Maracski

I live in hilly hilly San Francisco and am new to fixed gear riding. For right now I'm only riding on the street but am aiming at getting back into shape and going down to the hellyer v-drome on Saturday mornings. I'm a heavy girl but super strong from 25 years of biking, skiing, and soccer (I'm only 29).

My set up is 46x16 (75.6 gear inches) and I'm having a real hard time stopping (skidding). I can control my speed fine but can't get enough back pressure on the pedal to skid. I want to swap out my cog for something larger, my questions is: how large should I go? Initially I was think 18, but I'm afraid that's still going to be too high. I'm afraid to go to 20 because I don't want to spinout and bounce all over the place. Again, my main objective is to be able to skid stop in hilly hilly San Francisco.

Please let me know what you think. Any advice is most welcome.

jim-bob

I find it really easy to skid when I grab a handful of brake.

roadfix

Wouldn't be easier on you and the bike to simply install a front brake, assuming you don't have one?

mander

46* 17/ ~72" should be fine and it will give you 17 skid patches instead of 8.

dutret

Then you cannot control your speed very well at all. Get a brake and forget about skidding.

The LT

Since I live nowhere near a velodrome I can't ever see myself using anything besides a 17t cog

Maracski

I would like a brake but the fork isn't drilled. Putting a hole in the fork isn't an option.

Maracski

It would be much easier. Unfortunately, the fork isn't drilled for a brake though and putting a hole in isn't really an option

Snordalisk

Replacing the fork sounds like a good option.

roughrider504

Try to learn to skip before you skid. Sort of hop the back wheel a little and when it comes down it locks up for a tiny skid. Once you get the hang of this, skidding should be easier. Its easier to stop when you skip anyway IMO

dutret

then buy a new fork or sell the bike and get one more appropriate for your needs. If you continue riding like this you are endangering yourself and endangering others.

queerpunk

start by getting comfortable with your weight forward - put all your weight on your hands (bullhorns help with this) and just ride slowly. feel how you can hop the rear wheel and jerk the wheel backward for a second - that's the start of a skid. people talk about putting your pelvis to the stem - that's not a bad way to start. the idea is that you've got to get comfortable with your weight forward so that the rear wheel is unweighted enough to skid.

when you get better, you'll be able to skid without unweighting the rear wheel so much (or at all) - all i do is lift me bum off the saddle a bit and to two or three short skids every 180degrees of the crank rotation, and then i'm going slow enough to be safe.

and, of course, while you're learning to ride sans brake, don't put yourself into any dangerous situations. i spent plenty of time riding both with and without a brake, but it's been two years to get to a comfortable place. investing in a fork that has a brakemount might be a very good idea (lots of bike shops have stuff lying around - couldn't hurt to ask!), so that you've got that to rely on. you'll be able to do more biking while you teach yourself and get comfortable skidding and skipping in traffic - especially with those big hills that i hear about.

i used to ride 46.16. now i ride 48.18 (70.5 or so inches), and it's a lot easier to decellerate. while you're learning, i think a lower gear ratio is a really good idea.

ryand

+1 queerpunk is on a roll today.

Maracski

Thanks for the advice queerpunk. It's very helpful. And you're totally right, stay out of dangereous situations. That's what I've been doing, sneaking around at night on small streets where I can get my practice in.

pyze-guy

Thats just his way of saying hello. He does lack social graces that the rest of society has though. You're new here I see, if you don't have a conversion with a brake on it dutet takes offense. I think he was weened too soon.

jim-bob

Link? This sounds like fun.

Oh yeah, make some kind of provision for a handbrake, you'll thank me later.

gfrance

Hate to admit it but I still can't skid or skip after almost a year of riding (72 gear inches). But it doesn't bother me too much--I use a front brake and can get enough back pedal preasure to slow while braking.

1fluffhead

https://www.bikeforums.net/singlespeed-fixed-gear/229867-bikeless.html

newnoise

plus, installing a fork with a brake hole means your odds of crashing are less while learning to skid (ie. you have a backup), and if you do happen to crash you won't mess up your pretty track fork.

something to think about.

Sakae Custom

i would agree that one should ride a brake in any hilly city, like San Francisco, i still think she should be able to ride her bike as safely as possible until she can afford a fork/brakes, don't be an ass and condemn someone because they want to learn to ride there bike as safely as they can with what they have.

queerpunk

yeah, Schadenfreude is a lot of fun, isn't it.

Natron

The video of that guy riding a single speed (freewheel'd) bike around San Francisco with no brakes was ridiculous.

onetwentyeight 

montano velo on oakland sells clamp on rear brake kits if you want to run with a brake and dont want to drill/replace your fork.

dutret

And what happens when you want to learn how to descend hills and lose control? Even at night people cross streets and cars can get in wrecks swerving to avoid you.

dutret

really? You ran a stop sign because you couldn't control your bike either because you were drunk or you foot came out of the pedal. You came to an intersection where you did not have the right of way and had to "swerve with traffic." At which point you got creamed by someone who then drove off.

They are probably a piece of **** for driving off but it is still an accident that happened because you were unable to control your bike on a hill without a brake.