Seated skids
 

and i'm not talking diarrhea...

I've read several posts and heard a couple things about seated skids. Is this possible?
I know the nuts-to-stem basics, and i can skid locking either leg. but, i do not understand the concept of a seated skid.

what's the deal?
any videos?
any tips?

unweight your rear wheel by hopping up instead of leaning forward.

For me it's more of a timing issue. The more you think about it the more you will understand when I say just lock your knees. You can also lean to the side to help you learn.

Full lean (nuts on stem) skids are the stupidest looking thing on earth. Skid up right or go home.

Actually I don't care, what ever you do, as long as (it's legal) you are on a bike it's alright by me.

you might try leveraging your thigh (above your knee medial/ventrally) off the back end of the top tube as well (if your frame isn't sloping, anyway).

I don't know how anybody could skid while completely seated...Here's my theory on how it might be done though.


1. Be like...105 lbs
2. Have a crazy short gear ratio
3. Have superman legs


Then MAYBE it could happen I suppose.


But then again, I don't really have any of these things...I'm 200lbs w/ 48/17 gears and barely average leg strength

I have to unweight a bit then I can hold it for a second as a stopping measure but not for long. I weigh 2 bills with decent leg strength and would be suprised to see anyone fully seated to lay down a long skid but what the hell do I know.

Seated skids have a lot to do with a few forces in play.
1. Leg strength
2. Gear inches
3. Speed

If you are weak and have larger gear ratio going fast it will be much harder to resist the pedal rotation allowing you to stay seated. It just takes practice to figure out your timing. Seated skids are like skipping but without standing. If you really want to increase the stopping power while seated press down even harder backwards with your rear foot, pull up with front. This causes the rear tire to rotate backwards while still going forward which equals increased drag. Seated skids are like trackstanding, they come with time on the bike. Alot of its just technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0AFp...eature=related

these guys have it down

Im 155, I have a pretty short gear ratio, but I would not consider my legs that strong. I can do seated skids with no problems. Not sure what thats about.

Post two is on point -- you hop the rear wheel ever-so-slightly and then lock your legs. Once you become comfortable with the process, the hop will transition into the skid seamlessly. You don't actually need to lift the rear wheel off of the ground; you just need to reduce friction enough to start the skid.

Also, for those who can't do it... keep this in mind. Seat to bar drop, and bike geometry. Someone else's bike may have ALOT less weight on the rear wheel because of these two things. I mean, if all your weight is on your bars to begin with, it doesn't matter as much if you stand or sit.

Personally, I've never tried, and doubt i can. Then again, I'm on a 'lax geometry roadie conversion, with not a ton of bar drop. ;)

It's a lot easier at first if you use your front brake at the same time. Then you can transition to doing it without. Running narrow low-tread tires helps too, of course.

+1. Couldn't have said it better myself. Just practice, get a feel for your bike and the way you ride, and practice more. You'll get it.

+1

they aren't completely seated

Gear down.

At 210lbs with a 65" gear, I only skid seated. It obviously gets harder with a bigger gear.

clipless.

65" gear ?? wow, thats pretty low. i have a feeling all of these 'freestyle' fixed gear riders do the same to accomplish tricks easier. is this true?

They do, as does Trial riders and BMX riders.

I just prefer a small gear. I don't see any reason to go faster then 20 MPH.

Going fast with no brakes is dangerous.

i can do them, but the pavement must be an asphalt road not a gritty new one or concrete. When you do it, there's so much weight on the rear wheel that the pedals slowly overcome the skid so you can't hold it. More practical however is to skid ALMOST on the seat. I usually kinda pinch the seat and turn my back leg's knee in a tad. that way it's LOCKED. i do 48/17

this is the only practical way (aside from backpedalling) to control speed brakeless.

Arg, this thread frustrates me.

I weight 115lbs, but I'm 5'7"; I run 71 gear inches, not 65, or whatever was recommended; and I've only biked for about a year now; and yet, I can seated skid, easily, and I learned it probably within a week. And I'm pretty damn sure I'm not special either. Speed helps, but it's not a huge factor either. Hopping your wheel is unnecessary.

Ok, it's all about form/technique/whatever. Try this out, I taught a friend how to skid in a day without getting his nuts to the stem by having him do this, so really try it.

1. Pedal a bit, and then ever now and then go limp and let the pedals push your legs around
2. Do the same thing, but this time, as the pedal come backwards and up, let it push your body off the saddle. Just relax and stiffen your back leg a bit to do this.
3. Do the same thing but try to completely straighten your back leg as the pedal comes backwards and up, and let it push your body off the saddle
4. Do the same thing as #3, but when the pedals start to approach the point where the cranks are parallel to the ground, resist with your front foot by pulling. You should definitely feel a point where there is a great resistance to pedaling, and that should be when the cranks and parallel with the ground.

#4 is the key to skidding + seated skids.

busted my lockring doing these

yo thank you all for the help...
i didn't think i learned so quickly, but i learned seated skids today.
after about over an hour of cycling up and down my street, i got it down.
AND I CAN SEATED SKID AMBIDEXTROUS

the most helpful tip that i read that i used that worked was
I realize that coming out of the saddle a bit is necessary for me to skid seated.

bonus news(/mild brag right): My friend had his bike since May(over a month*), and I got seated skids before him...(whispers: woot woot)

You're 115 lbs



You're very out of the ordinary and if you weighed what an average person does, you wouldn't be able to do this with such ease


put a 90 lb back pack on and now you're talking my language