xpenny

With ease?

First timer, everytime try to lock up but end up raising up my whole body, not skidding at all.

baxtefer

balls on stem

john_and_off

this sounds obvious, but try to remember all of the following AT ONCE (that's the key)

1. lean wayyy over the handlebars. you'll feel like you're going to go over - you're not.
2. when the pedals are at about 3 and 9 o'clock (i use the reverse foot forward than i do for trackstands), push down way hard on the rear pedal
3. PULL UP on the front foot - for me, the pulling up is totally key

also, it helps if you get your hands out wide on the handlebars for stability

it helps to watch a friend do it, or if you don't have any friends who ride fixed (or who can skid) just watch some youtube videos

pyze-guy

Thats what I found I needed to do. I also went out after it rained and practiced then. Figured it out easily and when I tried it on dry ground found I was skidding, and not thinking how to skid.

john_and_off

that's the ticket!

wadajoobadude

I always put the thigh of my leg that is locking up the crank against the handlebars(if that makes anysense). don't know if that is proper technique, but it works.

Seggybop

get a coaster brake

LóFarkas

squeeze that lil' lever

Aeroplane

when the rear leg goes straight-ish, straighten it out fully, lock your knee, and wedge that hip against the bars. Ski-i-i-i-i-i-i-d. I learned to skid on a 52-16 with platforms that way.

GirlAnachronism

Pulling up on the front pedal was really key for me. And leaning faaaaaar forward. Don't worry about holding it for forever at first, just try to get your tire to skip a little bit, as that's eventually what you'll want to do to stop quickly anyway.

Also, trying it in the rain is a great suggestion. Once you do it once you'll be able to do it always. A few weeks ago we were skidding down hills on wet grass at Central Park, and it ruled.

queerpunk

backpedaling and skidding aren't the same.... backpedaling generally refers to putting lots of stopping pressure without skidding or skipping.

re: skipping, if you search you'll get lots of answers, threads about it, but my advice is echoing "try it in the rain"... it will take some time to get comfortable, for sure. also, commit to it, especially leaning way forward (which is a good way to learn at first, but if you skid to stop you won't want to lean way forward). just up and do it. lean over. maybe practice your position inside with the bike against the wall so you can find a comfortable orientation of your legs, hips, handlebars. also, yeah, see videos on youtube or whatever to get a visual sense of what's going on. and just practice practice practice. took me a few weeks to start skidding, a couple of months to get comfortable, and even longer before i could use it well as a stopping technique.

lz4005

+1

Boss Moniker

If you have the materials, try it on a lower gear ratio first to get the feel. And clipless pedals really help. If it's not raining where you are (lucky), try it on some grass.

guerillaidiom

Lock your knee**********???

that's horrible advice for anything at all that requires your legs.

lapin_marron

balls are the secret!!

teiaperigosa

co-sign like a muh

and I think this lean forward shiet is bad advice too

piwonka

yeah man, i don't lean forward when i backpedal, quite the opposite actually.
skidding does not equal backpedaling.

kcorwin

I wouldn't recommend the balls-to-the-stem thing for skipping. For skidding, sure. But skipping is all about stopping fast, and leaning forward will not stop you as fast, as you have less weight on the back wheel. To skip, you want to do a small jump with your rear wheel (think "endo"), lock it, and then weigh it back down. Then repeat (either a full rotation w/ the same foot forward, or a half-rotation with the other foot forward).

To do the endo, lock your leg straight* or almost-straight on one pedal so that the force of the pedal lifts you up off your seat a bit (and forward a bit). At the same time, yank up hard with your other foot. The motion is basically akin to how you skipped as a little kid.

You'll stop faster the less forward your body is and the longer you can hold the skid after your rear wheel reconnects with the pavement (which won't be very long anyway, at least when you're starting out - maybe just a split-second). For me, most of the force is applied with the front foot (pulling up) as opposed to the rear foot (pushing down).

* Disclaimer - locking your knees is traditionally Bad For You. Use your your best judgment.

GirlAnachronism

Funny, I've been skidding just fine without 'em for a while now...

dustinlikewhat

are you wearing falsies?

GirlAnachronism

Damn, you caught me.

Okay, okay, that's the only way I can skid, I admit it...

dustinlikewhat

AHA! a female shot down once again in the face of overwhelming male superiority!

lapin_marron

girls love porks











take it as a joke
https://img213.imageshack.us/img213/5218/hitlergc3.jpg

br995

What the hell do painted pigs have to do with skidding?

dustinlikewhat

by porks you mean cleaning and cooking?