So are you basically pulling up on the straps , or pushing backwards on the pedals?

both at the same time for me.

SO if my right leg is stronger, would I want to have my right foot in the 9 o'clock-ish position (looking at the bike from the drive-side) pushing down, and pulling up with my weaker left leg in the 3 o'clock position?

which ever u're more comfortable with.
i'm actually pulling with my stronger leg.
ppl say use the leg that's on the front when u track stand to pull.. but i turned out to be different.

Whatever foot you lead with, wait for it to come under you, in the 6:00 position. This wil vary according to the gear you run. If you wait for the pedal to be parallel to the ground, then it's too late.( This was my first mistake, trying to emulate the position.) when the lead pedal starts to come around, pull up hard on the leading strap and push your body( shoulders, head, nuts, whatever) forward. The cranks will be parallel to the ground, due to your pulling motion setting off the pushing with your opposite foot. You will feel the cranks rock, that's your sweet spot. Dial in speed and direction, remembering to steer with the back wheel. Presto, just like magic. Tire-eatin' magic at that!

Seriously, dude, opposite lock is too complex to understand from a strictly physical POV. Just think about that sweet spot, and you're set.

Im gonna try it tomorrow in grass... we'll see how it goes

good luck!

goddamnit last night it didnt work and i ended up falling on my ass and now its hard to walk.

- wet parking lots
- grass
- snow
- ice
- slippery "painted" concrete


all work well for learnin'

look who left a "skid mark"

I put my rear brake back on to try and help me get a feel for it, I was only able to do a little skid in wet grass.

I did my favorite post rain ride today which involves bombing the big downhill in the Presidio. It is so much fun right after the rain. Come on out, I'll teach you

Yes going for distance is just a trick, however you can use it as a method of stopping

balls on stem, OUCH!

if u need to think about it ur trying too hard

smartest thing ive ever seen done

no clips, no cages? how'd you get the pull on your front foot?

i'm on a 48x16 and am getting it down. its pretty easy once you get the concept and i can do it w/ either leg pulling/pushing - though i've been practicing it in the rain for the past two days so we'll see under dry circumstances.

i didnt, its pretty stupid and i dont suggest it to anyone else learning, i'm just saying it can even be learned on a big(ger) ratio. Pretty much two things for skidding: unweighting the rear wheel (its a lot easier if you have clips or cages) and locking/stopping the pedals (also easier if you have clips or cages), do both at the same time and youre skidding...

edit: i didnt pull up with the forward pedal, one foot skid, still stupid.

hooking his toes under the pedal? i don't know. i sort of wondered, and just figured he must have been just plain hardcore.

my buddy could skid by sticking his knee under his handlbars, and locking his leg up like that. it looked f'in weird, and ive never had a bike that fit me right to do it. but it worked really well for him, so he rode fixed without clips or cages.

now that i read what i just wrote, and think about what that would look like, it doesnt make any sense. but it was something with his knee and the handlebars. i swear to god. it was weird.

Since this is the newbie skid thread, anybody try no hands yet? My homeboy (P.R. represent)got it down at Crit Mass, and it's freakin' sweet. I'm going for it...

Yeah that was my guess too.

Recently it was still wet out, and my clipless shoes were soaked from the day before so I was wearing sneakers. Just for fun I tried doing the toe under pedal and it worked fine, but it takes more time to think about than a normal skid.

Maybe I'm just a dip**** but how do you keep your bars straight?