Variations, Stunts, Tricks, Fix

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11-02-04 | 08:38 AM
  #1  
Everybody is always riding around town going all fast and being smooth and graceful,
BUT WHAT ABOUT..........

STAIRS on a FIXED GEAR BICYCLE:
-Who has ridden down a set of stairs?
-What about riding up a few stairs?
-How many stairs?
-On what bike?
-Is it possible to wheelie down a set of stairs? (Meaning, ride down with only the back wheel touching the stairs…)
-Is it possible to skid OR skip down a set of stairs?
(Seems like it would be possible to skid all the way down, since the tire’s contact patch is only the narrow edge of each step…)


DROPOFFS on a FIXED GEAR BICYCLE:
-Who has done a dropoff? (loading docks, two or three stairs at high speed, etc….)
-How high was it?
-On what bike?
-Did you keep pedaling in the air?
-What happens when you land?

WHEELIES on a FIXED GEAR BICYCLE:
-Who can ride wheelies? How far?
(Seems like you could basically ride a wheelie forever if the gear ratio was right and you had the sensitive application of pedal pressure dialed-in.)
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11-02-04 | 08:42 AM
  #2  
I think you need a BMX bike for that stuff... I'll take mine on dirt - stairs? Hell no.
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11-02-04 | 08:50 AM
  #3  
Too many questions. yes, I've done drops, stairs, etc. Done dirt jumps on my skinny tire fixed gear (2 ft. high or so) and I've done all kinds of stuff on a fixed MTB.
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11-02-04 | 09:16 AM
  #4  
Somebody hasn't been keeping up on their Kevin Bacon movies.
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11-02-04 | 10:20 AM
  #5  
Can climb up 3 stairs, you just need to get the front wheel on the top, lean foreward pedal and pull the backwheel with you. The better you get the faster it's done. Only crashed once while trying(and of course there was a lot of people watching).
Down a couple of stairs is no problem, and if i cared less for my bike i think i could make it down a set and even skid down them - but thats a sure way to bend a wheel or crack a helmet.
You can do dropoffs i have done a couple just abuot 1/2m - 3 stairs, keep pedaling and suck up the landing with the whole body, it feels so good when you hit it just right, it's as smooth as if you where riding a mtb.
I have posted a pic. of my flying beauty.
Fly safe.
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11-02-04 | 10:25 AM
  #6  
Here is a pic. of a friend of mine taking some stairs in front of the tv-tower in Berlin.
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11-02-04 | 10:28 AM
  #7  
Quote: I have posted a pic. of my flying beauty.
DROOL! That is a hot bike!
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11-02-04 | 11:54 AM
  #8  
I've just started wheeling my track.
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11-02-04 | 11:58 AM
  #9  
I used to do small sets of stairs and dropoffs on my skinny tire, but then I had a flaming wreck when my front wheel imploded. Now I don't know that it had anything to do with my aggressive urban conquests, and I had had a wreck that day that had taken my wheel wildly out of true, and I was in fact bombing off-road at high speed at the time, but still, I learned that day that wheels really do fail and I wouldn't want to repeat.

Now if my MTB was fixed, for sure.
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11-03-04 | 07:22 AM
  #10  
Quote: Everybody is always riding around town going all fast and being smooth and graceful,
BUT WHAT ABOUT..........
STAIRS on a FIXED GEAR BICYCLE:
Quote: -Who has ridden down a set of stairs?
Me!

Quote: -What about riding up a few stairs?
Sure,

Quote: -How many stairs?
3 isn't a prob, 5 or more is a bit of a workout (I'm lazy), much rather carry my ride

Quote: -On what bike?
Urbanist 48-16 w/chopped cruiser bars / Time pedals

Quote: -Is it possible to wheelie down a set of stairs? (Meaning, ride down with only the back wheel touching the stairs…)
Probably, but the geometry isn't there, you'll bend something, rim, frame, clavicle? I suppose you could have some 28+ tires and only 50 psi or something, and kinda drop down em one at a time, but why?

Quote: -Is it possible to skid OR skip down a set of stairs?
Only if you don't paticularly like your wheel, for some reason need a flat tire or wanted some free facial reconstruction from the local emergency room.

Quote: (Seems like it would be possible to skid all the way down, since the tire’s contact patch is only the narrow edge of each step…)
You'd hit each consecutive step harder as you slowed and you'd definately slow down. Unlikely your wheel/ride would come away unscathed. Also it'd give you a good spanking


DROPOFFS on a FIXED GEAR BICYCLE:
Quote: -Who has done a dropoff? (loading docks, two or three stairs at high speed, etc….)
I used to get bored standing by too!

Quote: -How high was it?
I've done 2 to 2 1/2 feet in motion, lil over a meter from a standstill.

Quote: -On what bike?
Same as above

Quote: -Did you keep pedaling in the air?
yes, it helps with not landing on your front wheel, and there's only time in the air for 1 rotation or so, if that. Trying to stop pedaling threw me off balance, trying to kep pedaling did the same, just flowing through it as though I were on level ground did the trick. Not think about pedaling but keeping wheels level for landing.

Quote: -What happens when you land?
hard to land perfectly level the way I'd like to spare abuse on the bike, generally if you land clean someone sez "Dude!" or something and you laugh. I always went slow enough that I'd be in a trackstand a meter after landing or so.

WHEELIES on a FIXED GEAR BICYCLE:

Quote: -Who can ride wheelies? How far?
me! not far!

Quote: (Seems like you could basically ride a wheelie forever if the gear ratio was right and you had the sensitive application of pedal pressure dialed-in.)
I've seen it done by much better riders (fixed) than me, same as riding backwards circles, practice practice practice.


