How can you skid / How to do skids / skidding

I find the key to a sweet skid is lift/unweight the rear wheel slightly as you initiate the skid (almost like a miniscule bunny hop into it) then balance pushing down on back foot/lift front foot to maintain...

This should make locking the wheel up nice and easy, then just start pedalling again when ready. Try it with either foot forward, which will make skip skidding (which we'll address in our next session) much more effective for slowing down.

practice on a wet road. helps break the traction of the tyre and the road.

Try on grass, get the feel of the skid and how far you can lean forward, then try on a road.

I have read this thread, and practised buggery, and I still can't skid. I am a failure and a fraud. As you were.

should be easier to get skids no?

or cheat like me, use the front brake to unweight the rear and scrub speed, while this is happening you can lock your legs and then skid away

I cheat like DJ, dab the front brake as you attempt your skid, your weight will be forward without you having to lean right forward like a vomiting hyena

i have visions of bad things happing with the front brake be involved.

should be easier to get skids no?

If only that we're true.....

As for the touching the front brake.....

At my age I just expect to end up posting here....http://www.lfgss.com/thread45458.html

Try on grass, get the feel of the skid and how far you can lean forward, then try on a road.

This man knows what he is talking about:
Educational film

or cheat like me, use the front brake

This one doesn't.
No front brake involved

im pretty good now, but i found it so much easier to learn on gravel than tarmac.

trust me once you find an easy surface and just lift your bum form the seat all you need is a bit of power in the legs and bobs your muncle

Be careful on wet grass when skidding. Any sideways motion can be hard to control. The ribs can be easily broken.

In summary : don't lean.

So I figured I'd have another go at this skidding lark, I mean, how hard can it really be?

Here's the result...

/attachments/47677

1 Attachment

Hmm, just going to have a close look at that odd looking spoke...

harder than your chain apparently.

Which is why no-brakes is hardcore mental, or at least requires good maintenance.

^^So it would seem. I managed to ride it home like that although I resorted to the walk of shame up a steeper hill in the interests of self preservation.
The odd looking spoke was just the light playing tricks.

Which is why no-brakes is hardcore mental, or at least requires good maintenance.

From a safety point of view the chain jumped off and promptly locked the back wheel resulting in the best skid of the day and bringing the bike to a complete stop.

wvm, I experienced this with my first fixed build, think it was a combination of axle nuts not being tight enough, wheel edging forwards, chain slacking and jumping off. Had a pretty terrifying moment when chain jumped off on a main road going down hill... that was one big skid!

Try running your chain a little tighter and get those nuts nice and tight, also check your chain when spinning the wheel to make sure there is constant tension.

And if you're trying to skid, make sure you're unweighting the back wheel a bit, almost skipping into it, means using alot less brute strength...

If you lock your non-braking leg at the knee, so that it remains straight on the pedal upstroke , it will force your weight off the saddle a bit, helping you to initiate the skid. I tend to think more about this action than the pulling of the braking leg.

I don't think the wheel moved although I did have a bit of slack in the chain. I do need to centre the chainring as per Sheldon (God rest his soul). The bike was bought second hand and, aside from truing the rear wheel a bit, has had minimal maintenance in the years I've owned it. I did manage a few dubious skids but I do admit to being a big girls blouse when it comes to anything that may even come close to dumping me off the bike so I wasn't unweighting the back end anywhere near enough.

(No offence to girls blouses of which I happen to be a big fan)

I ride around brakeless and I rarely lift the back wheel. The chain will hold if it's decent. Saying that I don't use masterlinks or power links or whatever now because one nearly snapped on me.

I'm talking just when you're learning, easier to unweight the back a bit, less likely to hurt your knees as well. I rarely actually skid unless it's a steep hill or the roads are greasy.

I have just one brake and have gone down a few steeper hills and struggled to hold the bike back with legs alone so probably should crack the art of skidding 'just in case'.

what gear you running wvm?

69"? 48/19