To skid or not to skid.

PB Forum :: Downhill
To skid or not to skid.
Author Message
flag gtchuckerman
Posted: Mar 20, 2008 at 17:42 Quote
let off for a second and thats where you'll end
flag creamsoda
Posted: Mar 20, 2008 at 17:44 Quote
PedalUpBombDown wrote:
creamsoda89 wrote:
jf951 wrote:
so i dunno if any of you guys have ever ridden a motorcycle, pushed a car to its limits, done speedboarding or anything along those lines, but for any of them NOwhere is it recomended that you even concider touching the brakes in a turn.

always get all ur breaking done before the turn. coast the first half and power out of the second half.

i personaly always try to pin a turn.
as cool as drifting is, all it is, is loosing speed.
and the more speed you loose the longer it takes to get down the hill and the longer that clock is gonna tick

+1. just like in racing cars, braking before the turn and accelerating out of the apex is the fastest way. drifting a turn in a car is only faster if it's a hairpin turn.
Or if you're rallying. Earlier today I was playing on my favorite dirt road that happened to be covered in snow and I can tell you, to not slide the whole thing no matter how big of a turn it is, you have to be going at most 20 MPH. if you drift the whole thing, you can take it way faster. (3rd gear up a hill spinning all 4 tires at 70 MPH can be fun too, but that wa from complete lack of traction. (and too much ice.))

oops, forgot about rally. but how many bikers pedal and drift at the same time? in rallying you can accelerate while in a drift, which is why it's a true drift. i doubt many people can reliably pedal and drift at the same time on a bike through and out of a turn.
flag PedalUpBombDown
Posted: Mar 20, 2008 at 17:46 Quote
creamsoda89 wrote:
PedalUpBombDown wrote:
creamsoda89 wrote:


+1. just like in racing cars, braking before the turn and accelerating out of the apex is the fastest way. drifting a turn in a car is only faster if it's a hairpin turn.
Or if you're rallying. Earlier today I was playing on my favorite dirt road that happened to be covered in snow and I can tell you, to not slide the whole thing no matter how big of a turn it is, you have to be going at most 20 MPH. if you drift the whole thing, you can take it way faster. (3rd gear up a hill spinning all 4 tires at 70 MPH can be fun too, but that wa from complete lack of traction. (and too much ice.))

oops, forgot about rally. but how many bikers pedal and drift at the same time? in rallying you can accelerate while in a drift, which is why it's a true drift. i doubt many people can reliably pedal and drift at the same time on a bike through and out of a turn.
And that's why I don't drift on my bike. Same thing as foot out, with an engine, you can slide and power at the same time.
flag happysumo
Posted: Mar 20, 2008 at 17:49 Quote
PedalUpBombDown wrote:
Fatass-of-oz wrote:
"Skidding" is for hacks. The ONLY time it should be used is for mega tight switchbacks or if you've got an insanely heavy bike (even then it should only be for tightish switchbacks). Foot out flat out no brakes is where it's at.
I don't even throw a foot out unless I have to. If both my feet are on the pedals, I can start cranking down the straight sooner. The only time my foot is out in the turn is when i'm falling, or on a dirt bike.

don't you have insanely dusty fast corners? I just think that it's more fun foot out, not for racing though. for racing I'd rather the brake, out-in-out crank hard

edit: it's also a usefull save if you get thrown off line before the corner
flag younglink
Posted: Mar 20, 2008 at 17:50 Quote
Generally I try to avoid skidding. Like previously said above I think of it as driving a vehicle where you do the braking before hand and push out of the turn. There are two reasons why I would probably skid. First would be when I miscalculate a turn or lose control at that point where I need to apply hard brake pressure and end up skidding and the second reason would be more for fun.

I'm gonna bring up this idea and see where it goes:
Skidding can also be taken as a style even (not the best but can be given a category) where acheiving maximum speed then while at a turn using a skid to pull through. Now I havn't gone out and tested to see if it would be faster then maintaining speed then pulling through but it might work. What I'm getting at is using your momentum with the braking for a skid with the speed attained might be a way to pull through a hard turn. So maybe something to chew on.

