fixie sessions

087sativa

sup guys just made myself a fixie ill post pics soon,but anyway i was wondering if anyone knows somewhere open thats polished concrete like real smooth for practicing skidding and such

blorg

Just wait until it rains, although you should be able to get used to it on dry tarmac. It is substantially easier to skid (although more difficult to actually STOP) on a wet road.

Lift yourself out of the saddle, lean your weight forward, and lock the pedals in the 3/9 o'clock position. The unweighting of the back wheel is the important bit. Also, it is a bit all or nothing, you can't do the pedal locking gingerly, you really have to commit

I hope you have at least a front brake as skidding is not an fast way to do a emergency stop.

Also consider your tyre choice carefully... I shredded a Conti GP4000 with I reckon a single stop, while the Kenda Kontenders I had on before got through hundreds without substantial wear. If you are skidding a lot you probably want something hard and nasty. It is always a trade-off.

NeilMcEoigheann

as much as it is insanely fun to race around the under ground carpark in dundrum the surface is weird to skid on... try it some time... a good place i found is office type industrial estates at night...

flickerx

They meet up in grand canal dock sometimes for tricks.
Post on dublinfgss.com and ask about meetups,
I dont know much about tricks, not really interested in it.

087sativa

i can skid grand just it would be nice to find such a place ill check dundrum but are the security dickheads?

Caroline_ie

'practicing skidding' ... are you planning to enter the skidding olimpics or something? I really don't see the point in that ... unless you're 14.
I can skid a bit ( just a bit because i am not 14 ), the best is just to wait for after the rain has fallen.

Morgan

Surely you'd want to avoid skidding? You're obviously relying on your rear brake way too much. Learn to use (and modulate) both brakes to stop effectively in all situations. Don't pull the front too hard though or you could go right over the steerer bars!

Caroline_ie

Morgan wrote: »

Learn to use (and modulate) both brakes to stop effectively in all situations. Don't pull the front too hard though or you could go right over the steerer bars!

LOL!!! ... Do you really think he has brakes? :P

Morgan

Caroline_ie wrote: »

LOL!!! ... Do you really think he has brakes? :P

I certainly hope so! They're not exactly something you'd "forget" to install!

Caroline_ie

Morgan wrote: »

I certainly hope so! They're not exactly something you'd "forget" to install!

Morgan, you probably older than 16 ... you can't undertstand :P
A few people ( not me I have a brake ) do cycle with no brakes on their fixie and use their pedals to brake ( the danger related has been discussed before on other threads ).
Actually, I know people wo cycle to work with non finctioning brakes which is probably much worse on geared bso.

blorg

Morgan wrote: »

Don't pull the front too hard though or you could go right over the steerer bars!

Indeed

Vélo

I actually did my 1st skid stop yesterday evening. You really have to be assertive when doing it, there's no point in half doing it as it just won't work. I was going slightly down hill which probably made it easier. I also just stopped for a pint on my way home, which probably made it easier too.:p I did what Sheldon Brown advises, I not only pushed back with my stronger leg but also lifted up with the other one and leaned forward. I was going a decent speed also as there's no point if your going too slow. It wasn't much of a skid but at least now I know what to do. I don't think I'll be doing it much but it's hady to know how.

flickerx

Its fun to do it sometimes alright, but its bad for your knees.
Wearing skid patches into your back tyre also means you have to replace it more often. If it comes down to 10 euro brake pads versus a 35 euro tyre I know which one I'll go for.

blorg

To be honest I don't think it's that bad for your knees if you are doing it right. It is a relatively light resistance once you lock the wheel unweighted. Gradual slowing without skidding is far worse in terms of the resistance. As for tyres, it really does depend on what you use... With the right tyres (e.g. heavy nasty tough ones) you can skid away for thousands of km of riding and not wear them out, with lighter tyres (e.g. nice light grippy race tyres) you can destroy them within a few skids.

Also important to consider is how many skid patches your gear ratio gives you- if you want to skid you will want as many as possible, so that you skid on a different section of tyre each time. Rabbit will work this out for you.

087sativa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muJ6Q14-6kk&feature=related

somewhere like this i dont wanna go dublinfgss because couriers look at you as if you're scum if you have a fixie and not a courier,also im not entering bootleg sessions ffs i just want somewhere like in the video to **** around in

i got heavy duty tyres,pretty sure kevlar is involved,and ive been skidding for a while and there only a bit smooth

niceonetom

087sativa wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=muJ6Q14-6kk&feature=related

somewhere like this i dont wanna go dublinfgss because couriers look at you as if you're scum if you have a fixie and not a courier,also im not entering bootleg sessions ffs i just want somewhere like in the video to **** around in

i got heavy duty tyres,pretty sure kevlar is involved,and ive been skidding for a while and there only a bit smooth

Ah, you should just check out dublinfgss. They're not couriers, they're mostly hipsters loo-laas like you who like going in circles backwards and stuff. Honestly, I think you'd fit right in.

Just because you have no brakes doesn't mean you shouldn't use full-stops, btw.

blorg

Dublinfgss aren't all couriers, although they are a fair bit hipper than us. If you post appropriately over there they may allow you proceed to the initiation ritual. Over here most of us are roadies and it's all about performance...

flickerx

I dont think there's any couriers on dublinfgss.
I dont think the couriers are much into the tricks either. I could be wrong.

flickerx

niceonetom wrote: »

they're mostly hipsters loo-laas like you

Good man.

flickerx

blorg wrote: »

although they are a fair bit hipper than us

You think? I reckon road bikes are all the current rage, lycra warts and all. In that you're so beyond trying to be cool, favouring comfort over style, you're actually cool in this. Oh the paradox* of it.

I was well impressed with Raam's mostly white ensemble in that photo up the mountains. Uber trendy.

*At least, I think thats a paradox. I may be incorrect in my usage.

087sativa

i can assume you have evidence im a hipster/loo-lah?

flickerx

087sativa there was a tricks session today in Grand Canal Square.
Check dublinfgss for future dates.

I was at it for a bit, mostly watching.
I think I might give it a try next time.