I just built up a Jury with 35's. This is my first fg. My foot retention should arrive tomorrow, so I haven't really been trying skids on my flats. I tried a few cock to stem skids today, but it didn't really seem to want to do it. I really had to fight it. Do you think its the tires or just me learning?

both, as I understand the physics you have a larger surface area with 35s touching the ground and therefore more friction to overcome, so you're going to need to work harder (lean more). I'm going to leave my opinion of balls-to-the-stem skids out of here (they're useless, overdone party tricks) but I will say that you're just going to need to learn to unmount the rear more and/or resist moar.

I agree with you on this type of skid. It was just the only way I was able to lock the wheel up without clips.

without foot retention skidding is impossible. skidding requires a combo of pushing and pulling at the same time.

I run 35s for off road mix and yes it's pretty tough to skid but wait to try it in a smaller tire, you will feel like an ox.

uhhh. no it's not. I know plenty of people that can skid one fitted and not be clipped in. It does require the balls to stem combo, but it's not "impossible".

I'm assuming your tires are also of the knobby sort being so wide.
Before I swapped out the 32c knobby tires on my san jose skidding was pretty hard, and i had to balls to the stem it. So I never really did it.
With my slicks I can just lift my bum off the seat, and push down on the bars to do it.

LIES!

I ran platforms on my winter fixie, granted I wouldn't advise riding fixed on platforms, it can be done. Skidding can also be done, but it's a hell of a lot more work than it is with a foot retention system.

Basically, you *have* to commit to the move, you can't half-ass it, you'll get bucked/thrown - just giv'er with your back leg and push your balls/vag right upto the stem and haul against your bars to get the leverage. My tyre wasn't a 35, mind you (an old tired 28 in fact). I sheered splined cranks on one of my winter bikes because of resisting/skidding - it takes a lot, but it is very much possible.

I've heard of folks down in the caribbean doing two-footed platform skids, they hook their foot under the lead pedal and push hard on the back leg/pedal, I've never done this personally though.

It's your technique that needs to be worked on. I can skid in slippers on 35's so just work at it. Also it's not impossible to be able to skid without being clipped in cuz I can do it (and I don't even like doing tricks). If you hook your foot under the pedal that's all you need

At a macroscopic level friction is independent of surface area. Although this sounds counterintuitive, it can be viewed in the following way: if you take some surface area and apply some weight to it then you get a certain pressure. If you take the same material and extend it over a wider area with the same weight then you have lowered the pressure so even though you have more area, which you might equate to more friction, you are simultaneously lowering the pressure so that the effect of larger surface area is cancelled by the lowered pressure.

What may make a wider tire harder to skid is that it is heavier which will increase the flywheel effect of rear wheel, i.e. increased rotational inertia, and for the same speed you will have to counter a larger rotational inertia which will cause you to have to apply more torque than you normally would. You might quantify this by conserving angular momentum.

Huh?

you don't need to put one foot under the other pedal or have foot retention. I skid all the time on the bottom of the pedals.. just lock your left leg, lean your weight over the bars and voilaaaa skidding like its 1999.

i've done it that way too, but find it's the most difficult type to do

Skidding w/o retention isn't tough at all. Tougher than normal, but skidding isn't really that hard period. If I could learn it in under an hour anyone can.

i can skid in converse on my ATAC pedals, with one footed. no problem, you just gotta go for it. Mind you i run 23c's, but im just saying its possible to skid one footed just by weighting the front foot.



and people can do the one leg over the bar skids, last time i checked that was one footed

No, my tires are not knobbly at all. So I guess its just me committing, either way I get my clips today!

yeah I can skid with stillettos on with one foot and no hands. foot retention is for bondage.

physics jedi!