+1

If you are doing long rides, in hilly areas, do yourself a favor and get over your hipster BS and put a front brake on.

another obvious thread topic, boring
i have a front brake and use it when i have to like on downhills
do what you will but i like having a brake

I don't slow down. If I need to stop suddenly I just bail jumping-jack-style and let my bike roll to a stop.

this reminds me i have been working on my dismount when i arrive at work...kicking out the bike from underneath me and catching it by the saddle, pretty fun way to get off the bike

I find that skipping actually helps one stop much faster than skidding.

You'll probably learn skipping before skidding.

Brake.

Just because you have one, doesn't mean you have to use it for every modulus of speed. Use it on hills, when a kid/squirrel darts out in front of you, when you misjudge how cool you actually are, etc.

bf

If you must ask this question you should have brakes.
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An alternative would be to jam your foot between the chain and chainring. That will stop you pretty quick. 1 hill for each toe :-)

I can't add anything on how to deal with hills, but I can suggest how to learn to skid. Two things make it REAL easy. First are clipless pedals and shoes, the second is a dirt path. Just go like the dickens, or however fast you feel comfortable with, and then push back with your back foot and pull up with your front. Work on just getting that first little "zip" then a longer "zzip" then a longer "zzzzzip" and so on. Work on skidding with both feet. Then transition to pavement and then get rid of the clipless and try shoes and strapped pedals.

I haven't had to touch my brakes in weeks and I have only had to skid on pavement once. But I keep BOTH breaks on the bike and use backpressure to control my speed on any hills I encounter.

skidding isnt the fastest way to slow down, therefore if you only use skidding in an emergency, you will hurt yourself.

if you dont believe me, ask yourself why cars have ABS instead of skidding.

k, thnx, bi


[edit] only meant to be half the ******* i come across as

jump off the bike, remember to tuck and roll, then get up to watch it continue flying down the hill into the intersection to only get t-boned by a H2.


.....or , just buy a brake, because it's obvious that you cannot properly control your bike in it's current configuration.



...

the best thing to do for controlling speed is making just small short bursts of skids. this will help slow you down when descending. if you have stop, then skid hard and throw your back foot to the side, like a hockey stop. the best way to skid for speed control is to get slightly off the saddle while leaning forward just a bit, and at the same time have your feet at a 2oclock and 8oclock position. pull up with your top foot and push down with your bottom foot.

but like most people on here said, its best to have a front brake. i must warn you though, never skid and use the front brake at the same time...especially on descents because when skidding you're unweighting the rear wheel..so if you have all your weight on your front wheel and you stop, you're gunna fly over those bars.

I carry an anchor in my mess bag, with a chain coiled up inside and attached to my seatpost-
when I needz to stop I fling it out so it catches a drain inlet, car window, passerby, lampost etc.
The jerk when you hit the end of the line is a whopper but you get used to it, like skidding
and bottles of T-bird.

lol awesome I should get one of those

Would it have been okay if I had said "I've only CHOSEN to skid on pavement once?? You're picking flycrap our of pepper here...

kthxbi

I can't even read through these things anymore. I'm sure this has been said. Keep riding and keep building up your strength and your skills, resist and skip and skid as much as you can, and don't be afraid to grab your brake as much as is needed to be safe.

i managed to do that half an hour ago, my first time using a fixed.

without brakes or it is impossible stop at a good distance.
who thinks having no brake is cool may also think many other things cool.

I skip when going downhill. Works for the hills i encounter. And I ride 52/18 I've built some neat stopping muscles

I concur.Buy an anchor.They came in real handy.

God, use a brake. Skidding and skipping are a poor excuse for proper brake use. But hey, when you tear the **** out of your knees skidding and backpedaling have fun! Take it from someone with bad knees.

i have never tried skip stopping on a hill...that seems tricky, i love my front brake

It's a great way to waste money! I have an issue of COG where they tested some tires out, skidding down a circular ramp in a parking lot. The tire that made it the furthest was the GT4000. It was able to skid 1230 ft before blowing out. That's about four cents per foot. Think about that. Even with a super-skid-patch-friendly ratio like 47x21, you'd only be able to skid down a 1/4 mile downhill a MAX of ~42 times, assuming your tire wear outside that hill is minimal, and that you hit a different skid patch every time, and you can skid ambidextrously.

I love my front brake.

i like to find some loose sand and skid on that or grass, grass is pretty fun to slide on...i can't afford to buy new tires all the time so i save them

That may be true, but when people see you, do they think that's a dude who gets it, that's a guy I could hang with?

Cred ain't cheap.

What, you think other people decide whether or not to "hang" with me? Hahahahaha.

Bro, you don't know who you're talking to. The only thing harder to get than "cred" is a second glance from yours truly. A first glance takes a respectable third. Peace.

i do whip/fishtail skids, when bombing a hill, of course you CAN but dont have much time to "lean forward with your thighs on the bars" to skid. i stand up and take some weight off the rear wheel and hold the skid for however long i want, fish tailing so it slows me down faster