Fixed Tip

[Aaroneous]

I'm not sure if anyone cares, but I had to post cuz I just figured out how to "skip" this weekend, and I thought it was hella cool.
So instead of just backpedaling normally to slow down, you hop the rear tire off the ground (slowing it down a little), and land hard with your weight on the back pedal - you'll skid for like half a second before the tire gets traction again and kicks your leg forward. Then do a couple in a row - if you time them right, you can stop just as fast as with brakes...
I also figured out a cool application for this while riding Theo Wirth. When approaching an obstacle, you can sorta 'skip forward' by lifting the rear wheel and cranking forward a little - so if you can tell you're gonna smash a pedal on the rock/log, you can fix your timing and clean it...
It's gonna take me some time to master this, but it was fun to discover.

Who says skidding is not a skill?!?

[bigwheel]

Said while holding my ears and shaking my head: "I'm not listening. La La La La La..."

[funky-funky-chicken]

When approaching an obstacle, you can sorta 'skip forward' by lifting the rear wheel and cranking forward a little - so if you can tell you're gonna smash a pedal on the rock/log, you can fix your timing and clean it...
It's gonna take me some time to master this, but it was fun to discover.

Who says skidding is not a skill?!?

You've done a great job describing the technique! It's not so much really a skid as simply lifting your rear wheel and re-positioning your crankarms. I think unless you've tried the whole fixed off-road thing, it's hard to understand. I haven't really figured out how to do any of the above at any speed.

[manual63]

Can you skid the rear wheel on road? Last time I saw a fixie dude stop his rear wheel suddenly, he went flying over the bars.....:)

[Aaroneous]

Can you skid the rear wheel on road? Last time I saw a fixie dude stop his rear wheel suddenly, he went flying over the bars.....:)

Totally - that's where I was practicing... The skiddability really depends on the gear you're running and the grippiness of your tires. That's why a lot of guys that don't use brakes like 23c slicks and low gear inches. I personally spend enough money on tires as it is...
If that guy went over the bars, he probably locked his back knee and got launched off the bike by the force of the crank coming around...

And I think I confused the "skip/skid" idea with the "crank repositioning" idea... They're two totally different techniques, but are related - it's all about timing the hop to the crank revolutions. Lots & lots of fun!

[ppgc]

This guy discribes it pretty good too.. Link: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html#skip

He also has a page on the dangers of fixies! Beware! :) Link contains severed fingers, don't look if you are squeemish.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html#fing

-pete

[Aaroneous]

He also has a page on the dangers of fixies! Beware! :) Link contains severed fingers, don't look if you are squeemish.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html#fing

The important tip there is - When cleaning/adjusting your drivetrain, turn the wheel, not the crank! Lots easier to stop... ;)

And check out www.63xc.com (http://www.63xc.com) - fixed offroad content galore...