Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - struggling on skidding

So I have been riding my ss for a week now, it has a flip flop hub and i want to ride fixed so i can say im a true fg rider. But ive tried locking up the crank to skid, but with much failure. Maybe i need to lean more or what? Maybe my ratio is to low (or high?)

any tips?

push down with your back foot, pull up on the clips with your front foot, drop you nuts on the stem aaaaaaaand DONE.

It takes some practice. It's a lot easier on a dirt or gravel road. What gearing are you running?

Just practice for an hour or two each day until you get it. Like Jake said, dirt or gravel helps, as well as wet roads or grass or just about anything with less friction than asphalt. It's more technique than strength.

btw, there's no such thing as a "true fg rider" ;)

http://www.thenutfactory.com/photos/mixtures-nuts-deluxe-rs.jpg

+

http://www.foundmyself.com/tutorials/cherry-photoshop/step10.png


=


http://www.sydbma.org/images/acmc07/simonsmashes.jpg

I just built my first fg last month and can already skid, one thing I found was when I was practicing I was going too slow. So before you go all out nuts to stem, get to a comfortable speed... aaaannnddddd then go a bit faster and you should be good.

What is your ratio? I learned how to skid on 46/17, which is about 70ish gear inches.

Don't be afraid to put your nuts up to the stem. Let your front leg do just as much, if not more, work as your back leg in stopping the motion of the wheel.

How is skidding useful?

It's fun.

Oh, OK.

Once more...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xq-pPJRREo

I concur, go faster. I was riding one night with Alter Ego (a local ride) and happened to be brakeless, I can't skid very well, but I was going fast, hit the kid and suddenly I skidded mad skidz for dayz. son.

No, not really but I hit the longest skid I ever have and used far less effort then I normally do.

Yeah the faster you go, the easier it is for the tires to break traction since the rolling resistance doesn't have the same grip levels as when your rolling slow.

I can skid sitting down. Get some legs and get your nuts off the stem. The princess skid doesn't cut it - unless "skid" is being discussed here as a trick not a means of ceasing locomotion.

Ditch the clips and go clipless. It's all about the forward foot pulling up.

i think i found a new sport. i just need the equipment to get me there!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sajonqDgEmE&feature=related

Once more...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xq-pPJRREo

So that's how it's done.

it's good to know how to skid but against the idea of riding a track bike. if you look at experienced fixed gear riders they never skid they back pedal and ride steady. track bikes are not ideal for rapid speed changes positive or negative

when i first started riding fixed, i found it was all about committing and timing it. now i can do seated skids without any problem. going clipless has helped with being able to pull up with more confidence.

My gear ratio is 46:16 so is that pretty avg ratio? I will do some practicing this weekend and when i ride to work.

you shouldn't have to put your nuts on the stem unless you are trying to skid for a long distance to be "pretty" or something. Legs should be strong enough to not need any weight adjustment if you are standing up. Eventually you should be able to do it sitting down.

Well I'm also running 46/16. Its still hard for me to skid on dry pavement after 2 years!!!??
Look for wet grass! You will be amazed at how easy it is to skid. I can skid on wet pavement for about a foot or two! This is all leg power as I'm terrified to put my coco's on the stem 90mm's. The trick skidding is for rich kids who dont mind buying tires every other month! GET A FRONT BRAKE! Go have fun. And wear a helmet. Did I mention my legs are the size of watermelons "Portland's got Hill's" its all technique. Especially after watching 8 years olds on YouTube skid on bikes two sizes too big for them LOL

you shouldn't have to put your nuts on the stem unless you are trying to skid for a long distance to be "pretty" or something. Legs should be strong enough to not need any weight adjustment if you are standing up. Eventually you should be able to do it sitting down.

This.

The nuts to stem skid really is not useful at all.

This.

The nuts to stem skid really is not useful at all.

Or very safe! Hit a bump or stick while 50% of your body weight is cantilevered over the bars!!
NOT PRETTY AT ALL.

The way I learned to skid is, as already noted, pull up with the front foot, push down with the back, but to initiate the skid kind of hop up when you push up/down. What that's gonna do is unweight your tire. Eventually you won't have to do the hop with practice it'll just come naturally.

