Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - List of Crucial Skills to learn Rinding in the streets?

Feel to free add any cuz I'm missing more
I'd say:
Skipping - tapping off the speed
Skidding - even thou i still run a brake for hills. i like doing fishtail skids, i find it takes off speed faster but gotta have the balance down to make ya sure don't fall over. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLd3IXPGEtQ shows a guy doing this
Bunnyhopping - ova potholes and sidewalks
Trackstanding - this is an absolute must in my book for its sheer usefulness
Hockey Stop skid - for the just in case moments (i have to master it at fast speed now)
180 skid - for the quick "o snap i missed my turn" moments

skidding has very little practical purpose or value over simply resisting or skipping, so i wouldn't say it's crucial to learn.

it is crucial fun though.

I would say you could shave a few off that list. I get by with just skipping and trackstands, but that's me. I only commute and ride for fun.

you should know how to fall without breaking limbs or smacking your knoggin.

yo sup with that trailer. is it for a new sitcom? i love ted. i love bikes. could be a winner!

Well if you're brakeless then I consider skipping, skidding, and resisting to be crucial; even if skidding is less effective its good to know and I've got out of some tight squeezes with skids.

Trackstanding is crucial for me getting the jump on cars at intersections so I can properly position myself on the road.

I think creative leaning in turns is also crucial for steering sharply in tight squeezes (throwing the bike around underneath you etc.)

Other than that nothing is really crucial

If you have a brake none of that jazz is useful. With a brake, I think the only "trick" of marginal use is trackstanding, to wait out a light or something. It's much easier to put a foot down and you can get going quicker than if you were to trackstand out the light.

learn how to skid by putting your foot on your rear tire ala ted shred.

It's much easier to put a foot down and you can get going quicker than if you were to trackstand out the light.

I'm WAY faster off the mark at a light if I'm track standing

slow speed balance and coordination are extremely helpful in very dense traffic, so you don't have to put a foot down while you look and wait for an opening.

It's much easier to put a foot down and you can get going quicker than if you were to trackstand out the light.

The only way I could possibly see this being the case
would be if you ride Egg Beaters or some other type
of pedal that allows you to "mash" in. Otherwise,
you're going to have to flip the pedal and slide your
foot back into the cages, or else find the spot when
your cleat fits in, both of which would inarguably
take more time than simple hammering it straight
out of the light from your trackstand.

yo sup with that trailer. is it for a new sitcom? i love ted. i love bikes. could be a winner!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111941/

ok...not to put a derailleur ont his thread (lol!) but i really wanna know what thats from and i dont feel like looking for myself though itd be super easy to just type the name in the little google box up there. thats not gonna happen.

whats the word on that trailer.

and wtf at this thread. im surprised its being taken seriously. maybe im just too uptyyyyyyyyyyyyyyt.

edit: i type slow while watching jerry spring christmas special. thanx evanyc! ok nvm that thing looks dumb. i thought the guy at the desk was ted from scrubs. food/bike riding coming soon...too much internet for me this morning.

yo! i just told you son!

ok...not to put a derailleur ont his thread (lol!) but i really wanna know what thats from and i dont feel like looking for myself though itd be super easy to just type the name in the little google box up there. thats not gonna happen.

whats the word on that trailer.

and wtf at this thread. im surprised its being taken seriously. maybe im just too uptyyyyyyyyyyyyyyt.

edit: i type slow while watching jerry spring christmas special. thanx evanyc!
it can be useful later on for those who are just starting to ride fixed

check the ped signals. in dc we even have the ones that tell you how many seconds left for a walk signal. those changed the way i ride.

also, use your blockers. if a ped walks (casually) across a street, that's a good indicator that you can cross. you still have to look though.

always ALWAYS have a bail out. bunnyhopping curbs is not an essential, but it's damn useful sometimes.

Those countdown ped signals are the best invention EVER.

dude, i kinda remember that show. crazy times.

learn how to wear a helmet

contorting your body while riding, to fit in between uneven height mirrors.

Those countdown ped signals are the best invention EVER.

so true, i saw them in sf before they got them here and i was amazed. now we have them but only in downtown of course.

Sorry to get all practical on everyone but...

holding a line
riding in a group
recognizing slick/unsafe conditions (oil, metal plates, wet leaves, manhole covers, sewer grates, painted crosswalks, etc...)
predicting driver and ped behavior
quick acceleration (including getting into the pedals quickly)
not getting right hooked at intersections
staying the **** out of the door zone

http://pw.nashville.gov/IMS/images/HandSignals.gif

http://pw.nashville.gov/IMS/images/HandSignals.gif
awesome. no-handed trackstand x3.

i'd like to add to the list, learning to place the traffic behind you by sound.

fsnl
sparky

http://pw.nashville.gov/IMS/images/HandSignals.gif

Do these vary from state to state because I remember right turn being a 90 degree angle pointing upward with the left hand.

contorting your body while riding, to fit in between uneven height mirrors. To supplement this, if you ride in a very bent over position and wear a backpack, your pack will stick up about half a foot higher than your head. Remember this when you try to go under the side mirror of that public bus you're passing.

awesome. no-handed trackstand x3.

i'd like to add to the list, learning to place the traffic behind you by sound.

fsnl
sparky

Yeah I think the sound thing is Very helpful in staying alive in traffic....

Seriously. I can't bring myself to listen to music while riding for this reason- it's a far more useful skill than most give it credit for.

