Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Skid Stopping Leg Soreness

So just got the new fixed gear about two weeks ago, never ridden one before, decided to take it out for a ride. After I got the basics of riding the thing down I tried doing some skip stops, after a little bit got that down. Felt really cool to be able to do that, so i did it ALOT.

Anyway my question was in regards to the leg soreness I experienced after, which was immense to say the least. I didn't even want to try the skip stops again for another week. Couldnt even bring my forward leg up to my waste off the bike.

Is this normal given that they are probably muscles I have never really worked while cycling? If it isnt normal, any suggestions on how to fix it?

First off, use a brake and build your skills up. You are risking damage by repeatedly stressing muscles/tendons/etc that are not conditioned, this goes for pretty much any activity, running, biking, climbing, etc.

I got that too. Though I only skid/skip stopped a few times. I was away from the bike for a week after that first day (vacation). Do as ianjk said, work into is slowly, your knees and hips will thank you. My butt muscles are a little sore now, the inner leg muscles were sore after the first skidding day. Stretch after warming up, that will help as well. You're just using muscles that you never really use to that intensity otherwise.

Went away in a few days for me, its working new muscles, so think about how you feel after the gym.

Also try to learn with both legs.

skid and skip stops are bad for your knees. I have done it a lot and would say that my legs have gotten used to this activity, but I still get a lot of pain whenever I skid excessively. Best bet is to put a brake on your bike.

"Is this normal given that they are probably muscles I have never really worked while cycling? "

Yes, this is normal.

I am experiencing the same exact thing as OP, new to fixed riding, skidded like a madman, then great leg soreness, especially when lifting leg up...
90% of the pain is in my dominant right leg. will try stretching and skid more progressively. while researching cycling pain problems, most solutions seemed to indicate proper bike fit, mainly saddle height. mine is pretty slammed down, could this have to do with this, or is skid leg soreness a whole different issue ?? i've never really experienced discomfort while riding fixed before trying to skid..

I am experiencing the same exact thing as OP, new to fixed riding, skidded like a madman, then great leg soreness, especially when lifting leg up...
90% of the pain is in my dominant right leg. will try stretching and skid more progressively. while researching cycling pain problems, most solutions seemed to indicate proper bike fit, mainly saddle height. mine is pretty slammed down, could this have to do with this, or is skid leg soreness a whole different issue ?? i've never really experienced discomfort while riding fixed before trying to skid..

You answered your own question.

131277
..

Get yourself all the way Nutz-2-Stem, get that weight up there, don't be skurred. Then all you have to do is lock your back leg, with very very little effort. No more soreness. Of course, this won't do crap for stopping, but that's not the point of skidding.

Get yourself all the way Nutz-2-Stem, get that weight up there, don't be skurred. Then all you have to do is lock your back leg, with very very little effort. No more soreness. Of course, this won't do crap for stopping, but that's not the point of skidding.

Yeah but skidding nuts to stem looks silly

Yeah but skidding nuts to stem looks silly

Everyone looks silly when their learning skids, you either look silly being nuts to the stem or you look silly failing

skid and skip stops are bad for your knees. I have done it a lot and would say that my legs have gotten used to this activity, but I still get a lot of pain whenever I skid excessively. Best bet is to put a brake on your bike.

I thought this was the best post, then I saw this one:


http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=131277

I had this problem when learning to skid too. I got over it by starting off skidding balls to stem then slowly moving my weight back over time as my legs got stronger. You end up ****ing yourself up by trying those from-the-saddle skids before your legs have built enough muscle to handle it.

I thought this was the best post, then I saw this one:

Glad I could come through for you, Papa Het!

:D

Yeah but skidding nuts to stem looks silly

I dunno, when you really, really get out there, it looks pretty bad-ass imo.
http://www.sydbma.org/images/acmc07/simonsmashes.jpg

I dunno, when you really, really get out there, it looks pretty bad-ass imo.
http://www.sydbma.org/images/acmc07/simonsmashes.jpg
New cycling goal of the year

Glad I could come through for you, Papa Het!

:D

Papa Het? I suppose that's better than Jimbo.

Breaks

Hetfield has a tattoo that says 'Papa Het'.
:lol:

Breaks

Brakes?

yes, breaks!

http://www.stonesthrow.com/uploads/images/product/detail/super-duck-breaks-the-saga.jpg

Kurtis Blow?

the real deal...

http://funkdeli.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/kurtisblow_breaks.jpg

http://tonymix.files.wordpress.com/2009/05/a-kurtis.jpg

New cycling goal of the year

lmao.

is this the only sheldon brown thing fixsters don't listen to? skidding does not really build muscle. it actually damages it. someone hook me up with the link.

