VaudeVillain

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?

Spoonrobot 

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

This is so relevant: https://www.getsalt.com/public/downlo...xed%20gear.pdf

aznsap

your gear ratio is high

hockeyteeth

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

McChinken

inb4 ****storm

Bat56

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.

Bat56

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

VaudeVillain

well, what would be a better gear ratio then?

jimmytango

20/19 is sweet for sikk skidz.

Philasteve

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.

GENESTARWIND

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.

LessonLearned

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?

VaudeVillain

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?

ianjk

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:

LessonLearned

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.

Scrodzilla

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

Secondly, what?

SuperZero

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.

SuperZero

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

LessonLearned

@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

Scrodzilla

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:



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

VaudeVillain

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.

ganapati

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.

bones_mcbones

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).

https://www.retro-gression.com/produc...k-hub-sets-32h

LessonLearned

Good call. My mistake.

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

bones_mcbones

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