Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - pain in my___ while skidding

is anyone else who is riding track drops getting a pain in the bottom part of their forearm while skidding due to gripping onto the drops/exerting pressure/supporting yourself? Anyone have any tips on avoiding this pain in the arm?

lift weights?

I think you might be trying too hard! If you lean way forward and either rest your pelvis on your handlebars, or let your pelvis almost touch the bars you should barely have to try stopping your rear wheel. You need to unseat better it sounds like.

Unless you're constantly using a skid to come to a stop..which is wrong for a million reasons.

I think you might be trying too hard! If you lean way forward and either rest your pelvis on your handlebars, or let your pelvis almost touch the bars you should barely have to try stopping your rear wheel. You need to unseat better it sounds like.

Unless you're constantly using a skid to come to a stop..which is wrong for a million reasons.

how can my pelvis touch the bars? there's a stem in the way! ouch. i'll try unweighting more and leaning forward more.

That's what I essentially mean't. Lean WAY forward, like ****ing superman. It'll be scary at first, but once you get the hang of it you can skid FOREVER. My record is 30 feet. Nothing impressive..but very fun.

That's what I essentially mean't. Lean WAY forward, like ****ing superman. It'll be scary at first, but once you get the hang of it you can skid FOREVER. My record is 30 feet. Nothing impressive..but very fun.


do you have to be going really fast to keep a skid going really long? you eventually come to a stop right?

Hey! I'm not the only one huh (same part of my right forearm, I skid with my right foot forward)? I run 81" gears so I have to really muscle the bike to skid, that is my own theory. My forearm just hurts thinking about skidding, and the funny thing is that my forearms are very strong, I ride motorcross and until recently worked as a professional motorcycle mechanic for a pro racing team.

My solution is to stop showing off and skip instead of skid....................
But skidding is so cool.

Hey! I'm not the only one huh (same part of my right forearm, I skid with my right foot forward)? I run 81" gears so I have to really muscle the bike to skid, that is my own theory. My forearm just hurts thinking about skidding, and the funny thing is that my forearms are very strong, I ride motorcross and until recently worked as a professional motorcycle mechanic for a pro racing team.

My solution is to stop showing off and skip instead of skid....................
But skidding is so cool.

i have issues skipping. i'm doing something wrong but i'm not quite sure what it is.

Honestly, when I skid or skip I try not to put any pressure on my arms I just let my legs do all the work. I'm running a 48x17 right now and I have no problem just skidding while still in the saddle just work out those legs and the inner thighs and you will get it. I think it just takes some practice and when you skid try not to put so much pressure on your hands and more just taking up slack with your legs. I don't know what I'm saying right now though because I'm a lot less than sobre. ehh

are you skidding with your hands down in the drops or up top?

are you skidding with your hands down in the drops or up top?


not in the drops and not at the very top, probably where it starts to curve down or maye a alittle higher, otherwise i dont get a good grip.

right...on the shoulders. that's where my hands usually are for skids -- no pain. just wondering.

sounds like it could be repetitive stress injury thats aggravated by the position of you arm

Just lean foreward. I ride track drops and I lock my thighs against the handlebars. I run a 48-17 (however many inches that is). Once locked into the skid i feel no pain. This past sunday i took first in the skid comp at Hawaii's first alleycat ever. I probabaly skided for over 100ft. Bull horns would help also tilting your drops out would give you the same effect. Also the closer your handlebars are to seat level te easier it will be.

I skid often (with bullhorns) and dont get any forearm pain. I DO get pain in my knees - just below the kneecap. Anyone else get this? it's usually after I'm riding, not while. I've been riding brakeless for a couple weeks now, so I skid/skip often, which is fine but I'm beginning to wonder if I'm doing serious and/or permanent damage to my knees.
A friend of mine recommended taking glucosamine (sp?)... anybody have any thoughts on that?

should I just put the brake back on?

What's your gear ratio? What's you skidding technique? Have you been riding a fixed gear for long?

Whatever you do, don't start taking glucosamine just so you can skid. That's stupid. You're still going to be damaging your knees.

