[mtnpat]

How many can skid the rear tire, and how important is it to have that skill?

Wondering for emergency stopping situations (not to be cool), seems having skidding skillz would be a good thing to have.

yes/no/maybe

For me it is a no, haven't tried.

I can however hop the rear-end and get all sideways when I forget and try and coast.

 

[BianchiJoe]

How many can skid the rear tire, and how important is it to have that skill? Wondering for emergency stopping situations (not to be cool), seems having skidding skillz would be a good thing to have.

I can do it, but I never do. I found the stopping distance is way too unpredictable, and it eats rear tires. For emergency stopping situations, I use the front brake and a little back pressure instead. For me it's all about riding in control. Skids aren't controlled.

 

[menard]

ican as well but skids are only really practical in showing off situations. lots of people who ride brakeless do it to buy a second or two in an emergency situtation before they find an escape line. if you have an e-brake its not very nessecary but if your brakeless you can use all the help you can get.

 

[BianchiJoe]

Here's what I learned when I was learning how:

Try to find the smoothest pavement you can find - shiny cement (like in a parking garage) is even better. Get your weight farther forward than you think you need to; you won't endo. Your hips should be right up against your handlebars. Your rear tire will just barely be skimming the ground, which is how it skids for so long in those skid contest videos. Keep your head up and look forward. Put your strong foot in the back position, and lock it up definitively in one push; you can't be shy or the wheel will keep spinning. At first, try to keep the bike moving straight forward, but fishtailing a little will slow the bike faster; just watch that you don't loop out and bring the back end all the way around. And don't try to do it if you're going real slow; a little momentum is your friend. Once you find the sweetspots with your weight, speed and legs, you can do it with good control almost anywhere. But remember, skidding downhill takes a lot more distance than on flat ground. Good luck!

 

[mtnpat]

Try to find the smoothest pavement you can find - shiny cement (like in a parking garage) is even better. Get your weight farther forward than you think you need to; you won't endo. Your hips should be right up against your handlebars. Your rear tire will just barely be skimming the ground, which is how it skids for so long in those skid contest videos. Keep your head up and look forward. Put your strong foot in the back position, and lock it up definitively in one push; you can't be shy or the wheel will keep spinning. At first, try to keep the bike moving straight forward, but fishtailing a little will slow the bike faster; just watch that you don't loop out and bring the back end all the way around. And don't try to do it if you're going real slow; a little momentum is your friend. Once you find the sweetspots with your weight, speed and legs, you can do it with good control almost anywhere. But remember, skidding downhill takes a lot more distance than on flat ground. Good luck!

Thanks menard and Joe.

I do run a front brake on my fixie, a good one.

This is good info....was wondering if I needed to know how to skid as a life-saving skill....sounds like it is not critical. I usually try and just cover the front brake when I think I might need to stop fast. Sounds like common sense riding is better for keeping the shiny side up.

I am however gonna try and learn the skid thing, just for fun.

 

[ErNestO_from_Wisconsin]

I do it

I do it in a jiffy at the intersection of HWY E & K. Why? I wanna show off to them high school chicks.

I actually learned it a couple of years ago. Helps me stop faster when I also use the front brake. I do rarely skid the tire though because I don't want to wear it too fast...

One time, I had to skid because I saw a unicorn, and I wanted its magical properties...

 

[danl1]

I ride without a lockring, so it's not in my best interests to push the issue.

It's worth noting that maintaining positive traction - that is, not skidding, but resisting just short of skidding - is more effective at stopping in the shortest possible distance. It's also harder to accomplish, but not as showy.

 

[Dave_Stohler]

Skid-stopping is childish, and actually takes longer to stop. Also, if you have an evenly divided tooth count (16-48, say), you will end up with big flat spots at evenly-spaced parts of the tire.

 

[weltyed]

skidding is stopping, and part of controlling your bike is stopping. i think you SHOULD know how to skid, and knowing is half the battle.

the other half is knowing WHEN to skid.
1) in an emergency
2) when you see a good lookin chick
3) at the end of the ride when you wanna feel young

 

[single1x1]

I use it for cyclocross racing

How many can skid the rear tire, and how important is it to have that skill?

