Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Help Braking

here is my dirty little secret

I have been riding a year and started with a front brake so I really dont know how to stop without one.

i am the only fixed rider around so can't be shown by anyone, everytime I unseat and try to put back pressure I just get lifted up almost like being bucked when you forget you can't coast.

True it does slow me down but it would take forever to stop.

Hell I am not sure what I do wrong maybe my legs are just to weak still.

Am I supposed to unseat and just kick back hard or let my body weight try to push the pedals back.

I am running 42/16 so its not a big gear, like I say maybe I am to weak to do it, but I can make my legs gumby and slow down but like I say it takes forever.

god thats embarassing to tell

When I first started skidding it was pretty tough, and the day after the first night of practicing, I could barely climb a flight of stairs, my right quad was all but unusable. Your muscles get used to it in no time though.
1. Put your weight forward more, not just unseated. When you're stronger, you might be able to just unseat slightly. For now, try putting your bits right up to your stem and then locking the legs.
2. Remember to push back down with the rear foot, while simultaneously pulling up hard with the forward foot. Use both legs equally. It takes effort, not just weight (for me at least).

On a semi-related note, I just put cruiser bars on my Fuji pushing 85 gear inches, and almost had a stroke trying to skid on it. That sucked.

Also, one thing that really helped slowing down when I first took the brake off was skipping - kick your rear wheel up in the air, just for a split second even, then stop or slow your pedals while all the weight is off the wheel. Probably more useful than skidding in an emergency. Doesn't take as much leg strength either.

Yep, I couldn't skid until I realized that pulling up has just as much if not more to do with skidding than backpressure.

I agree wholeheartedly. I recently started riding with clips and straps after riding clipless for 5 months or so, and I notice that when I skid, I feel a lot less confident because there's quite a bit more flex in pulling up on the clips than with clipless. When I started skidding, I would go sorta slowly, lean way forward and press down hard on the back foot. It got much much easier when I pulled up with the front foot. I also notice that if I've been skidding a lot, my right wrist and forearm will be a little sore, so leverage on the bars is important too. I also run a front brake, and my best stopping involves pulling the brake and locking up the rear. Works brilliantly. If it matters, I run 46x17.

Yeah, just do what these guys said. I tought myself how to skid/skip skid just from reading posts on here.

Just have to play with it until it clicks.

Oh and steelisreal...
I don't know if you got my email...but if you're up for a ride this weekend, let me know.

i found skidding a lot easier with bullhorns..

its not a secret, but i had no clue until someone told me.

It's really a dynamic move balancing act. Skidding is not the recommended method for braking. The best method aside from timing right so you don't need to stop at all is skipping. If you are going down a hill with a stop at the bottom for example start your stopping at the top of the hill. Turn the cranks over to about 4/10 o'clock take the weight off the back tire stop the wheel, skip and rotate the cranks 180 degrees and repeat. It's almost a hoping like maneuver. In an emergency go into a skid and skid out left or right like you may have done when you were a kid on your bmx. btw there's nothing wrong with stopping using a front brake ;)