Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Sometimes skidding goes two ways

Today Oklahoma got some much needed rain, and unfortunately some slightly over-due tornadoes. Before the ****e hit up here in Stillwater I went outside to play in the rain. I did my first more-than-a-few-feet skids, and those were a blast. But I learned that skidding not only applies to the going-to-stopping transition, but sometimes to the stopped-to-going transition as well!

I was track standing at an intersection, waiting for cross-traffic to clear before turning left. When it was my turn to go, I pushed on the pedals to leave my track stand and the bike fell right out from under me! I guess I had my back tire sitting over the paint that marks the crosswalk and it was so slick that I didn't get any traction when I started spinning the pedals. I somehow managed to land with my feet on the ground straddling the bike. I just picked it up, gave the car behind me a "yeah I know, I saw it too" look, walked over onto the empty sidewalk, mounted up, and rode back up the street to attempt the whole process over again (minus the falling down part, of course).

I'm starting wonder if a greater power just wants me to stay on the ground. Anybody else have similar experiences with slippery surfaces?

I had not ridden much in the rain or on slippery surfaces. Ever. It was the day after Thanksgiving, and I had just fashioned some fenders out of some old "for sale" signs, and it had just poured and then stopped. The sun was coming out, and I though "Perfect, I'll go see if I can get wet even though I have my new special super duper homemade fenders on my bike."

I headed for the U.C. Davis campus which was a) deserted and b) still wet since it was both shaded and void of auto traffic. I looked for the wettest pavement I could find, and then rode through it as fast as I could. As I rounded the infamous bike circle (aka "roundabout" for those from the UK) in front of 194 Chem, my bike went straight out from under me, and my face straight into the pavement. Had I not been wearing a helmet, I would have been off to the emergency room at best. As it was, I rode away with a sprained wrist, a cracked helmet and a small scrape on my chin.

On a related note, I continued riding with a very sore wrist. That cause me to strain my back as I tried to take my weight off of it. Three weeks later, I threw my back out. I wound up in the emergency room for that and had to stay the night in the hospital when morphine wasn't working.

On a related note, I continued riding with a very sore wrist. That cause me to strain my back as I tried to take my weight off of it. Three weeks later, I threw my back out. I wound up in the emergency room for that and had to stay the night in the hospital when morphine wasn't working.

That reminds me of the last long run I did this spring before I benched myself from running. I was nursing a problem with my right calf so much that it started eating up my left knee. I told myself "there is no way in hell I'm getting two injuries for the price of one", and shut my run down at seven miles and got to do the walk of shame home for five miles.

One time Iwas mountain biking at UC Santa Cruz with a friend of mine. Well, most of the trails on the UCSC campus drop out onto Highway 9, which is a narrow, mindy moiuntain road. Anyway, it started raining while we were on the trail, and we dropped out onto 9 in the rain. It's about two miles from the bottom of the trail back to town, and it's a pretty steep road, so we were cruising along at about 25-30mph in the rain. We got to the spot where the railroad tracks cross the road. There's a very obvious "WALK BIKES ACROSS TRAKCS" sign that we both ignored.

We were both turning as we hit the tracks. My friend hit them first and his bike went right out from under him. A couple seconds later I did the same thing. I went down right next to a pickup truck going the same way on a very narrow road. I was sliding along the pavement with a truck wheel less than 2 feet from my head. Luckily, I was moving in the same direction as the truck, and so I didn't get my head run over. It still freaked me out, though.

Neither of us was seriously injured, as we were wearing helmets, gloves, and long sleeves. I did have a sore wrist for a while, though.

I wonb't get anywhere wet steel on a bike now.

i haven't spun out from a trackstand, but i was riding home thursday when we got our much needed rain and i took a right turn too fast and my bike went out from under me... i was in street shoes and i managed to jump off and was sliding on my feet for about 5-6 ft, just long enough to think i might pull it off, before i slipped and fell to my leg/butt and slid another 8ft or so... it was pretty crazy. i felt like i was in one of those wrecks you see on OLN where they just fly into the hay bales

The first time I got hit by a car was in the rain. I was approaching an intersection (10th and Bainbridge going south on 10th for you Philly folk) where two cars were lined up at the stop sign on Bainbridge. As per the norm, I aimed to hit the intersection just behind the bumper of the first car, thereby not having to stop or impede the progress of the second car. Unfortunately, the second car decided that it was too good for the stop sign. What did he think, that he was on a bike? So by the time I see that he's not stopping I'm already committed to the intersection. No big deal, I'll just stand and hammer and get through nice and clean before he gets to me. Sadly, with the adrenaline pumping I hammered a little too hard and spun my tire. By the time I regained traction it was too late and I got clipped in the rear triangle and went flying. Luckily neither my body nor steed was injured and the driver did stop even though he could easily have hit and run. I know it's kind of wrong to give somebody credit for simply doing the right thing, but still. He was properly horrified at himself, so I let him go with a warning and made my way home. All's well, I suppose. But yes, mind those slick roadways.

on a rainy day i was riding around a college campus and was going to pass through a science building--i just squirted in an open door and was slowly biking through, but when my rear tire left the doormat and hit the tile, it completely went out from under me.

on a rainy day i was riding around a college campus and was going to pass through a science building--i just squirted in an open door and was slowly biking through, but when my rear tire left the doormat and hit the tile, it completely went out from under me.

That science building sure learned you something powerful.

That science building sure learned you something powerful.

floors hurt when gravity brings you together.

unfortunately, it was the same science building in which, a few years earlier, i learned that when you skip class all the time and spend the better part of a semester depressed and pissed off, you fail physics.

this building has many lessons to offer. i recommend visiting it and meditating for a while if you're ever in middletown, ct.

so it was raining here in NY yesterday and i was throwing some nice long 50 foot skids (down a hill of course, i'm not that good). I managed to lay down a nice power-skid/slide where you lean the bike over, which was really cool. Until I hit a dry patch on the road. Then I went flying sideways off my bike.

clearly this is the shortbus of threads

Trackstanding at a stop sign waiting for the crosswalk to clear. Pavement was dry, level, and clean. Normal asphalt, not anything slippery. Saw an opening, put nealy all of my weight forward and torqued the pedals for a really strong, sprinting start. Rear wheel lost traction and spun to the drive side. I fell over with both of my feet still in the pedals. I couldn't move to loosen the straps because I was on my left arm and my right arm couldn't reach. I had to ask five people for help without anyone stopping before I could get one of my feet out of the pedals and stand up. The most embarassing day of my life ever. You'd think somebody would have stopped...

ok, so not really in the sense you guys are talking 'bout (since i've got a freewheel) but yesterday in the rain as I was bombing down a hill into a parking lot this girl walks out from behind a car ten feet ahead, so I slam on the brake, and the back wheel fishtails like crazy. I skidded a couple feet like that, felt like I was going to stay up and then went down and slid right up to her feet on my side. bruised the hell out of my right hip, but it was a lot of fun :)

ok, so not really in the sense you guys are talking 'bout (since i've got a freewheel) but yesterday in the rain as I was bombing down a hill into a parking lot this girl walks out from behind a car ten feet ahead, so I slam on the brake, and the back wheel fishtails like crazy. I skidded a couple feet like that, felt like I was going to stay up and then went down and slid right up to her feet on my side. bruised the hell out of my right hip, but it was a lot of fun :)

Was she impressed?