Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - the perils of skidding

the past two weeks i've been skidding almost exclusively to control my speed, and my tire looks nearly stripped at one point. clearly i need to rotate my rear tire... i just didn't think i needed to rotate so frequently? the tire is a soma new xpress 700x23c.


any of y'all who love to skid... can ya give me an idea of what rear tires you ride, roughly how often you rotate and replace your rear tire, and if you have any suggestions for minimizing tire wear while skidding.

thanks,
alex

i used to run continental gator skin ultras, and they lasted a LOOOONG time...but they got to be too expensive...

then i got a michelin axial pro (with the red stripe all the way around)...that tire has lasted me about 6 months, and it's time for a new one. don't get the michelins. everyone i've known who's had them has hated them.

on my other bike i have some of the specialized armadillos, the wider ones with the red sidewalls (i think they're .26s or something), and they've lasted a lot longer than the michelin (i got them in jan. or feb.), and they're just now showing a little wear. the only problem with them is that they glide when you try to skid, and it only gets worse in the wet weather. they don't really grip the street when you try to stop. so far, these have lasted the longest.

...i'm still looking for a tire that's as good as the conti gator skins.

I guess it's a question of personal style, but I ride brakeless, and I hardly ever need to do big skids. I can stop pretty effectively just by de-pedalling hard. Only time I really ever skid is to show off or in some kind of emergency situation..

Another thing you can think about is: It looks like your wear is happening all in one place. I have heard that if you run an even/odd gear combo (like 48x15 or 48x17 instead of 48x16, or whatever) it will cause the tire to be in different positions instead of the same section of tread always being down..

As far as tires, there is one called "Skid Marks" or something to that effect. It is supposed to be designed for fixed gear use..

-Jason

don't skid as much.. !

try short hops and skips and de-pedaling instead, your tires will last so much longer.

as jason says, skid when you are in front of a girl or you are about to smack into something...

mc

Avocet Cross tires. They last forever. The tread is thick, but inverted so they still run smooth. Price is pretty good too. I run the 35s, but they really measure out as a 32. They come in sizes down to 28. They are made to be a touring tire, but work great for city streets where there is all kinds of nasty stuff that want to give you flats. These tires laugh at that stuff.

http://www.avocet.com/tirepages/cross_2_specs.html

I run Specialized Armadillos (http://www.zianet.com/outdooradventures/armadillo.html) and they have lasted me around four months now. Initially I was running some Serfas tires and they wore out in around two months. I highly recommend the Armadillos. I haven't even gotten a flat on them! FOUR MONTHS!

Originally posted by dumpstervegan
I run Specialized Armadillos (http://www.zianet.com/outdooradventures/armadillo.html) and they have lasted me around four months now. Initially I was running some Serfas tires and they wore out in around two months. I highly recommend the Armadillos. I haven't even gotten a flat on them! FOUR MONTHS!

same here. not one flat.

mc

i run some fancy continental grandprix and vittoria rubino foldups, but my wear on the rear tire is minimal, as i almost never skid.. i try to take it easy on my knees, so i carve when i have the room, and backpedal otherwise.

if your primary stopping method is skidding, get ready to swap tires every other month. they haven't invented the no-wear tire yet.

Originally posted by shrimpx
if your primary stopping method is skidding, get ready to swap tires every other month. they haven't invented the no-wear tire yet. The Avocet is pretty close to no wear. I skid all the time, put in a lot of miles (my fixed is my only road bike), and probably have around 2 years on these tires. Under normal conditions, people are reporting 6000 miles from a rear and double for the front. Everytime I check them for wear, I'm just amazed that they barely look used. I finally slice the sidewall on one of them a few months ago. Stitched with some dental floss, put some super glue on the stitches and a boot behind and the thing is good as new.

http://www.roadbikereview.com/Tires/Avocet+Cross+K+32/PRD_104044_2489crx.aspx

A friend of mine runs them on his MTB commuter and reports similar mileage

bah. while it's certainly true that i don't _need_ to do any skidding (brakes or no brakes), skidding is so much more fun than backpedaling. the only time i backpedal is when i'm going downhill cuz skidding downhill just makes me go faster.

i'll give the armadillo a shot, and i'll take a look at the avocet too. thanks for the suggestions all.

just picked up an armadillo at the LBS near work. just looking at it i know it'll ride like a brick. :D

-alex

Originally posted by dumpstervegan
I run Specialized Armadillos (http://www.zianet.com/outdooradventures/armadillo.html) and they have lasted me around four months now. Initially I was running some Serfas tires and they wore out in around two months. I highly recommend the Armadillos. I haven't even gotten a flat on them! FOUR MONTHS!

me too...it's weird...times when i was so sure i'd hear *PT...sSSSsssssssSsssssss* nothing. those tires are really excellent, except for the whole thing with gliding over the pavement during a skid.

Originally posted by OneTinSloth
me too...it's weird...times when i was so sure i'd hear *PT...sSSSsssssssSsssssss* nothing. those tires are really excellent, except for the whole thing with gliding over the pavement during a skid.

Yeah, totally. I've run over places where a cars window got smashed and there is a whole MESS of glass and not even flatted. It's nice. Long live the ARMADILLOS!

i rode the armadillo into work today and played around a bit with some skidding... two problems with this tire:

1) it does in fact ride like a brick.
2) skidding on it feels very slippery, not getting any traction.

yah, i know, the more traction i feel the more the tire is going to be wearing. i want my cake and i wanna eat it too, dammit.

i'm going to setup even-odd gearing with a softer tire this weekend and see if that makes a difference.

-alex

so...if you're not going to use the armadillos, could you maybe send one to me, and one to dumpstervegan? i've got a michelin that needs replacing...

also, try the conti gatorskins. they're like the armadillos (durability-wise) . but not as bricky, and they have a bit more traction.

I'm TOTALLY using my Armadillos. I LOVE them.

I ride at LEAST 10 miles per day, and no flats over a period of four months is incredible, especially in the city of Chicago.....

which is why you wouldn't mind getting a new one for free...right?