Wondering for emergency stopping situations (not to be cool), seems having skidding skillz would be a good thing to have.

yes/no/maybe

For me it is a no, haven't tried.

I can however hop the rear-end and get all sideways when I forget and try and coast.

I use the skid sometimes when cyclocross racing, I also have a paul neoretro brake up front to help, but sometimes doing a little skid or rear wheel hop and using a little of the front brake helps you slow down when coming up to a barrier, or runup, or even when comming in hot at a corner on wet or muddy grass. Note it is also eiser to skid off road or on wet or muddy ground cause there is less tracktion, you also don't need to shift your weight as far forward. I usually don't skid on the road, but I can if needed

 

[dtimms]

skidding is a blast though. it freaks people out when you come skidding into the bike racks at the local grocery store. as far as some saying it is childish, i don't see that at all!! ok, maybe it is a little childish or obnoxious, but so is riding a bike with no obvious brakes. also, if you ride with no visible brakes a cop could stop you and ask were your brakes are and if i understand it correctly, a effective break means you can lock up the back tire on flat dry pavement. so it is a skill that should have. but mainly it is just fun to skid up to places. people love to watch.

 

[filtersweep]

skidding is stopping, and part of controlling your bike is stopping. i think you SHOULD know how to skid, and knowing is half the battle.

the other half is knowing WHEN to skid.
1) in an emergency
2) when you see a good lookin chick
3) at the end of the ride when you wanna feel young

Skidding is not stopping. It is stopping the wheel while your bike keeps moving. Anyone who has seen a skidding contest knows how long the stopping distance can be. I would argue that skidding always increases the stopping distance over controlled braking. It is the point at which your tire loses friction with the pavement. You may have other reasons for skidding, but stopping quickly isn't one of them.

 

[imetis]

I tried skidding when I first built my fixie. Luckily I built it with a fixed-fixed flip flop hub, cause skidding stripped the threads on the hub. May have been poor lockring installation, but I'm not going to risk the other side to find out.

I seem to remember from physics class somthing about static vs kinetic friction. Look it up if you need convincing that skidding takes longer to stop than controlled strong resistance.

 

[weltyed]

i stand corrected. skidding is not stopping. i should know better.

but it does make you feel like a kid.

 

[ckosmides]

I skid all the time. I use it to regain control and get my bearings, like a reset button.
Just out of curiousity, why do the people that choose to have a brake?
I'm not trying to sound like obnoxious, it's just that the thing I like about the ss fixed gear is the simplicity of it.
I don't have a problem stopping. I've been riding my ss for quite a few years all over the city (mostly) but occassionally in the county as well. I live in the Baltimore area and am 40 yrs old. You'd think I know better by now!
Of my 5 bikes the fixed is by far my favorite. I love the skidding, it's actually a great way to control the bike before diving down a hill. I dunno, maybe I just feel like a little kid.

Koz

 

[imetis]

The brake provides options. I find that sometimes I ride and never touch it. I have to be more aware of what's up the road, and adjust my speed to catch green lights, resist the pedals downhill to stay in control, generally ride a little slower and smoother. Sometimes I want to sprint everything, and jam on the brakes at the last minute, fly down hills knowing I can slow it down if I need to.

Having a brake is like carrying a gun. It doesn't take away options, it adds them.

 

[ErNestO_from_Wisconsin]

unfortunately...

The brake provides options. I find that sometimes I ride and never touch it. I have to be more aware of what's up the road, and adjust my speed to catch green lights, resist the pedals downhill to stay in control, generally ride a little slower and smoother. Sometimes I want to sprint everything, and jam on the brakes at the last minute, fly down hills knowing I can slow it down if I need to.

Having a brake is like carrying a gun. It doesn't take away options, it adds them.

...I got cut off by a schmoe in a car today. I had to skid. But not my fixie. My cross bike. My fixie's wheels are at the shop getting serviced...and yes, I am getting a new rear tire because of the flat spots from skidding.

Good thing I remembered that I was riding the cross bike in a split second...otherwise it would have been uglier. When you're used to perpetual crank rotation, you can't skid a freewheel.