Leg braking (note spelling!) and skidding

SimonAH
SimonAH Posts: 3,730
edited October 2010 in Commuting chat
Apart from at pootling speeds I use the brake on my fixie to stop rathe than my legs so hadn't noticed, but tried to leg brake this morning at speed and I might as well have tried to hold back a freight train for all the effect it had.

Then tried a skid or two (only one skid patch on my ratio so not normal practice) and found that outside of wet grass it 'aint gonna happen.

Now is this a case of my technique sucking, or is there a gear inch threshold above which you just don't stand a chance?
FCN 5 belt driven fixie for city bits
CAADX 105 beastie for bumpy bits
Litespeed L3 for Strava bits

Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.

Comments

  • dhope
    dhope Posts: 6,699
    Same experience as you, tried a bit when I first got my fixed and could do it on grass but not on the road. I put it down to crap technique and didn't care to put in the time to improve it.
    Rose Xeon CW Disc
    CAAD12 Disc
    Condor Tempo
  • SimonAH
    SimonAH Posts: 3,730
    Just realised that I wasn't clear - was running 67.5" when it was hard but possible, now running 78.2" when it just doesn't seem that I can.....
    FCN 5 belt driven fixie for city bits
    CAADX 105 beastie for bumpy bits
    Litespeed L3 for Strava bits

    Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
  • snailracer
    snailracer Posts: 968
    Some tyres are too grippy to skid.
  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    See I run an 88" gear, previously a 95" gear, and have never managed to bring the bike to a halt with my legs.

    I keep meaning to lend it to someone cool like brun who can skid and see if it's the gearing or my ineptitude.
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • dhope
    dhope Posts: 6,699
    According to much cooler kids than me you've no chance at 88" LiT.
    http://www.lfgss.com/thread6151.html

    I however have no excuse as my 42:16 is only 70" and I should MTFU, throw away my front brake and skip home through the rain.
    Rose Xeon CW Disc
    CAAD12 Disc
    Condor Tempo
  • Clever Pun
    Clever Pun Posts: 6,778
    standing up and leaning back will help leg braking in my experience (ie gravity)

    I run a high gi as well and skids only really happen when I'm braking to avoid something sharpish and also using the rear brake
    Purveyor of sonic doom

    Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
    Fixed Pista- FCN 5
    Beared Bromptonite - FCN 14
  • itboffin
    itboffin Posts: 20,064
    dhope wrote:
    According to much cooler kids than me you've no chance at 88" LiT.
    http://www.lfgss.com/thread6151.html

    I however have no excuse as my 42:16 is only 70" and I should MTFU, throw away my front brake and skip home through the rain.

    Pay no attention to those lfgss lot bunch of cunts the lot of them :lol:
    Rule #5 // Harden The Feck Up.
    Rule #9 // If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.
    Rule #12 // The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.
    Rule #42 // A bike race shall never be preceded with a swim and/or followed by a run.
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    I ain't 'doing a skid' with tyres that cost £35 each............

    OK at leg braking, but don't bother too much. Comes in handy when on the track, but you get a telling off by the coach if you slow down too quick when you pull off the boards.
  • andy83
    andy83 Posts: 1,558
    only time i leg braked was when an idiot nearly knocked me off and i panicked lol

    Ill stick with my brakes for the time being :)
  • dhope
    dhope Posts: 6,699
    itboffin wrote:
    dhope wrote:
    According to much cooler kids than me you've no chance at 88" LiT.
    http://www.lfgss.com/thread6151.html

    I however have no excuse as my 42:16 is only 70" and I should MTFU, throw away my front brake and skip home through the rain.

    Pay no attention to those lfgss lot bunch of ***** the lot of them :lol:

    Yup, morons every one.
    Actually, they were quite fun on the East-West Bridges ride last year :)
    Does it count as RLJing if 100 people have already gone through and all other traffic has stopped, wondering wtf is going on.
    Rose Xeon CW Disc
    CAAD12 Disc
    Condor Tempo
  • Butterd2
    Butterd2 Posts: 937
    48:18 or 72" on my FG.

    I can't skid stop on that and it has crossed my mind that should my front brake fail going down the hill in Greenwich Park then there is no way I could slow down through leg braking.

    I imagine my legs would spin faster and faster until they just came off at the hip and then would just flail around in the SPD's ?
    Scott CR-1 (FCN 4)
    Pace RC200 FG Conversion (FCN 5)
    Giant Trance X

    My collection of Cols
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,411
    Time to fit a rear brake?
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • SimonAH
    SimonAH Posts: 3,730
    rjsterry wrote:
    Time to fit a rear brake?

    Hell no! I can't afford another Dura Ace to match the front! :D
    FCN 5 belt driven fixie for city bits
    CAADX 105 beastie for bumpy bits
    Litespeed L3 for Strava bits

    Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
  • _Brun_
    _Brun_ Posts: 1,740
    Relying on a front brake while admitting it's your one and only means of stopping isn't very clever, is it?

    Tut tut.
  • ride_whenever
    ride_whenever Posts: 13,279
    I'm fairly sure if you do it properly you can skid just about any GI.

    It's a a case of hopping the rear and locking it up mid-air then landing into the skid...
    Neeermad
    Carbon 456
    456 lefty
    Pompino
    White Inbred
  • DevUK
    DevUK Posts: 299
    dhope wrote:
    Yup, morons every one.

    Thanks, appreciate being covered by that sweeping statement :roll:

    I leg brake on 42:16 and 48:16, but still use my front brake as well. I see the leg braking as giving different muscle groups a bit of a work out :) Not able to skid, but that is a technique thing. I've managed it on my 48:16 a few times, but then promptly fell off :roll: (was only mucking about outside my flat).
    FCN Daily commute = 11
    FCN Fixie commute = 5
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,411
    Although a higher GI will be to skid - for the same reason that it's easier to get up a steep hill using a small GI, the 'road' will find it easier to force your legs round. Put another way, imagine riding with an 18T ring and a 42T cog (like some warped MTB) - you could grab a handful of rear brake (if you had one fitted) and still comfortably turn the pedals.
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • dhope
    dhope Posts: 6,699
    DevUK wrote:
    dhope wrote:
    Yup, morons every one.

    Thanks, appreciate being covered by that sweeping statement :roll:

    Was carrying on itboffin's jokey tone actually - read the next line of that post.
    I've posted a bit on LGFSS and turned up for a Bridges ride and some bike polo via the forums and met a few randoms from the forums for a drink that ended with a 10am finish. So no, I don't actually think they're morons.

    :roll: :wink:
    Rose Xeon CW Disc
    CAAD12 Disc
    Condor Tempo
  • _Brun_
    _Brun_ Posts: 1,740
    They really are morons.
  • Oddjob62
    Oddjob62 Posts: 1,056
    _Brun_ wrote:
    They really are morons.

    'tis true.
    As yet unnamed (Dolan Seta)
    Joelle (Focus Expert SRAM)

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