Hello guys,

I've recently acquired a fixed gear and while i can almost do a trackstand i simply can't brake enough with my rear wheel to lock up and skid. I am interested in this because with my front brake and the rear wheel brake in its current condition, i wouldn't be able to squeeze the most stopping power out of my bike.

Does it have to be a certain gear combination? I ride an 03' Fuji track bike with the front cog changed in to a 43 i think..

Thank you

Don't worry about it. The front brake does almost all of the braking anyway, and in a panic stop your rear wheel probably comes up a little making braking pretty useless.

I also have a Fuji track bike, and I tore up the cheap ass hub by skidding. I would use the brake and save your knees and hub.

Az

If you really need to skid though, get off the ****ing saddle, if you must, pop up the back wheel so you can briefly stop pedaling to slow you down.

You should be able to easily lock up rear wheel if you use the front brake at the same time.
Al

Sounds familiar...not a VUELTA by any chance?
Had that m.f. mega-tightened & loctited, but still shredded the hub.

Maybe I'm just too manly?

OP, search these forums for threads on skipping and skidding. there's a lot of information in the archives.

basically, to learn, you need to understand "unweighting" the rear wheel - either moving your body forward where you're leaning on the handlebars, or hopping slightly so that your weight on the bike is temporarily lightened.

to do the first, watch videos on the internet of skid contests, and notice how people lean over the handlebars. this won't do much for stopping ability (after all, people compete for distance), but it can be a helpful way to learn.

for the second, as your pedals come around, push back with the rear foot while pulling up with the leading foot. this should make your body do a slight "hopping" action, and if you do it right, you can even hop your back wheel. get comfortable doing this and you'll be able to either scrub the wheel against the pavement when it hits again (skipping), or actuate small, brief skids (a really good way to slow down, in my opinion).

don't feel that just because you just got a fix, it's important for you to quickly have the ability to ride without a brake. if your bike has holes to mount a brake, keep it on and use it when you need to, though it's good to have an arsenal of tricks up your sleeve.

if you're trying to get maximum braking out of your bike, make sure your caliper and brake lever are properly adjusted for reach and feel, you have a quality pad/cartridge (i like kool-stop salmons), and you have a feel for what the bike will do under braking. the point of maximum braking force is right below the skid threshold for a given tire, but with practice you should be able to stop shorter with the front brake only than many people who rely on having two brakes.

if, however, you're planning to use the brake only for descents or emergencies, then learning skid/skip technique is key. both involve unweighting the saddle. putting your crotch on the stem helps with that, and try different hand positions until you find one that is most comfortable. make sure your chainline and tension is good, and that your cog and lockring are properly tightened.

Great info, will practice all of the above.

thank you

Formula, but yeah it was very tight. I skidded a bunch of times no problem, then one time *GRONK* and no more threads.

Az

that was probably the cog's fault, not the hub.

No brakes is just stupid. I saw this moron once smack face first into a parked car because he lost control of his bike while skidding.

ahem -

headsets are stupid. i saw this moron once smack his face into the ground because he lost control of his bike while turning the handlebars.

doesn't sound smart, does it? now, everybody knows that brake/no-brake discussions are tired and played out, so why introduce it here? the original poster was asking about aquiring a new skill. furthermore, suggesting that the OP not aspire to brakelessness, per se, was already mentioned - several times. making your contribution questionable at best, and almost destined to start a stupid argument. congrats.

Yes, not adding anything to the topic agreed. But promoting riding a fixed bike on the street with 3000lb vehicles without a brake is moronic. Trusting your life to a chain and a cog is idiotic. There are enough "white bikes" around NYC to make one stop and think. If it saves a life it's well worth rehashing the same old topic.

You have no idea what youre talking about or what mess youre cooking up ...so just stop.

Just use common sense on the street. That's all.

Agreed. With brakes or without brakes.

I agree you should use a brake but do what you want. I use a big fat one. Saved my ass more than a few times!

I'm building up my new ride is w/out bars...or brakes. Freewheel to boot.

I'll be the tuffest in town!!

The toughest one would be the one on a unicycle. In a heavy traffic.

People w/o brakes, what do you do if your chain snaps?

how the **** do you 'almost trackstand'? does that mean "fall over"? i can do that too.

i've seen more than one unicycle commuter in nyc.

if the chain snaps? foot-down, lay the bike over, or foot-against-the-rear-wheel. not too difficult. as dangerous as any other important part failing on any bike, especially in obviously dangerous situations - steep trails, next to canyons, traffic, on tightropes, witha bag of dynamite, etc.

That was clever and picking fights over the internet is cool, especially the part when you take the words the other person didn't really give much thought or meaning to and ridicule it.. that is clever

Anyway, i am not riding without brakes, i just wanted to maximize my stopping power if needed be, i tried what you guys suggested today and ive been stopping much much better.

taking things seriously while employing sarcasm trumps my clever turn of words, well played!

glad you're stopping better. all i use my rear brake for is taking stress and heat off the front pads. the front brake can stop you just fine, skidding and using the front brake is not going to help you. you want your weight far back when you're stopping in time, and you don't want any tires skidding.

BTW, skidding kills your tires pretty quick.

5+ months on a gatorskin. never worn through to the threads - just replaced them when they got too squared for my liking.