On that note, during the summer I had sort of a pants-messing surprise when a Prius in electric mode snuck up beside me. Those things are like damn ninjas.

Do these vary from state to state because I remember right turn being a 90 degree angle pointing upward with the left hand.

I think that is for driving, because it is impossible to stick your right hand out of the right side of the car. Either way, it's much safer to actually use the arm corresponding with your turn. About 50% of drivers have no idea what it means when a cyclist throws a left arm up 90 degrees. At least thats my experience.

Do these vary from state to state because I remember right turn being a 90 degree angle pointing upward with the left hand.

They are both correct. Recently the picture has been taught in safety classes primarily because its easier to remember. When I've taught classes (yes, I'm actually a LCI cert instructor) I show both and let people decide. Ultimately, its about communicating with auto traffic and both do this effectively.

Do these vary from state to state because I remember right turn being a 90 degree angle pointing upward with the left hand.
Thats the way I was taught, 90 degree angle, left hand always so that the driver of the car can see you.

Thats the way I was taught, 90 degree angle, left hand always so that the driver of the car can see you.
only prob wit that is if your in the middle of the street and want to switch over to the right side. A car on the right of you wont see your left hand very well, that why i use the left hand for left and right hand for right. I stick them straight out and wave to draw more attention to my signal. but this is just me

One thing we were also taught was to always ride on the right side of the street, with traffic. So if that is true, you use your left hand. But what ever gets the drivers attention is good in my book.


only prob wit that is if your in the middle of the street and want to switch over to the right side. A car on the right of you wont see your left hand very well, that why i use the left hand for left and right hand for right. I stick them straight out and wave to draw more attention to my signal. but this is just me

learning how to squeeze through traffic without knocking people's rear view mirrors off. "contorting your body while riding, to fit in between uneven height mirrors"

skip/skids. fishtails and hockey style skids shave off the speed the fastest. In the rain i've found that just applying alot of back pressure slows you down more efficiently than a skid due to the lack of friction.

TO BE AS AWARE AS POSSIBLE. and even a whole lot more aware riding in wet conditions.

trackstanding - allows quick pick up after light changes and you dont have to bother with getting your feet back in the clips.

Helmet, seeing what is happening 2-6 blocks up, find the holes, skipping if you don't run a brake, light timing (traffic and walk)

learning how to inappropriately touch someone and elude capture

learn how to skid by putting your foot on your rear tire ala ted shred.
+1 for emergencies. like if you come unclipped or you throw a chain. never happened to me, but...

Don't forget this important hand signal:




http://www.fourfold.org/daveb/HandSignals.gif The Nathan Fabian, AKA "Double Corndog"







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I agree with the slow-moving balance for dense traffic. Sometimes I dont trust myself riding through tight lanes and start to wobble. Ive only fell on someone hood once so far though.

All purpose lean, when you get cut off w/out an out and don't want to unclip.

Surprised no one has mentioned it, but it is something I use everyday:

Unweighting the front/rear wheel when riding over obstacles/potholes/bunnyhopping/curb-hopping/metal-plates and eluding numerous other potential wheel destroyers and face smashers.

staying the **** out of the door zone

+1000000

Surprised no one has mentioned it, but it is something I use everyday:

Unweighting the front/rear wheel when riding over obstacles/potholes/bunnyhopping/curb-hopping/metal-plates and eluding numerous other potential wheel destroyers and face smashers.

oh yeah, that's a good one...if i see kinda smooth bumps in the road i'll use my arms to pump through them like a skateboarder does on transition...it's nice and smooth and keeps the seat from trying to buck you off the bike.

Stay off the sidewalk. Seriously.

Oh, and please, please, please stop being a ninja and get some lights. I want drivers to think Speilberg is filming the sequel to Close Encounters Of The Third Kind when I ride at night.

there's also picking up on obscure, vague, or hard-to-define automobile cues to predict what a driver is about to do. sometimes i'm like, "i knew that dude was about to left hook me!" maybe it's cause i expect everyone to left hook me, but sometimes it seems like i guessed it and i'm not sure why. maybe experience, combined with whatever the **** malcolm gladwell talked about in Blink.

alright. im a freaking idiot.
lets just say im pretty damned UN safe on the road.
i wont list my bad habbits, but you can guess em.


so far, yeah everybodys listed all the points, but i have to say that pacing and listening to your bike while riding is super important. pacing is an a response that comes out of real situations, as in, you govern the spin to go with traffic, not against it. there is a time and a place for full clip, but be aware of when that time is and where that place is. I'm slowly learning that just riding super fast doesnt always work, you have to listen to traffic and your bike.


it might sound a little vauge, but it makes sense in my head.

look ahead, around, everywhere

listen

i hear ya kludge. the fastest way through a city, especially in traffic, has nothing to do with how fast you pedal, but how well you can integrate with the traffic. dont compete with it, flow with it and around it.

i hear ya kludge. the fastest way through a city, especially in traffic, has nothing to do with how fast you pedal, but how well you can integrate with the traffic. dont compete with it, flow with it and around it.



well that and, ive been in a lot of situations where i'm more behind things and not so much ahead, and beacuse of this i see a lot of wierd sh*T happen at the places i would have been had i been going at full speed.

i hear ya kludge. the fastest way through a city, especially in traffic, has nothing to do with how fast you pedal, but how well you can integrate with the traffic. dont compete with it, flow with it and around it.

Route choice is a lot of it - knowing good shortcuts and alternatives.