids now and then for fun, or skipping downhillls. i see what you're getting at, but i think more what's at question is what's best for each individual style...and it's sort of getting muddled. like if someone was taking one of destro's pros and someone else thought they were saying that's a reason cobra commander is cooler.