Leg braking (note spelling!) and skidding
SimonAH
Posts: 3,730
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?
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.
CAADX 105 beastie for bumpy bits
Litespeed L3 for Strava bits
Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast.
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Comments
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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.0
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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.0 -
Some tyres are too grippy to skid.0
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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.0 -
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.0 -
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 brakePurveyor of sonic doom
Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
Fixed Pista- FCN 5
Beared Bromptonite - FCN 140 -
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 themRule #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.0 -
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.0 -
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 being0 -
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
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.0 -
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 ?0 -
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 coalition0 -
Relying on a front brake while admitting it's your one and only means of stopping isn't very clever, is it?
Tut tut.0 -
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...0 -
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 = 50 -
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 coalition0 -
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:0 -
They really are morons.0
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_Brun_ wrote:They really are morons.
'tis true.0