Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - familiarizing/skidding on fixies

First off, i'm new to bikeforums and fixies as well. i've spent the last few weeks converting an old schwinn into a fixed gear. i didn't have a ton of money at the time so i had to compensate. i welded a freewheel sproket in order to make it fixed gear and am using that. i just finished today. i'd have to say i'm extremely impatient with this, especially considering that i just started. i watched some tutorials on youtube on how to skid, which was to no avail. i'm definitely a go getter so i expected the best right away haha. but, i'd like some tips on fixie riding overall, as well as how to skid. my gear ratio is 52/17, not sure if this is good or not in regards to skidding. i know it'll take a lot of time, i just wanna know where to start. so, feedback?

What's it like living back in 1995? The internet is wild stuff, huh?

This is so relevant: http://www.getsalt.com/public/downloads/fixed%20gear.pdf

your gear ratio is high

i welded a freewheel sproket in order to make it fixed gear and am using that.

What a terrible idea. It might unthread completely or strip the threads from your hub. A guy came into the shop once and said he had wood glued his freewheel together to make a fixed gear. He was so proud too. Fuuuuuuuuuuu

inb4 ****storm

During the civil war they used 52 x 17 to perform below-the-knee amputations.

If a dude got a gun shot they'd put him on an old schwinn with a 52 x 17 fixed. Usually they would create this bike by welding a freewheel.

Anyway, injured dude would bust a sweet skid and rip the bottom of his leg off.

Thats actually why clipless pedals were invented. Medical necessity.

Oh, but really, try it on wet grass going down hill.

well, what would be a better gear ratio then?

20/19 is sweet for sikk skidz.

It's really not that hard man keep practicing some of my buddies hop on my fixed gear for the first time and skid, others it takes a little bit of time.

with a gear ratio like that youre going to have to lift some weight off the rear wheel unless you have some decent leg strength.

Learn to shift much of your weight from the rear wheel to the front wheel. Get your weight off the saddle. Lean on the handlebars a bit.

42/19 would be great for learning skids. 42/17 would also be pretty decent.

What is your pedal situation? You need foot retention or else you can only put half your strength into the skid. Reason being, if your front foot is not strapped to the pedal somehow, you can't pull it upward while you push downward on the rear pedal. Ya dig?

i noticed some play in my chain last night while riding, which i can definitely see as a problem. i bought pedal cages but they didn't fit my crank shaft so i gotta get new ones. should i get pedals that accommodate toe clips, or should i get cages/ straps? i feel like the new tires make a difficult ish to learn too maybe? i have a 32 crank, should i try using that one to make it a 32/17 instead of 52/17?

i noticed some play in my chain last night while riding, which i can definitely see as a problem. i bought pedal cages but they didn't fit my crank shaft so i gotta get new ones. should i get pedals that accommodate toe clips, or should i get cages/ straps? i feel like the new tires make a difficult ish to learn too maybe? i have a 32 crank, should i try using that one to make it a 32/17 instead of 52/17?

Here are my $.02

At least get a fixed cog and bb locking along with some loc-tite... The second you put enough back-pressure on your ghetto cog, it will unthread. Trust me, I did this to my first fixed that I had ghetto-rigged. Suicide hub > welded freewheel.



2:

32/17 with 700c wheels is 50 gear inches. That's very easy to pedal, possibly too easy? I run 44/17 which is 69 gear inches and that is considered pretty easy, so yeah 50 is not going to have very much top speed. It should be very easy to skid with though (if you can build up some speed first).

New tires can make skidding difficult at first, in my experience. At least it seemed that way. But maybe it wasn't the tire getting "broken in" that made it easier for me to skid, but rather improvement in my technique.

As far as pedals/straps, that's a very personal choice. I like bmx pedals with straps. Most people here seem to prefer clipless (shoes that connect to your pedals via a cleat). And some others prefer clips. I think straps are a wise choice if skids are your primary objective.

and yes like ianjk said above, for safety's sake - get a proper cog and lockring. They cost very little. Much cheaper than your ambulance ride will be if you keep using the DIY "cog".
If you insist on the 32T chainring, you may want to buy a 15T fixed cog. That'll give you 57 gear inches (32/15) and still give you enough skid patches to get the job done.

i noticed some play in my chain last night while riding, which i can definitely see as a problem. i bought pedal cages but they didn't fit my crank shaft so i gotta get new ones. should i get pedals that accommodate toe clips, or should i get cages/ straps? i feel like the new tires make a difficult ish to learn too maybe? i have a 32 crank, should i try using that one to make it a 32/17 instead of 52/17?

