Skid stop questions
 

Okay so now that I've got skid stops and whip skids down... I noticed that half of my rear tire is getting pretty chewed up. I don't skid very often. I might do 1 or 2 on each bike ride just for fun. So couple questions...

1. The fact that only 180 degress of my tire are shredded tells me I am always skidding with the same foot forward (right foot). So after it gets bad enough, I suppose I should rotate the tire 180 degrees on the rim so as to use the rest of the tire too?

2. Are there certain tires or sizes that are better for skidding? (more durable)

*using 700x28 Vittoria Randonneurs right now. thanks.

A good gear ratio/skid patch calculator can be seen here.

Thank you sir. I've got the skid patch thing down. My ratio is 44/17 and therefore I have 17 skid patches. I guess I could go up to 48/19 or so if I want 19 patches but I don't think the benefit outweighs the cost.

Anyhow, I don't actually have that many skid patches if I always skid with the same foot forward - I actually have only 50%, right?

I was just wondering if certain tires or tire sizes have reputations for lasting longer than others?

Thickslicks are often used for skidding. Other tires hold up too, but they're "designed" for it or some ****.

You think that you should have 8.5 skid patches?

Well no, that wouldn't make sense. But think about it, yes there are 17 skid patches over the full rotation of the crank, but if I'm only skidding with my right foot forward... doesn't that eliminate those skid patches I would be using if I had my left foot forward?

This theory is somewhat supported by the fact that only 180 degrees of my tire are showing skid wear. Not saying it's a fact, just hypothesizing...

If you are only skidding on one side you should have 17 skid patches for a full rotation of the crank. Just as you said. If you were skidding on both sides you would actually have 34 patches, but skidding on both sides only adds patches if you have an odd number of patches. Why you only have patches on half of your tire is probably a matter of chance.

My ratio allows for only one skid patch so if I do have to skid I rotate the wheel after riding. Fortunately this comes up very rarely.

edit: I'm pretty sure I got the doubling thing wrong. As I said I have one patch but it will stay as one patch even if I skid on both sides. So pretty much ignore everything I said and go find one of the old threads to find out about this stuff.

I've noticed the way I skid usually wears on one side of the tire as well. All depends on how you skid.

And I'm starting to hate the thickslick I have right now on the back. The name is misleading since it grips the road a lot better than Randos that I've used, making it harder to skid.

@proof - Hmmm, haha alright. on the bareknuckle calculator Master Scrod linked to above, there is a checkbox for ambidextrious skidder, and if I click it, it changes the figures on the skid patch tab, but it doesn't make my skid patch count go up or down. ??

@GMJ - good to know. the Randos I'm using were a little hard to skid at first but once I broke them in a bit them seem to be much easier to skid on. Altrhough that could also be credited to me improving my form/technique

From Sheldon:

Then it is truth. Cased closed.

True fact, Sheldon is "god's" bicycle mechanic.

dude. no. come on.

not tire on rim. chain on cog.

make sense?

I like to just rebuild the wheel with the rim 1/2 rotation forward in relation to where it was on the hub. It's really the only way to go. :thumb:

False alarm. I was completely full of **** when I said that only 180 degrees (half) of my tire was getting skidded. Upon further inspection the whole thing is getting nice and evenly skidded all the way around. Sorry for the confusion. :o

my tire has a slight slant on it from when i first started and i would try and skid everywhere, its only because i leaned mostly to the left regardless of which side i whipped the back out

i find that life is much simpler now that i dont skid all over the place, thinking ahead and just slowing down is a lot easier than thrashing my joints and having to spend 50 bucks on a new tire all the time

Agreed.

It's just new and exciting for me right now but I fully agree. I can definitely ride longer/further if I don't **** around with skidding (legs stay fresher longer).

yeah, my first few weeks i was all about the skidding, it was more of a "i need to know how to do this if the sh*t hits the fan" type of deal

only time i needed it so far was when i was climbing hills in a local park and the other of the hill was a lot steeper than expected and there was a family with small children

Exactly. It seems like a good tool to have in the toolbox, that's all. I'd like to master it, then I'll stop doing it.
And where I live and ride, sometimes you don't have the option to plan ahead and slow down. But that's why I have my front brake too. Mostly as an "oh ****!" lever.
Funny you mention skid stopping for small children. I've noticed the parents don't really appreciate it haha. I'm not talking about some kind of hockey-stop with rubber flecks flying in the kids face as you come to a sideways stop just an inch or two away haha. I just mean, they don't seem to like the noise it makes. Sends shockwaves of fear through their bodies and sets off the mom/dad primal protection & preservation instinct in them, which can easily be confirmed by the look on their faces and the daggers coming at you from their eyes.

Yeah I know, it surprised the **** out of me too but I am occasionally wrong about things. :p