A friend of mine recommended taking glucosamine (sp?)... anybody have any thoughts on that?

The glucosamine is supposed to help with the long-term health of your joints. Some of the products have condroitin with it. I take it though it would be hard to say for sure that it's helping. Supposedly it takes a while (like a month) before it starts to help. For current pain, though, ibuprofen or something is probably needed.

for a while i had extreme wrist pain from riding my fixie with drops. my wrist just couldnt handle the sideways forces of stopping. drops only hurt my on my fixie though, i could ride my roadie for 200mi and not have my wrist bother me. i switched to risers on my fixie and never looked back. not super narrow risers though, i cut them down to my shoulder width and its all good now. i still have nagging wrist problems though.

The glucosamine is supposed to help with the long-term health of your joints. Some of the products have condroitin with it. I take it though it would be hard to say for sure that it's helping. Supposedly it takes a while (like a month) before it starts to help. For current pain, though, ibuprofen or something is probably needed.

My Mom takes it every day for arthritis pain in her hands and swears by the stuff (even more so since they pulled her vioxx)....

however she has a bad knee from running, and the glucosamine doesnt seem to be helping that. but its less joint related and more torn miniscus (sp?) related.

I also get pain from drops. I found that I needed to adjust the position of the drops a bit to cut down on the pain. If I ride extended periods with them it still hurts. That's why I ride bullhorns most of the time.

As far as chronic joint pain. I used to run a lot but had to stop because my knees started sweliing and hurting to the point where I couldn't walk for days at a time. I started getting accupuncture treatments once every two months and the pain went away. I now get my knees treated twice a year and haven't had any problems with pain or swelling for a few years, even with the incessant skidding I do.

I found that I needed to adjust the position of the drops a bit to cut down on the pain.

I started getting accupuncture treatments once every two months and the pain went away.

angles mean everything...one of the reasons why i run my bars up a little....more so than down.....if that makes any sense....

on the knee thing... the lady was saying that i should try accupuncture too...how long a session is it?

is anyone else who is riding track drops getting a pain in the bottom part of their forearm while skidding due to gripping onto the drops/exerting pressure/supporting yourself? Anyone have any tips on avoiding this pain in the arm?

I think the pain will go away if you get rid of that carbon road fork. :D

angles mean everything...one of the reasons why i run my bars up a little....more so than down.....if that makes any sense....

on the knee thing... the lady was saying that i should try accupuncture too...how long a session is it?

Four needles in each knee, they stay in for 15-30 minutes. My step-dad does it for me, he taught accupuncture in SF for a few years. Although, my wife has been doing my knees recently, since she took a few classes when she was in dental school, and step-dad taught her some of the more obscure points and theory. I've had him treat my back a few times as well, feels weird having 12 needles down your back and legs, not painful, but warm and tingly kind-of, hard to explain. Feels great when the needles come out and you stand up again, like when you're joints are made out of rubber. Ooh, I'm gonna have her do my knees tonight when I get home...

to answer bostontrevor, my gear ratios are 48x18 (74.6) and 46x17 (75.7).
I can skid with either foot on the 3 o'clock position. I try to take turns, to alleviate the strain on either knee.
And I've been riding fixed for about 9 months, but only about 3 weeks brakeless.

I am interested in the accupuncture idea, though...
Judah, do you or your Dad (or wife) know of any places in the city that you might reccommend? How many sessions do you need before you feel better?
Any idea what is costs?


And this weather sucks.

Matt

Four needles in each knee, they stay in for 15-30 minutes. My step-dad does it for me, he taught accupuncture in SF for a few years. Although, my wife has been doing my knees recently, since she took a few classes when she was in dental school, and step-dad taught her some of the more obscure points and theory. I've had him treat my back a few times as well, feels weird having 12 needles down your back and legs, not painful, but warm and tingly kind-of, hard to explain. Feels great when the needles come out and you stand up again, like when you're joints are made out of rubber. Ooh, I'm gonna have her do my knees tonight when I get home...

i had my back done several times, and it took awhile, which was why i asked you how long a session was.....but that was after i had fell 10ft+ off a loading dock and landed flat on my back...had it not been for the amount of muscle given i was still into powerlifting, i know i would have done more than tweak 3 discs....

i'll tell you though, accupuncture...the tingly feeling you speak of, is wayyyy better than the shots of cortizone i had to put up with....brutal...

