Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - a short SKIDDING rant...don't read if you don't want

in light of all the threads on skidding these days (these days...lol)...

the TeIaPeRiGoSa method to acheiving a skid [disclaimer: all opinions expressed are just that]

step 1) tighten toe clips well...and...do NOT run a brake (and if you do run one, NEVER touch it)
step 2) ride your bike a lot (preferrably in ALL weather and terrain conditions, rain, sleet, snow, ice, drought, grass, gravel, downhill, uphill)

tada!

if you have yet to accidentally skid, you're prob riding too ungullily (possibly a good thing)...so, proceed to ultimate step 3.

step 3) go somewhere where you have space to comfortably get up to speed, plenty of room to stop, and few obstacles... ok,so...you're moving pretty well (not too excessive of a cadence)...now, even tho you have let's say 100m free in front of you...pick a spot on the road (or anything else) that is WAY too close for you to stop in front of...and simply resist those pedals as if your life depended on it...you MUST stop before that point!
you WILL skidd
for the gully of heart....practice step 3 in traffic...preferably in a school zone at around 3pm
again..you WILL skidd...you do not want an angry mother beating down that assss with an umbrella because you came within' 10 ft of her 8 year old


....
all that weight forward ish is bogus...
yea...it can be fun....I didn't learn that ish till WAY after I was power skidding down hills...and by that time, it was ridiculously easy and unusefull...
it is NOT a necessary to learn that ish first
...

done procrastonating...that was fun

wow, that's hardcore. You get a cookie shaped like a skull and was baked whilst listening to death metal. :rolleyes:

worst advice ever.

You invented quite a few new words there.

I think it is great!... after all, you must be in water to learn how to swim.

The only point I don't agree with is the weight shift. You must unweight your rear even if it is just for a split second in order to lock up. No leaning forward necessary but a quick unweighting even if you are sitting down is needed unless you run a very, very low gear or are trying to really injure yourself.

It's got some good points, but here's a couple things to consider:

If you've got tall gearing 52-16 or thereabouts, skidding just by willing yourself to (as your method could be called) will NOT happen. Leaning over the front IS necessary to get a skid started if your legs aren't strong enough and/or your gearing is too high.

Good point about the brakes. Front brake + skidding = endo.

heh, that sounds like my method. my first skid was just me going "oh, ****, i don't want to go into that busy instersection!"

you do have to unweight the back wheel, as far as i'm concerened, but actually leaning is for distance. skidding to actually stop, um...you don't wanna lean forward "balls on the stem" style.

No leaning forward necessary but a quick unweighting even if you are sitting down is needed


i actually just fart

You must unweight your rear even if it is just for a split second in order to lock up.

I beg to differ, I rode a 45x15 on my old ross conversion and i could skip and skid while sitting down on the seat, no unweighting necessarry.

So, is this good or bad advice for a fixed gear newbie? I recently started riding my Pista more and more in fixed mode opposed to single speed mode. I feel like I have pretty good control by using just my legs and not the front brake. I have yet to skid though. Should I just give myself more time or should I start following the advice given above. BTW...I am running 46/18 gearing combo.

I beg to differ, I rode a 45x15 on my old ross conversion and i could skip and skid while sitting down on the seat, no unweighting necessarry.

So just to confirm you were sittig with all your weight on the seat and could lock up your rear wheel. No pushing against the handlebars or even the slightest shifting of weight? Simply amazing! Must be some legs you got!

I can lock it up and remain seated too, but I still shift my weight slightly.

I beg to differ, I rode a 45x15 on my old ross conversion and i could skip and skid while sitting down on the seat, no unweighting necessarry.

i do that on 48/49 x 16 too. i couldn't at first though.

edit: but there is a slight unweighting or forward thrust--even when seated.

edit: but there is a slight unweighting or forward thrust--even when seated.

Exactly what I am talking about. "Thrust" is a great word to describe it! For a bystander I will look like seated skip/skid (and it is) but there is a small little punch/thrust/shift/tensing of the body that preceeds the skid/skip.

So, is this good or bad advice for a fixed gear newbie? I recently started riding my Pista more and more in fixed mode opposed to single speed mode. I feel like I have pretty good control by using just my legs and not the front brake. I have yet to skid though. Should I just give myself more time or should I start following the advice given above. BTW...I am running 46/18 gearing combo.

stop worrying about it. one day you'll end up skipping (a mini-skid, if you will), to avoid traffic, and you'll realize you have to sustain it for a longer time to slow yourself down and, voila! you're skidding. only in that case is it really important. otherwise, it's a trick, not something useful, so it's cool, but nothing to trouble yourself about. if you want to practice skidding, just skip, but hold your legs in that position once the wheel comes down again, even though the pedals will try to move them.

once you get the safety skid (and yeah, i think skids can be useful in some situations), then just lean forward when you skid if you want to skid for distance.

So, is this good or bad advice for a fixed gear newbie? I recently started riding my Pista more and more in fixed mode opposed to single speed mode. I feel like I have pretty good control by using just my legs and not the front brake. I have yet to skid though. Should I just give myself more time or should I start following the advice given above. BTW...I am running 46/18 gearing combo.

YES!...this is GOOD advice!...that's how many of us learned, and that's why I gave it

and...I agree with 46x17's clarification, you do unweight the bike before your resist [just not aero-ed over the front wheel]...at least it is much easier that way...the extent of unweighting is similar (almost exact)to going over a pot hole...you just can't be lazy in the seat

http://www.worth1000.com/entries/24000/24361_w.jpg

You invented quite a few new words there.


i'm enjoying "ungullily." i'm adding it to my vocabulary.

worst advice ever.

+1

I beg to differ, I rode a 45x15 on my old ross conversion and i could skip and skid while sitting down on the seat, no unweighting necessarry.

The act of resisting the pedals or backpedaling automatically unweights you even if you remain seated.

my rear tire is now officially toast. i got too skid-happy. i will now only skid seriously and not just for kicks. really.

throw a michelin into your rotation...