The best kind of Valentine's Day couple.

easynow · 3 months

You're very welcome!

nomdeweb · 8 months

easynow · 11 months

Congrats to you on the bike! I remember the strangest thing about my first day riding was the momentum of the pedals. The rhythm was so different than what I was used to.

As far as tips (and keep in mind I am still a beginner), I would say that practicing without any distractions (traffic, cars, pedestrians) is really helpful. It's amazing how much all of that stuff can get into your head. Riding for the first few days, anytime a car went by I would freak. I found that being alone was great for everything from learning how to balance, track stand, and skid, as well as just to simply riding and getting comfortable. I then acclimated to traffic and such.

Aside from that, there's no reason to not at least have a front brake when you are learning. Oh, and wear a helmet. And mostly, just be patient with yourself. Lastly, a great resource for fixie riding knowledge is 63xc.com. Have fun and be safe.

easynow · 11 months

Right now I am running a 42/15. I am thinking of changing to a 41/15 or a 38/15, if for no other reason than a massive increase in skid spots. But I imagine lowering the gearing like that would help in skidding too, correct?

easynow · 11 months

A lot of people have mentioned that the faster you go the easier it is. I found that for me, a moderate speed seems to be the best. Too slow makes it hard, and when I've gone too fast I've found that I can't quite get/maintain the skid. My worst wipe out was going too fast, and this was after I was able to skid at a moderate speed. Any idea why this might be? It could just be plain out fear psyching me out, though I'm not sure - and I'm inclined to think it is something I am doing wrong since so many people say that the faster you go, the better.

easynow · 11 months

i too have drop bars and have thought about exactly what you said. at first, i was actually bruising my quad from always hitting it against the bar... somehow, though, with practice, i was able to make it work. right now, my quad actually ends up inside of the drop bar (if that makes sense) hugging the stem, and the drop bar sorta stabilizes it in place and allows for a longer skid. anyway, that's been my experience, but i know on the previous thread one person mentioned that bullhorns were his preferred choice. as for the toe cages, if you feel like getting more of your foot on the pedals will help, switch them out and see. with my clips i am definitely going past the ball of the foot, so maybe your suspicion is correct. good luck!

matkustaja · 1 year

At first, it really helps to just go slow. Nothing fancy about it and it doesn't look cool, but just start off cautiously and build up speed overtime. Because you are using the bicycle mainly for your commute to work, it's actually a perfect opportunity to practice, since you will get to take the same hills five times a week. Each day, as you get more comfortable with the bicycle, as well as with the roads themselves, you'll be able to go faster and better judge braking time. I know the first time I road on a fixed gear and approached a big hill, I didn't want to go slow and I ended up almost wiping out because I took my feet off the pedals and sped down completely out of control. Anyway, now that same hill (which is on my commute to work) is much less daunting, even without resorting to skipping or skidding. TL;DR Take it slow and build up speed overtime.

rasdroid · 1 year

Can you explain how you did this? I'm hoping to do the same thing. Thanks!

easynow · 1 year

My gear ratio is 42/15 - in your opinion, should that affect my "skidability" at all?

easynow · 1 year

This is great advice. Thank you. Will let you (and everyone else on here) know how it goes...

easynow · 1 year

I have Power Grip pedal straps. Thoughts on those?

easynow · 1 year

I appreciate the response! Your advice is not dissimilar to a lot of what I've read, but something about seeing it posted in real time and knowing it's from someone that's read my question somehow makes it that much more palatable. I will just have to go for it... gulp.

easynow · 1 year

You know what? Screw it. I say you go for it. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be...

Bgibbs · 1 year

Sprint is making all new smart phone customers pay the $10/month "data tax" if they sign up after 1/30/11, whether they are on 4G or 3G. So I would say if you are going to be getting a phone after that, might as well go with a 4G phone. If you can get one before then, however, I would personally recommend the LG Optimus S. If you are coming from a mid level Verizon phone, I think the Optimus should have all of the features you are looking for. What's more, if you are comfortable rooting it and installing a custom rom like ThundeRom, the phone is blazing fast and can pretty much do it all. It's also physically smaller, which for me is a plus.

easynow

TROPHY CASE

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