I have had a fixed gear for about a month and have already skidded out my slick back tire. When I was learning to skid I would bounce the rear wheel and skid somewhat but mostly bounce a few times. Is this really bad for the tire in terms of longevity or is skidding worse. Im going to try and make this new tire last by backpedaling and limiting my skids as it is higher quality (150tpi) but the bunny hops are fun.

Bunny hopping is significantly better for the longevity of the tire. Can't say that for the wheel staying true however...

You don't have to skid stop every single time. Try using more backpedaling/pressure if you don't wish to have to replace your tire every month.

Also it'll help to replace your rear with a beefier skid oriented tire such as a soma everwear

Use a rear brake.
Oh hang on, that's not cool.

Nope I wont ride with rear brakes. That will mess up the paintjob.

Brake pads are cheap. Tires and wheels cost more. If its cost you are worried about I'd just run a rear brake. You don't have to use it, but if for some reason you do need it, its there. Brakes work. Bikes have had them for a hundred years,

Check your gear ratio as it pertains to skid patches. I was riding 48X16 for a while (1 skid patch), and I was replacing or rotating my tires frequently. I switched to a 48x17 (17 skid patches) on one bike, and 44x15 (15 skid patches) on my other bike, and both tires have lasted over a year, riding almost daily. I do ride brakeless, but I don't skid excessively. I skip-stop when necessary, but primarily use resistance to slow down.

If you don't know what a skid patch is, or how to calculate it, see link below.

Fixed Gear Bicycles for the Road

This calculator also makes it really easy. Since you're only riding one gear, just enter one number for both min/max chainring (how many teeth are on your chainring), and one number for both min/max cog (number of teeth on your rear cog).

BikeCalc.com - Skid Patch Chart Calculator

ruining a nice set of rims by using a brake isn't cheap either.
nothing wrong with riding brakeless, the guy just needs to learn to limit his skids, and run a thickslick or a tire made for that sort of thing.

i ride daily, and can't imagine going through a tire in a month.

Literally the worst argument I have ever read for riding brakeless.

You realize a rim costs about as much as a tire?

If you want to rebuild your wheels every few months. I dunno about you but I can change my tire significantly quicker than i can lace up a rim and get it running true. Plus decent rims would be in the 60-80 dollar range I believe, I haven't ran any tires that cost that much.

I know that brake pads are cheap, but most people who ride brakeless do so because they enjoy it, not to save 5 dollars per month on brake pads.

And you'll wear out a rim every decade or so.

i was speaking more along the lines of having a rim that looks nice.
or having a high performance rim that isn't machined, and therefore not designed to have brakes rubbing against it.

the guy came in here asking about tire life, not about using brakes.

lets not turn this into a brakes vs no brakes discussion. that's happened enough and we all know brakes are for woosies

I got annoyed at the artful photo of a mass produced Giant as an excuse for not running a back brake. Had it been an boutique, historic, or unique bike I'd get it but it's none of those things it's just a run of the mill bike like my Trek. I don't care if you use brakes or you don't just don't complain about skidding and your tires if you have a perfectly viable front brake as he does.

Why is the OP even skidding in the first place********************

He has a front brake and that provides all the braking power he could ever need?

this forum sucks lately.

Yeah it does.

And that's a perfect example.

I have sorta 'ruined' my front wheel by using a brake on it. Both came painted and looked nice and shiny black. The rear rim still looks nice. I do have the power and strength to backpedal with care and use my front brake. The thread is about bouncing. imagine coming down a hill, curved bridge or something with a grade and you are in your toe clips off your seat and you want to slow down, I usually skid bounce. It freaks out my girlfriend riding on her roadie behind me but I have complete control. I'm still wondering, how terrible is this 'skid bounce' on tire wear 23's 120 psi?

do you mean skip stopping? ive never bounced while skip stopping....besides if you have a front brake USE IT.

are looks more important than stopping power/performance? or am i missing something?

Cant stop, Dont want to.

how many licks does it take to get to the center of a...brake lever

I can't wait until you post a thread talking about how your girlfriend crashed into you.

And, yeah...it's called skip skidding. "Bouncing" is something boobs do.

So, does that mean only women can bounce skid ?

And unless you're riding off-road in gritty conditions, it takes a LONG time to wear out a rim. As in many years or even decades. N.B. modern rims with machined sidewalls tend not to last as long as vintage rims, as the machining process removes sidewall material before you even build the wheels.

This may sound like crazy talk, but you can actually ride without skidding at all if you know what you're doing and "have complete control."