"Some fixed-gear fans make a point of not using their brake except in an emergency. I am not sure that this is a good idea. Heavy duty resisting is widely reputed to be bad for your legs, and to be counterproductive for building up muscles and coordination for forward pedaling. Google for "eccentric contraction" for more on this topic. (http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=eccentric+contraction&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) Eccentric contraction is reputed to cause micro-tears to your muscle tissue, so it actually weakens your muscles, unlike other forms of exercise."
But who skids for utility, if i want to beef my legs up would I just try and fight to NOT move them... no, i'd climb a hill

skid and skip stops are bad for your knees. I have done it a lot and would say that my legs have gotten used to this activity, but I still get a lot of pain whenever I skid excessively. Best bet is to put a brake on your bike.

+1

"Some fixed-gear fans make a point of not using their brake except in an emergency. I am not sure that this is a good idea. Heavy duty resisting is widely reputed to be bad for your legs, and to be counterproductive for building up muscles and coordination for forward pedaling. Google for "eccentric contraction" for more on this topic. (http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=eccentric+contraction&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8) Eccentric contraction is reputed to cause micro-tears to your muscle tissue, so it actually weakens your muscles, unlike other forms of exercise."
But who skids for utility, if i want to beef my legs up would I just try and fight to NOT move them... no, i'd climb a hill

Like Sheldon said, google "eccentric contraction".
The first google result will bring you here (http://www-neuromus.ucsd.edu/musintro/contractions.shtml):
Now, to quote the research by UCSD,

Eccentric contractions are currently a very popular area of study for three main reasons: First, much of a muscle's normal activity occurs while it is actively lengthening, so that eccentric contractions are physiologically common (Goslow et al. 1973; Hoffer et al. 1989) Second, muscle injury and soreness are selectively associated with eccentric contraction (Figure 2, Frid�n et al. 1984; Evans et al. 1985; Frid�n and Lieber, 1992). Finally, muscle strengthening may be greatest using exercises that involve eccentric contractions. Therefore, there are some very fundamental structure-function questions that can be addressed using the eccentric contraction model and eccentric contractions have very important applications therapeutically to strengthen muscle.
Now Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscle_contraction#Eccentric_contraction) also supports this, but points out that only an "overload" of eccentric contraction will cause damage,

Muscles undergoing heavy eccentric loading suffer greater damage when overloaded (such as during muscle building or strength training exercise) as compared to concentric loading.
and

Over the short-term, strength training involving both eccentric and concentric contractions appear to increase muscular strength more than training with concentric contractions alone
then explains its long-term effects

Exercise that incorporates both eccentric and concentric muscular contractions (i.e. involving a strong contraction and a controlled lowering of the weight) can produce greater gains in strength than concentric contractions alone.[4][5] While unaccustomed heavy eccentric contractions can easily lead to overtraining, moderate training may confer protection against injury.[4]
In addition,

Eccentric contractions are being researched for their ability to speed rehab of weak or injured tendons. Achilles tendinitis has been shown to benefit from high load eccentric contractions.[6][7]

As the above sources have explicitly stated, I believe that eccentric contraction of muscles when used to, say for example resist pedal stroke, is actually beneficial to your muscles (and at a much greater degree than concentric contraction), strengthening and protecting them.
However, one should be aware of the possibility and risk that it, like anything else, can be overdone, and in this case, would not bode well at all.

I have the greatest respect and admiration for Sheldon Brown, however, here, it seems he's either made an error (which I highly doubt), or these research results weren't available during the time in which he wrote this article (the latter seeming more likely).
So before you accept anything you read as gospel, look at some other sources.

i for sure rode every day and did not do a skid for at least six months. it is fairly unnecessary if you just use your legs. plus unless you like buying new tired every month you should do what the other dude said and develop some leg muscles.

Well, all things in moderation and what not. I'll resist for moderate speed corrections but I'm too damn old to be locking up my legs for omgmadskidz. Everyone eventually learns their breaking point.

I figured out how to do seated skidzzz. My legs are so ****ed.

If you insist on skidding, my only suggestion is to do the classic "put your junk to the stem" technique at first just to get it down. That way you don't have to lock up your legs with as much pressure as a seated skid just yet. Granted when you lean that far forward on a skid it doesn't really do much for stopping, but you can gradually start to lean back more as you get comfortable with skidding and your legs get used to it. I do that from time to time, I'll lean forward to get the skid started and then just lean back to apply more pressure to the rear wheel to stop better. I also just switched up to 48x17 gearing, so I have to get used to it.

I say just put a front brake on. I mean if you're trying to stop, that's what a brake is for. Sure, seated skids or skid whips are fun, but when you're mashin down a hill or at an intersection and you get beyond that point of being able to lock up for a skid, it's gonna be lights out. Function over fashion on this one.

The pain the OP experienced is probably in the hip flexors from the eccentric contractions (mentioned earlier) during slowing down but not skidding. Many first time brakeless street FG riders experience this.

Basically, as the pedal moves forward the rider uses hip flexors to slow the forward motion down. The muscles are contracting as the pedal pulls your leg longer. This is a sensation unique to street FG riding as even track racers don't ever apply braking pressure like that. Freewheeling bikes never produces that situation.

This is not from skidding as skidding creates a CONcentric, normal, contraction because the crank arm doesn't pull and lengthen the muscle during the event.