I think the pain will go away if you get rid of that carbon road fork. :D


GRRR :mad:

N-type

just drink more. take the pain. work through it, don't let it work through you.

I am interested in the accupuncture idea, though...
Judah, do you or your Dad (or wife) know of any places in the city that you might reccommend? How many sessions do you need before you feel better?
Any idea what is costs?


And this weather sucks.

Matt

Not sure of any places in the city, I'll ask him. I get those four needles in my knee and when they come out 30 minutes later it feels like I've got the knees of a ten year old kid, all limber and bendy. No idea on the cost. I always carry around a few needles with me though in case my knee starts acting up, he showed me the points, but I'm scurred of needling myself.

And yes, this weather does suck. My Phils saw their first rain day today :(
Slippin and sliding all over the place on the way in today...

I'm more familiar with bodies than I am with bikes, but here are my suggestions: It seems maybe most appropriate to play around with your stem and bars. Maybe longer/shorter stem, or bars with angles that change the rotation of your arms. Another option is to alter where you are gripping. Sometimes we think something works best because it is comfortable out of habit. Changing may feel weird for a while but may work better after you get used to it. Just hanging out for a while looking at how your body interfaces with the bike and feeling for what seems best for your body can possibly lead you to a solution.

Maybe just thicker/more padded grips would keep you from over-stressing your carpal tunnel?

On therapies...
A friend of mine had some *really* bad carpal tunnel syndrome, mostly from computer work. She succesfully 'cured' it with a combination of a yoga instructor specializing in repetitive motion injuries and backs(believe it or not, but a lot of wrist pain can start in your mid back) and deep tissue massage therapy.

Whether you do yoga or something else, stretching is *always* good. I won't attempt to describe wrist stretching right here, but the rules of thumb are to stretch in the opposite direction of your usual grip (flexion); do it nice and slow while breathing "into" the stretch; hold each stretch for 1-3 minutes. Don't get agro, just slowly increase the pressure over time. Learn some stretches for your shoulder girdle as well. I like The Trager Approach's "mentastics" for general loosening..it's kind of like what swimmers do before they swim in a meet, only more lightly.

Many massage therapists will barter, this would be my first attempt at professional therapy. Maybe do a survey of different bodywork modalities, what works for one person may not for another. Feldenkrais, The Trager Approach and Rolfing are just a few of the ones that do don't only rub you, and they all teach movements you can do at home. If you decide to try some accupuncture, most schools offer clinics with a sliding scale ($$ for full practitioners, $ for interns and sometimes free by students with supervision). There is one or two in SF and at least one in Berkeley.

Hope this helps...whatever you do, when you are feeling pain like this for a consistent amount of time, make it a new hobby to learn to care for it. It can sometimes get lots worse and *no one thing* will always cure it for you. You are responsible for learning how to make your body feel good (kinda like lovin', eh?).

GRRR :mad:

Seriously, I think you should put some padded grips on your bars. That should help, and try altering the position of your arms when you skid.

Oury grips pushed up to the flats, then keirin grips in the curves, that way you get a nice cushy ride on the flats and a grippy surface to hang onto when you skid.

Oury grips pushed up to the flats, then keirin grips in the curves, that way you get a nice cushy ride on the flats and a grippy surface to hang onto when you skid.

That's a sweet setup Judah. My next bike's going to be breakless, and that's what I'm going to do!

I have my blue bike setup like that. Remember Dennis' Serotta? Same deal...
Now if only it would stop raining so that I could ride it...

I have my blue bike setup like that. Remember Dennis' Serotta? Same deal...
Now if only it would stop raining so that I could ride it...

