straight over the handlebars
 

hey,

just got my new track bike and on the first ride felt the need to learn to stop. fast. i'd heard about how to skid stop and thought i'd give it a shot. i did get a front brake, and i pulled it. the first time the back wheel came up and then down. this happened again the second time. the third time i tumbled over the handlebars. what happened? did i pull the brake too hard? i didn't skid any of these times. i've heard that i'm supposed to lean into the handlebars, but won't this just shift my weight forward and make me dump again?

also, i got gator skins. is this maybe why it was harder to skid?

any thoughts would be really helpful.

Ugh, what gearing are you running?

Even more important, what helmet?

Gatorskins are the easiest tires I have skidded on. You don't use the brake to skid, just level the pedals and hang on. The back end will unweight (jump off the ground slightly) allowing you to stop the wheel from spinning. If you grab ahold of the front brake as you unweight the rear, you will send yourself over the bars or do a nice stoppie if you pay attention and modulate the brake.

44/16 on 650c wheels
 

got the IRO heidi frame -- i'm short

do it on grass or after rain, then you really will get the feeling of skidding before doing it on dry pavement.

44/16 on 650c wheels

wear ur helmet brosef

(Troll post? :P)

You don't use the brake while skidding, especially in a skid where all of your weight is over the handlebars. If you're using the brake, only use your feet to SLOW the back wheel, and put your weight to the rear of the bike (or at least the rear of your saddle).

He thinks you are supposed to skip the front tire!

I LOL'd.

You leaned into the handlebars while pulling the front brake? LOL.

:lol:

How long have you actually ridden a bike, before buying your hip fixie?

wow, just wow. read these two articles before you kill yourself

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brakturn.html

I say let darwinism run its course.

Lean waaaaaaaaay back and jam on the front break like really really hard and u can pull wicked reverse ripskittings.

i've been riding since i was about 5 years old. i guess now that fixies are popular the cool kids can't get them any more. oh wait, is this high school or a bike forum?

everyone rode bikes when they were 5

a better question would be to ask when was the last time you rode constantly

Go to the gym and workout your legs.

yeah well i'm not always so great at thinking things through...

sheldon says, "If you ride a fixed gear with only a front brake, your legs will tell you exactly when you are at the maximum brake capacity of the front brake." what does this mean; what will it feel like when i brake too much.... or have i already found out?!

LOL'd

i don't ride all that often. yeah, i bought the hipster bike. yeah i bought the velocity rims. but really, i want to learn how to do this. i hear people go on about how pure the experience is and i want that. give a newbie a chance...

Sheldon means you'll be able to feel the rear tire lose traction as it lifts up. This is the maximum braking capacity of the front brake.

For future reference, any time you're jamming on the front brake make sure you lean back to counteract the weight transfer, otherwise... yeah, you know.

Also, I hate to ruin your expectations of something life-changing, but the whole "pure experience" thing is largely a bunch of pseudo-Zen crap touted by people like that guy who claimed that aluminum bikes feel square while steel bikes feel circular. The only time I feel unusually well-connected to the bike because of the drivetrain is riding VERY slowly alongside foot traffic where I can alter speed as necessary with my legs. While actually riding the thing, it's just a bike with one gear that can't coast. They look simpler, have fewer parts, and are easier to maintain, but a fixed gear bike isn't some kind of path to Nirvana.

successful troll is successful????