I confess...

Skidding is only for people who want to look cool, it is in no way a better solution to slowing down than a brake or controlling the speed of you rear wheel without skidding.

I call absolute bullshit on this one.

Having descended rather steep hills brakeless, I can say skidding was a far easier method to slow down than resisting, short whip skids to either side was the easiest way for me to slow down, may not have been the most efficient or effective but I am sure it was easiest.

All covered over here >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> http://www.lfgss.com/thread1194.html

td;dr

^^I don't think easier to do is the same as better.

^^I don't think easier to do is the same as better.

Was mainly speaking about this bit:

Skidding is only for people who want to look cool

Assuming skidding the rear wheel is the fastest way to stop with only a rear braking mechanism (which it may or may not be - paging Tester), they'd only be able to stop as quickly as the rider with a brake, and it'd probably be harder. With a decent rear brake you should be able to lock up the rear wheel with as much weight as possible over the rear axle pretty easily, whereas skidding in that position would be rather difficult.

It isn't; sliding friction is less than the friction of a wheel just the other side of the skid threshold.

As for front / rear braking, braking with either brake or a combination thereof will shift momentum forward to the point at which no weight is on the rear wheel and it's contributing nothing to the stopping process. So why, in normal circumstances, use the brake which gets less effective the more you use it? The bike doesn't know whether you're spreading out the braking over two rims or one, it's all just forces. Rim overheating etc. might play a role in some situations, and there are other pragmatic concerns. Like if it's very icy, or if you're going slowly down a steep decline and can't get off the back of the saddle, or if your front brake grabs, you might wish to use the back brake more by preference.

**BUT **I only wanted to know a) so I look cool and can actually DAS if someone challenges me, and b) so that I have another option for long descents of the sort IR mentions where resisting is not terribly helpful. I have a front brake and have never found a combination of resisting and front brake to be inadequate. But it'd be nice to know, right?

Anyway, this is boring and I feel a terrible responsibility for having a) brought it up and b) downloading the dull speech above which I normally reserve for nodders who are terrified about endoing off the front of their bikes if they use the front brake more than the rear. New confession >

Despite being an ale drinker at pubs I do like a few tinnies of Strongbow Pear at home.

I've joined the Cycling chat group at work. With my debut post, I've begun trolling them.

may not have been the most efficient or effective

You are of course relying on your tyre to be able to last longer than the descent. Or you have to change it halfway down, like the obligatory scene in all those Seabiscuit videos.

I call absolute bullshit on this one.

Having descended rather steep hills brakeless, I can say skidding was a far easier method to slow down than resisting, short whip skids to either side was the easiest way for me to slow down, may not have been the most efficient or effective but I am sure it was easiest.

That's because you have weedy noodle legs.

Lrn2beik

To return to the question of locking technique. This may have been covered elsewhere in this thread - I confess I have not ploughed through all 53 pages - but surely the trick to locking the rear wheel is to flip it to the side as you attempt to cease rotation.

My knowledge of physics is elementary, however, does not the following apply?

The more the axis of the wheel axel approaches the direction of forward momentum, the less rotational force is applied to the wheel by that forward momentum, thereby greatly reducing the ‘resistance’ needed to be applied by the rider to cease rotation

Check out the big brain on Brett!

I'm gonna need another coffee before I can understand that ^

I've had three double espressos, you can tell can't you?

Only one strong instant so far, feeling a bit too tired to chase the caffeine buzz today.

To return to the question of locking technique. This may have been covered elsewhere in this thread - I confess I have not ploughed through all 53 pages - but surely the trick to locking the rear wheel is to flip it to the side as you attempt to cease rotation.

My knowledge of physics is elementary, however, does not the following apply?

The more the axis of the wheel axel approaches the direction of forward momentum, the less rotational force is applied to the wheel by that forward momentum, thereby greatly reducing the ‘resistance’ needed to be applied by the rider to cease rotation

Check out the big brain on Brett!

If you're talking about whipskidding then I understand what you're talking about.

Having the wheel further to the side does make it easier to lock the wheel in the first place, but makes no difference once the wheel is sliding, all the wip skids I've seen have pushed the wheel out after it's locked... Which is of no help at all and just for show.

It makes your tyre wear in a way that means you can use it for longer.

More lean -> more of the tyre surface in play -> less kinetic energy going into the centreline of the tread.

Never lean

I've joined the Cycling chat group at work. With my debut post, I've begun trolling them.

Is that you questioning that chap who paid £10 to have his headset tightened ?

i can't wait for my work to set up their own version of this thing ^

I am gonna do so. Much. Trolling.

^^ haha HAI!!!
That wasn't my first post...

I just listened to 'The Archers'

I just listened to 'The Archers'

Nothing wrong there. It is a tale of simple country folk.

I like it.

Nothing wrong there. It is a tale of simple country folk.

I like it.

It's a contrived, puerile farrago of wooden 'acting' and hackneyed story lines.

I'm only in it for the Lillian/Matt/Paul triangle of doom which is long overdue it's obvious conclusion.

I cannot stop my bottom bracket from making a cracking noise, and it is driving me insane.