I don't remember Dennis having Keirin grips. I see him riding down Valencia all the time...

The same Dennis? I'm talking about the guy who rode to all the slides with us brakeless. Blue serotta, black phils, tubulars. Not Harryhood....

The key is to cut the ends off of the oury and keirin grips so that you can slide them all the way up the bars. Use lots of hairspray and do it fast and it's easy.

Oury grips pushed up to the flats, then keirin grips in the curves, that way you get a nice cushy ride on the flats and a grippy surface to hang onto when you skid.


that sounds good, but i do like the naked look of unwrapped track bars. i do want some grips for the drops though

The same Dennis? I'm talking about the guy who rode to all the slides with us brakeless. Blue serotta, black phils, tubulars. Not Harryhood....

The key is to cut the ends off of the oury and keirin grips so that you can slide them all the way up the bars. Use lots of hairspray and do it fast and it's easy.

Yeah, that Dennis. I don't think I've ever met Harryhood. I thought he only had grips on the tops of his bars. I could be wrong tho.

When I get the new bike built up, I'll hook it up. Thanks for the help.

that sounds good, but i do like the naked look of unwrapped track bars. i do want some grips for the drops though

Well, the bare chrome *looks* good, but it just isn't as functional as the setup I'm talking about, not even close. With the bare chrome bars you realllllly have to clench those bends when you skid, which may be where your pain is coming from. With the keirin grips pushed up to the bends you don't even have to wrap your fingers around the bars.

Oury grips pushed up to the flats, then keirin grips in the curves, that way you get a nice cushy ride on the flats and a grippy surface to hang onto when you skid.



like this...


i thought about doing this, but i just love the look of naked bars with the keirin grips to much to do it....

like this...


i thought about doing this, but i just love the look of naked bars with the keirin grips to much to do it....

That's bar tape on the drops too right???

yup, oury grips, then keirin grips, then taped the rest of the way. Cushy on the flats, grippy on the bends, and a bit cushy/grippy in the drops. Works well. Function and form.

that's about what I plan to do next, minus the tape in the drops. white keirin grips from the stem to the shoulders, clear oury grips over the k-grips at the stem.

I love the look of bare chrome bars or half-taped drops, especially with a chromed stem, but it really is just for the look. Function over form for once.

I seriously don't get how you could be puting SO much pressure on your wrists and arms that they hurt while skidding. When I skid I just lightly have my hands on my bullhorns so that I can steer. My theighs are resting on my handlebars so that most of my weight is rested on the handlebars and my rear wheel is almost completely unweighted. If you're using skidding to stop for any other reason than an emergency then you're effed. It's not mean't for that. I can't remember the last time I used a full on skid in an attemped to stop, and if I ever did do that then yes, my arms would probably be taking on a lot of my weight because the weight to the rear of my body would be trying to grind the wheel into the ground while my legs were stopping it. You shouldn't be using that type of skid for practice. Your rear wheel should be gently gliding across the ground and as you get slower you should start to fishtail a bit.

And yes, you should try to get up a good amount of speed while practicing. About 10-15mph depending on your comfort with it. Also - practice after it has rained.

Check out this video to see how a non-emergency skid should be done

http://accelerate.oldskooltrack.com/files/images/no.hands.avi

but for non show skids (emergency-skids, that is), you can't use the "put your pelvis to the stem" technique, don't you agree? you have to be able to muscle the cranks to a stop (some where between a skip and a show skid). It is bad for your knees and your arms/wrists potentially, I guess, which is why excessive skidding should be avoided... yes/no?

oops, I didn't read the last post correctly, so my statement was kind of redundant...

It's ok if you're being redundant. Seems like she's not getting it.

i'd say if you've got the money, go see a biomechanist. he or she can analyze the interaction between you and your bike. they'll be able to provide feedback that will permanently change the effectiveness and safety of your performance, thus eliminating the pain you feel in your wrist.

Biomechanist? That sounds kinda HR Giger to me.

It's ok if you're being redundant. Seems like she's not getting it.

and sounds like someone else feels like being an *******