The Do of Skipping
 

My trackstands are looking alright, a little shaky but feeling pretty solid, my skids are good (still haven't got up the "balls" to do one no handed though), but my skipping is akward at best. I've learned to unweight/pop up the rear wheel a bit, lock up the cranks and scrub the tire on the ground when it hits. What I'm wondering, however, is should I then just "skip" along, with the rear tire bouncing up and down by itself, or do I need to keep "popping" the rear wheel up myself, and repeat the process? I always thought that somehow once I got the first skip going, I'd just continue to skip down the road with little effort, just locking the rear wheel up each time it rose in the air.

I'm not sure I'm making myself clear, but if someone understands, could they please explain it to me?

If I was able, I'd just go ask someone here who rode fixed (or better yet watch), but that isn't really an option as it's me and three other guys stuck here all alone.

Thanks,

L

PS: I still have my front brake mounted for "oh *****" moments, just in case you were worried.

you gotta keep popping it up yourself, if I understand your question right.

what I don't get is, how is it that people can skid but not the skip?
always thought the skid was a bit more difficult...hell, I still cant do em right

Thanks ch0mb0, as to being able to skid and not skip, it takes some skill to skip, it just take power to skid. :p At least in my experience.

ya. you need to pop it back up, it's not going to bounce for you. I learned how to skid before skipping because for some reason i just couldn't get my wheel to pop up but i later realized you just have to jump, even if it feels stupid and ugly. i'm still not sure what i look like when i'm skipping but at least i'm scrubbing speed.

what worked for me was learning to skid alternately with my right food forward, then my left foot forward.... and took that to skipping... alternate, skip once with the right foot (or left, whatever), then on the continuing rotation, pop up and skip with the other foot. skip, skip, skip. kinda fun, once you got it

I saw someone skipping going downhill on Masonic, slowing down for the Masonic/Fell intersection, combining it with that wiggly back & forth thing. It looked silly as all hell, but it was effective! Better than a high velocity perpendicular merge with traffic, that's for sure.

I was watching a guy skipping the other day that was soo smooth it almost looked like he had a freewheel.

you dont even have to lift the back tire, just unweight it, as if you were going to skid, but don't hold the skid, just let it skip for a second, and then another rotation of the pedals, do it again.

you don't have to pop up the rear to skip. once you get good and smooth, you can just unweigh it ever so slightly so to the naked eye, it doesn't look like the wheel ever comes off the ground.

why would someone want to look like they have a freewheel?

so, it's just a super short skid, then?

So it looks even cooler to the trained eye - once they realize it's not actually a freewheel.

it's not that anyone would want to look like they have a freewheel, it was just impressive to watch him lift the wheel so slightly that you couldn't tell it was lifting, and was able to do it anywhere on his pedal stroke. sorta gave the illusion of coasting.

ok.

yes. but with more emphasis on stopping. you can also try skiping without pulling up the rear and letting your rear end fishtail to the side a little.

i probably look like a ****ing donkey bucking. i kind of jump and my rear comes way off the ground. i can't unweight any other way unless i'm skidding. real smooth.

as long as there's two of us, maybe no one will poke fun....

i just position my feet the same way i do for skidding and instead of holding my feet in the same position i back pedal and then they catch back up where they were and i just repeat. i can't figure out how to get my back wheel up and still feel in control so i just use this method and it works fine.