First of all, please stop typing in that teeny tiny font.


i bought pedal cages but they didn't fit my crank shaft so i gotta get new ones.

Secondly, what?

I dont know how to explain it. If you are caged just push back and pull up. If you aren't caged then push back pretty hard and put your mass on your bars.

If you aren't afraid of a little road rash practice your skids on a basketball court after a good rain. Dont go balls out or anything, but once you get moving at a decent clip you should be able to skid easy. Just remember to start to mashing again before you whip too far and eat it. Dont worry if you do because it happens to the best of us.

For the record, you are wicked brave with that ghetto rig. More props to you.

Whaaa? Wood glue? Was he sniffing it? These young bucks have balls of steel.

@scrod, lol I noticed that too but was trying to go easy on him. i think by crank shaft he meant crank arm, and maybe pedal cages are platform pedals? maybe he bought 1/2" instead of 9/16" or vice versa. whatev.

@vaudevillain - skidding gets boring pretty quick once you can do it, just fyi. don't put too much time/money/effort into it. it's less exciting than it seems. IMO

I dont know how to explain it. If you are caged just push back and pull up. If you aren't caged then push back pretty hard and put your mass on your bars.

For the record - cages and toe clips are not the same thing. Cages are a part of a two-piece pedal, where there is a pedal body with a cage or cages attached to them.

Example - MKS Custom Nuevos have silver bodies with black cages:

https://businesscycles.com/graphics/mks-customnuevo.jpg

These - on the other hand - are clips, which are useless without straps (regardless of what markaitch has to say about it):

http://schwabcycles.com/merchant/520/images/large/mks-toeclips.jpg

Sorry about the small font. hm well i was looking on ebay and fixed gear hubs were like 150$, wasn't down for that after spending like 120 on my front wheel. i'm waiting to get paid this week so after that i'm gonna get toe cages and such or whatever they're called. suggestions on what cog exactly? and where i should buy one? i have a local bike shop where i bought my tires and i like never go there but i'm gonna check for other stuff there soon. i'm sorry about my sketch bike vocab. i'm a total amateur.

@vaudevillain - skidding gets boring pretty quick once you can do it, just fyi. don't put too much time/money/effort into it. it's less exciting than it seems. IMO

Any activity that I can engage in that makes me feel like I am 10 again is worth considerable time and money, imo.

Lycra brings me back to underoos
skidding brings me back to powerslides

that kind of thing.

Sorry about the small font. hm well i was looking on ebay and fixed gear hubs were like 150$, wasn't down for that after spending like 120 on my front wheel. i'm waiting to get paid this week so after that i'm gonna get toe cages and such or whatever they're called. suggestions on what cog exactly? and where i should buy one? i have a local bike shop where i bought my tires and i like never go there but i'm gonna check for other stuff there soon. i'm sorry about my sketch bike vocab. i'm a total amateur.

You can get 'em cheaper. $45, you'll have to pick up a cog and lock ring to go with that. And lace a wheel (consult a pro... hire a pro).

http://www.retro-gression.com/product/novatec-track-hub-sets-32h

Any activity that I can engage in that makes me feel like I am 10 again is worth considerable time and money, imo.

Lycra brings me back to underoos
skidding brings me back to powerslides

that kind of thing.

Good call. My mistake.

I enjoy a nice whip skid but this stuff? Looks a little silly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQE6BvwtZMc

Winning a skid comp at an alley cat earns instant cred points, but will cost you a tire.

First of all, please stop typing in that teeny tiny font.


Dude.. I love how this guy increases the font size in return.

To OP, get a new bike, man. Sounds like you're wasting money on something that sucks.

Sounds like you're wasting money on something that sucks.

OP sounds like a troll, IMO.

OP sounds like a troll, IMO.

+1

i don't really have the money for that right now is the thing. aside from the hub everything else is pretty much fine. the rear hub actually did unthread when i first rode it, but we re-welded it so that it wouldn't spin. so far it's going okay i guess

Good. We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself or anyone else because you did something dumb.

Everyone, meet PJMak reincarnate.