Sounds good, thanks all for the tips. Gona get out there today and practice, and as fixedgear80 said, spending a lot of money on new tires, for some reason i didnt think about that. And i still have a front break on my bike, thanks to the hills in seattle.

Having a longer stem also helps too when you're leaning forward and shifting the weight.

man, i gotta be honest, i have read these things over and over again...watched countless video's, have seen people lean over the bars, and others like emi and massan who just barely get off the saddle and do skids...but, i still cannot do them...i am running the standard 48 16 that came on the kilo tt, and it is hard enough just to slow down on it...when i try and lock up my legs, the pedals just keep on moving...i realize my gear ratio is like 81% which is farely high, but i live in the midwest, hills are really not a problem...so whats up, for those of us who cannot skid at all, do we need to look at a lower gear ratio and go to the gym to make our legs look like the hulk or what?!? i gotta be honest, i love watching emi and massan ride and the way they skid...yeah i would like to know how to do it to for emegency w/ my front brake, but like everyone else...i want to skid cause it looks fun as hell...

I can't do it yet, either, but I figure it's a matter of time.

My fixed gear bike got stolen last night, though, so it may be a while before I have another one. :-(

man, i gotta be honest, i have read these things over and over again...watched countless video's, have seen people lean over the bars, and others like emi and massan who just barely get off the saddle and do skids...but, i still cannot do them...i am running the standard 48 16 that came on the kilo tt, and it is hard enough just to slow down on it...when i try and lock up my legs, the pedals just keep on moving...i realize my gear ratio is like 81% which is farely high, but i live in the midwest, hills are really not a problem...so whats up, for those of us who cannot skid at all, do we need to look at a lower gear ratio and go to the gym to make our legs look like the hulk or what?!? i gotta be honest, i love watching emi and massan ride and the way they skid...yeah i would like to know how to do it to for emegency w/ my front brake, but like everyone else...i want to skid cause it looks fun as hell...

its in the legs, not the ratio

its in the legs, not the ratio

I agree. I bought a 14t cog for the track (still haven't had a chance to use it..*sniffle) but I put it on for a test ride around the block, 46x14, and I was still able to skid, just took more effort.

In that case, it must be a matter of technique as well as strength, if you can do it with a higher ratio than you had before.

I just remember pulling/pushing so hard at first that I'd cramp my hamstrings :P

I think it comes down a to a combination of muscle control, strength, and memory. Once you practice a lot it kind of becomes second nature and more of an instinctual move than something you have try hard to do.

Chances are if your having problems your a little weakling and need to buff up. Get in the gym, do some leg workouts (the machines are great for this) and put some on some muscle mass.

Yeah the pedals are going to keep going forward, get yourself a damn freewheel if you don't have the manpower to stop them.

... get yourself a damn freewheel if you don't have the manpower to stop them.

Might want to get a brake too, though it would be awesome to watch someone skid on a freewheel ;)

Might want to get a brake too, though it would be awesome to watch someone skid on a freewheel ;)

seated skids all day long

Its easiest to skid if your feet are at 2 and 8 o clock. Pull up with the foot at 2 and push down with the foot at 8.

Experiment with which foot is at the front but after a while you'll be able to switch and skid in other positions.

Nuts on the stem makes it easier to unweight the rear wheel but you can also just kinda hop the back wheel to skid easier if you want to do seated skids.

Pick up some speed and commit to it or no amount of good advice will help you!

Just realized I dont have strap in pedals. Im sure it will be a lot easier if I can pull up on a pedal. or no?

Just realized I dont have strap in pedals. Im sure it will be a lot easier if I can pull up on a pedal. or no?

.... Yes... that would solve your problem here buddy.. it's all about the pulling up

Just realized I dont have strap in pedals. Im sure it will be a lot easier if I can pull up on a pedal. or no?

http://www.bhop73.com/stuff/forumfun/facepalm.jpg

LOL thats some sig worthy material right there.

The immensity of the facepalm i did was of epic proportions

:roflmao: