Originally Posted by MyPinkBike
balls to the stem?
i have a reoccurring problem with hurting myself by jamming my pelvis on my stem.
my friend says it's because i arch my back too much rather than leaning far enough over the handlebars. i skid just fine doing it my way, but i'm pretty convinced that there's a fundamental differnece between men and women when they skid, considering how different our centers of balance are....boobs also get in the way of being able to position your elbows in the right place to brace yourself.
suggestions? are there some girls out there that have this same problem?
(he also tells me that skidding this way is bad because i'm not using weight instead of muscle to stop the back wheel. verify that this is false, too, please.)
I am not a woman but I don't see why skidding should be any harder being one. After all, both men and women, must (whether they want or not) obey the basic laws of physiscs and gravity. If your boobs get in the way your handlebars are most likely too narrow. Try some flat, or riser bars and leave them wide. Regarding jamming your pelvis against the stem, we guys don't jam our nuts against the stem either (well I don't at least) but place them over the stem - hovering not touching. If that is not possible on your current setup (the hovering not the nut thing) try lowering your stem, getting a shorter one, or use riser bars. Skidding should not hurt ever - if it does something is wrong!
Not sure what your frind is talking about, but weight over the rear wheel slows you down faster than weight over the front wheel - not a whole lot of muscle is recquired - so I guess he is wrong about the weight muscle thing.