The best trick I've seen at least for showmanship was at a race a few years back, fella named Butch rode some backward circles, then stopped in a no hand stand, whipped out some balls and started juggling while singing Johnny Cash songs, all while trackstanding.

All that in motion stuff you're asking about is a good way to really trash yer ride, unless you built a ride specifically for that which might be a lot of fun! For standing around fun on fixies the thing to try is all the freestyle tricks, so hard to do that it'll eat a lot of your time to master even one. They don't look terribly impressive to the uninitiated, but people who ride fixed will know how hard it is to do them.

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11-03-04 | 07:37 AM
  #11  
Whew good God...

No No and No. My Fixie is a delicate and refined lady. I give her roses.

She does hop curbs of course and likes a stroll through the woods on a dirt road.
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11-03-04 | 07:41 AM
  #12  
Quote: Whew good God...

No No and No. My Fixie is a delicate and refined lady. I give her roses.

She does hop curbs of course and likes a stroll through the woods on a dirt road.

Oh but the pretty ones are the best for freestyle! Won't hurt the lil lady either.
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11-03-04 | 11:22 AM
  #13  
Quote: STAIRS on a FIXED GEAR BICYCLE:


Me!



Sure,



3 isn't a prob, 5 or more is a bit of a workout (I'm lazy), much rather carry my ride


Urbanist 48-16 w/chopped cruiser bars / Time pedals



Probably, but the geometry isn't there, you'll bend something, rim, frame, clavicle? I suppose you could have some 28+ tires and only 50 psi or something, and kinda drop down em one at a time, but why?



Only if you don't paticularly like your wheel, for some reason need a flat tire or wanted some free facial reconstruction from the local emergency room.



You'd hit each consecutive step harder as you slowed and you'd definately slow down. Unlikely your wheel/ride would come away unscathed. Also it'd give you a good spanking


DROPOFFS on a FIXED GEAR BICYCLE:


I used to get bored standing by too!



I've done 2 to 2 1/2 feet in motion, lil over a meter from a standstill.



Same as above



yes, it helps with not landing on your front wheel, and there's only time in the air for 1 rotation or so, if that. Trying to stop pedaling threw me off balance, trying to kep pedaling did the same, just flowing through it as though I were on level ground did the trick. Not think about pedaling but keeping wheels level for landing.



hard to land perfectly level the way I'd like to spare abuse on the bike, generally if you land clean someone sez "Dude!" or something and you laugh. I always went slow enough that I'd be in a trackstand a meter after landing or so.

WHEELIES on a FIXED GEAR BICYCLE:


me! not far!



I've seen it done by much better riders (fixed) than me, same as riding backwards circles, practice practice practice.


The best trick I've seen at least for showmanship was at a race a few years back, fella named Butch rode some backward circles, then stopped in a no hand stand, whipped out some balls and started juggling while singing Johnny Cash songs, all while trackstanding.



All that in motion stuff you're asking about is a good way to really trash yer ride, unless you built a ride specifically for that which might be a lot of fun! For standing around fun on fixies the thing to try is all the freestyle tricks, so hard to do that it'll eat a lot of your time to master even one. They don't look terribly impressive to the uninitiated, but people who ride fixed will know how hard it is to do them.

I can't
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11-03-04 | 11:23 AM
  #14  
Quote: STAIRS on a FIXED GEAR BICYCLE:


Me!



Sure,



3 isn't a prob, 5 or more is a bit of a workout (I'm lazy), much rather carry my ride


Urbanist 48-16 w/chopped cruiser bars / Time pedals



Probably, but the geometry isn't there, you'll bend something, rim, frame, clavicle? I suppose you could have some 28+ tires and only 50 psi or something, and kinda drop down em one at a time, but why?



Only if you don't paticularly like your wheel, for some reason need a flat tire or wanted some free facial reconstruction from the local emergency room.



You'd hit each consecutive step harder as you slowed and you'd definately slow down. Unlikely your wheel/ride would come away unscathed. Also it'd give you a good spanking


DROPOFFS on a FIXED GEAR BICYCLE:


I used to get bored standing by too!



I've done 2 to 2 1/2 feet in motion, lil over a meter from a standstill.



Same as above



yes, it helps with not landing on your front wheel, and there's only time in the air for 1 rotation or so, if that. Trying to stop pedaling threw me off balance, trying to kep pedaling did the same, just flowing through it as though I were on level ground did the trick. Not think about pedaling but keeping wheels level for landing.



hard to land perfectly level the way I'd like to spare abuse on the bike, generally if you land clean someone sez "Dude!" or something and you laugh. I always went slow enough that I'd be in a trackstand a meter after landing or so.

WHEELIES on a FIXED GEAR BICYCLE:


me! not far!



I've seen it done by much better riders (fixed) than me, same as riding backwards circles, practice practice practice.


The best trick I've seen at least for showmanship was at a race a few years back, fella named Butch rode some backward circles, then stopped in a no hand stand, whipped out some balls and started juggling while singing Johnny Cash songs, all while trackstanding.

All that in motion stuff you're asking about is a good way to really trash yer ride, unless you built a ride specifically for that which might be a lot of fun! For standing around fun on fixies the thing to try is all the freestyle tricks, so hard to do that it'll eat a lot of your time to master even one. They don't look terribly impressive to the uninitiated, but people who ride fixed will know how hard it is to do them.


Resist. I must quote this long assed thing, of course i didn't read it.
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11-03-04 | 01:24 PM
  #15  
I've gone down 5-6 stairs before. . . It was alright and my wheel is still pretty true
I've gone off a 3 stair like it was a ledge but I think that's about the biggest i'd ever do. (it's those really hard landings that will bend a rim.
Never up
I can wheelie when I have my riser bars on my bike (almost never) about 3-4 cranks. . . I ride a 44x16 with 700 rear wheel and 165 cranks if anyone wants to do the math.
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