PJMak reincarnate, meet everybody.

this is pretty interesting. it's like reddit meets biking....err nvm. that's /r/bicycling/ i'm really not sure what to do at this point. i've continued biking and working on unweighting the back tire, to no avail. it's a work in progress. flat out, with my current setup, it's plausible that i'll be able to at some point figure out skidding? right? i'm getting super discouraged. i'm gonna get some pedal straps soon though

+1
this

this

This.

This.

That.

That.

These?

this is pretty interesting. it's like reddit meets biking....err nvm. that's /r/bicycling/ i'm really not sure what to do at this point. i've continued biking and working on unweighting the back tire, to no avail. it's a work in progress. flat out, with my current setup, it's plausible that i'll be able to at some point figure out skidding? right? i'm getting super discouraged. i'm gonna get some pedal straps soon though

Skidding is simply stopping the crank from moving. If you can't stop it, that means you aren't strong enough for the way you are trying. Which means you need to try something else since your leg strength isn't going to increase in 1 day, or even 1 week. Gear lower, unweight the back wheel more, and not sure if I read correctly, but if you don't have straps, you shouldn't even be trying.

hm, well in a strange way that is actually encouraging. it's good to know flat out that a component such as the straps are that big of deal, and i'm definitely gonna get some this friday i think. also, my tires are an extremely soft rubber it seems like. i feel like that's a problem

These?

There!

if the OP is not a troll, i'll buy someone a cookie

Did you try to skid on a wet grass hill?

If you fail at this, just stop trying:
Point your bike down a wet grass hill. Start moving. When you are ready to be a man, put your nuts right above your stem and stop your legs. Stop them. Just stop.

Nuts. Over stem. Stop.

Did you try to skid on a wet grass hill?

If you fail at this, just stop trying:
Point your bike down a wet grass hill. Start moving. When you are ready to be a man, put your nuts right above your stem and stop your legs. Stop them. Just stop.

Nuts. Over stem. Stop.

Stop listening to idiots talk about nuts over your stem and think about the physics in play when you want to stop your cranks. You need to stop rotational velocity which involves a great deal of torque transfer and overcoming the frictional force of the surface you're riding on. But when you're riding your bike at a decent velocity, you just won't think like that. If you want to skid, you'll just pick a side that feels comfortable (until and unless you learn to skid ambidextrously, which is actually really easy once you try it), lift your front foot, and plant your rear. Your body has systems in play to help you counter that and balance you out while you do that, so ignore the rubes posting on internet forums and do it.

unfortunately the prairie state is lacking hills in my area, but i have some in mind. i feel like i'm way overthinking all this?

'Nuts to stem' is actually the easiest way to learn how to skid and gain an understanding for how it works.

Hobbit is right aboout the rubes though. **** the rubes!

ignore the rubes posting on internet forums and do it


oneeyedhobbit checks mirror, "oh, that's me!"

Well, which is it, young feller? You want I should freeze or get down on the ground? Mean to say, if'n I freeze, I can't rightly drop. And if'n I drop, I'm a-gonna be in motion. You see...

'Nuts to stem' is actually the easiest way to learn how to skid and gain an understanding for how it works.

Hobbit is right aboout the rubes though. **** the rubes!

I don't know man. I'm not going to pretend to be a skidding expert because I just don't care about it that much, but I've never done any sort of ritualistic nut on stem move to get started.

I learned when I went out for dinner and drinks with friends and had a pleasant two beer buzz riding in the neighborhood on the way home, so I just went around the block a few times and practiced stomping down on one foot and lifting the other. Everything else just fell into place of its own accord.

Bat56 is trying way too hard to be cool or something, so I'll just let his insecurity serve as enough of a retort to satisfy me here.

My first time was after a few drinks also.

Wine em, dine em, skiddy time em.

I don't know man. I'm not going to pretend to be a skidding expert because I just don't care about it that much, but I've never done any sort of ritualistic nut on stem move to get started.

I'm not saying it's "ritualistic", it's just that simple physics tells you that shifting your upper body weight forward will drastically unweight the rear tire and make skidding much easier.

I don't even know what Bat56 is talking about.

I like to go anus to stem, just for that little bit extra weight shift.

I like to go anus to stem, just for that little bit extra weight shift.

http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/gallery/omg/omg_wtf.gif

http://www.reactiongifs.com/wp-content/gallery/omg/ohmg.gif