What are some of your takes on it? Getting maximum speed and skidding the corner where you would definitely lose speed but it was made up for the previous speed you attained or maintaining your speed before a turn so you can handle a corner with little braking.

For me it would depend on how long the skid lasted and the speed lost. But generally I would go with what I first said where you do the braking before hand.

Just thought I would compare these two different ideas and see what everyone elses opinions are.
flag PedalUpBombDown
Posted: Mar 20, 2008 at 17:51 Quote
Fatass-of-oz wrote:
PedalUpBombDown wrote:
Fatass-of-oz wrote:
"Skidding" is for hacks. The ONLY time it should be used is for mega tight switchbacks or if you've got an insanely heavy bike (even then it should only be for tightish switchbacks). Foot out flat out no brakes is where it's at.
I don't even throw a foot out unless I have to. If both my feet are on the pedals, I can start cranking down the straight sooner. The only time my foot is out in the turn is when i'm falling, or on a dirt bike.

don't you have insanely dusty fast corners? I just think that it's more fun foot out, not for racing though. for racing I'd rather the brake, out-in-out crank hard
Sometimes. Here in Vermont, it can go from sunny and dry to cold and wet in about 5 min. The insanely fast isn't that often here though. There's too many trees to get many wide open trails. I just like to ride every DH section like i'm racing. I'm what most people call a speed freak with no form of a mental block that tells me that it's a bad idea.
flag skatejunkie
Posted: Mar 20, 2008 at 17:57 Quote
For me skidding is a last resort if to be used only in emergencies or really tight turns
flag javzx7
Posted: Mar 20, 2008 at 18:14 Quote
i think controlled skidding can be helpful if used properly, just like moto GP riders use it at the entrance of tight corners so they can start turning the bike before the corner, thus allowing you to brake deeper, its called "backing it in"
flag stever
O+
Posted: Mar 20, 2008 at 18:53 Quote
thenotoriousmic wrote:
people know me.

Best Will Ferrel movie ever.
flag sherbet
Posted: Mar 20, 2008 at 19:20 Quote
If you lock your tire to skid, you fail. Gotta drift. Locking the wheel just ruins everything, ever. Letting your bike actually drift while you barely brake, or not at all, it just sweet. Looks great, and can be a good way to get set up in certain conditions.

Example. Say there's a REALLY steep left/right turn. Instead of coming in high, and suddenly leaning like made to the intended direction, come in shallow, and weight your front, let your rear end slide, and literally drift it.

Is it faster? Eh, not really, it's just fun and it looks good. I ride best when I'm having fun, so having fun is goal 1.
flag jonnydownhill
Posted: Mar 20, 2008 at 22:03 Quote
It also depends on the trail.
If it's a well groomed trail only made for mtb only then take good care of it.
If the trail is used being shredded by dirt bikes then I like to dust storm my way through.
not good for the people behind.
flag Evol
Posted: Mar 20, 2008 at 22:11 Quote
I'll lock my rear brake whenever I feel like it! Simple as that. I don't give a sh!t about the trails. They're there for me to have fun whichever way I want.
flag lilwalters
O+
Posted: Mar 21, 2008 at 5:35 Quote
Evol wrote:
I'll lock my rear brake whenever I feel like it! Simple as that. I don't give a sh!t about the trails. They're there for me to have fun whichever way I want.

well that's hardly a considerate attitude... it's people with attitudes like that that give trails like a-line mean ass speed bumps on all the berms. people need to stop being so inwardly focused and think about the people who put countless hours into the trails they love.
flag stryke
Posted: Mar 21, 2008 at 5:36 Quote
lilwalters wrote:
Evol wrote:
I'll lock my rear brake whenever I feel like it! Simple as that. I don't give a sh!t about the trails. They're there for me to have fun whichever way I want.

well that's hardly a considerate attitude... it's people with attitudes like that that give trails like a-line mean ass speed bumps on all the berms. people need to stop being so inwardly focused.

lets not brake at all then
flag lilwalters
O+
Posted: Mar 21, 2008 at 5:37 Quote
although it seems Evol is from Quebec... lots of rocks so skidding probably doesn't have the same negative impact as it would elsewhere...

 


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