so, after i busted my track frame and set up my new (temporary) road frame with all my old gear i decided to put on a chopped down trials bar. it looked totally dope, rode great, and felt super, but i had one complaint: it's way more effort to skid. because i can't move my hands farther forward it means that i have no options for chaning my body's fulcrum point. so yeah, i can skid it, but it's just way harder and i don't feel like i have the same control. also, i like to use skidding as a speed control method and as a fun thing that i just enjoy doing and i just found that bar style impractical for work.

just wondering how all you other cats deal. if you ride risers or flat bars is skidding an important part of your style? do you use the skip stop or rear end kick out style mostly? do you run a brake instead? (i see lots of pics of risers and flats with no brakes) do you throw on a longer stem? do you sacrifice skidding or just learn to make it work?

i've already switched back to my drops, but i don't want to give up on the trials bar yet, cause it just looked so sweet and felt so good for everything *but* skidding.

I dunno, it seems like if you are skidding as a way to slow and stop, more effort is a good thing. Whenever I skid, I shift my weight forwards on the bike. The further out I put it, the less weight there is over the rear wheel. This makes it easier to hold the skid. If I wanted to stop I would put more weight over the rear wheel, forcing it to rub on the ground harder and slow the bike quicker. I run risers sometimes and don't have much trouble skidding but I don't hold them for 50 feet or anything. I've seen people with those MTB bar end extension things on their chopped down flat bars, maybe you should try that.

Interesting. I recently changed from bullhorns to risers and have more leverage for skids and skips, although I have to lean further forward due to less reach on the bars.

The leverage I have from the stiffer bar and rise makes me feel more control and I like it. It took some time at first to adjust because I missed the extra hand position at the end of the horns though.

when i say more effort i mean it takes more leg power to start and hold the skid.

i've thought about making pseudo-bullhorns by adding some bar ends...

The problem might be that the bars are chopped down. I had very narrow riser bars for a while and hated them, in part because I couldn't skid as well as my bullhorns or drops. I went back to drops. Then about a month ago I put some wide riser bars on again with the intention of cutting them down. I rode them before I had a chance to cut them and I loved them. I have to lean a little more, but I feel comfortable doing it, because the width of the bars gives me such a wide stable base. Also, I don't work as a messenger cutting through cars anymore, so the wider bars aren't problematic now.

The only issue I've had since installing my custom midge chops (10" wide at the most) is attempting to sprint. Since my arms are at an insane angle, I get absolutely no leverage out of the saddle. Skidding and skipping can be done in the saddle with very little movement as a result of over a year's worth of practice and fine muscle tuning. Sure you can really get the boys on the stem with bullhorns or drops, but speed modulation is never a problem with flats in my opinion.