[Closed] Skidding - Good or bad?

I usually run duct tape around my tyres when the going is soft to lesten my impact on the land, its really tricky pushing up the climbs in my carpet slippers but I do feel better about myself...

Untwist your knickers and have some fun.

I also have fun when I give time for trail building and repair, so that the skidiots can come rip it up again.

Mountain biking does cause erosion - minimising that erosion by riding smoothly and skillfully will help a lot in keeping mountain biking allowed - encouraged even.

Amazingly it is possible to enjoy the odd skid without completely destroying the environment. There's an open invite for you to come and ride my local trails, and try identity the points that I've skidded at 🙂

Mountain biking does cause erosion - minimising that erosion by riding smoothly and skillfully will help a lot in keeping mountain biking allowed - encouraged even.

We then need to Police the trail to make sure no one else rides them at any other time during the day (possibly because they might not be locals either). In addition, if we see a beautiful piece of technical trail we should avoid as this just shows the errosionists that we too like to revel in said-errosion...

The discussion has just got a bit silly now, so I think I've had my fun.

I think you know what I was trying to say - as a general objective, smooth and clean is good for me; plus requires more skill. I'll continue to make that part of my ethos since I don't believe it has any down-sides. Obviously there will still be wear and tear to trail, but I can be happy that I haven't done it intentionally.

As someone who was born, still lives and works in the countryside these things are maybe more important to me.

OK - skids are fun, and they're bad. Now rewind....

[i]On groomed trail centre trails- skids are bad. Bridleways like in the Lakes- why not? Their make up changes as a bigstorm comes in etc so why not? It helps you understand when a bike lets go etc?[/i]

You really do have no idea about riding responsibly, sharing the countryside or sustainability of trails do you? Get a ****ing clue. One one side you have trail made to ride bikes on, cut through industrial forests, usually with infrastructure and money to maintain them. And on the other side you got centuries-old historic routes, with high loads and shared use and often in high exposed environments, with little infrastructure and money to maintain them. And it's OK to skid on those, but not on the first ones?

[i]Skids are for kids? also for big kids looking to have a big grin![/i]

Or are skids for fat-arsed dicks on 5-inch full-sussers with more money than either skill or sense?

[i]I do disagree with the big banners from these guys: http://povertyover.christianaid.org.uk/

Its impossible to eradicate poverty sadly. [/i]

Hora
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the point

Houns - Member
I hope those whom have complained are also going to complain to the correct bodies about the latest issue of Singletrack? Funny none of you have mentioned the rider on the cover pulling a skid. Double standards i see, let us know when you've done so Chalkyslide

I don't read Singletrack 😀

ASA were not interested in the Halfords skids as it is not considered an advert. They referred me to Ofcom but I only have so much time and energy for complaints 🙄

I will take a closer look tonight to see if it's drifting 😆 - nevertheless the clip still condones erosion on national TV.

Is a slide a skid or a drift 😯 I do plenty of those...

A good mix of opinions on here a pleasure to read. Yes skids/drifts can be fun BUT just like the odd sneaky footpath IMO they're not for shouting out load about on a public forum or for cycle shops to condone and promote on TV.

Intentional skids/drifts/slides/scuffs on managed trials, bridleways and tracks do not help good relations between mtb'ers and other countryside users. But for a tiny minority I'm sure most would agree, even some of you pro-skidders on here.

jonathan, its almost hilarious. Poverty will always be around in some form- its almost a Utopian-beleiving ad. All very nice but completely unrealistic.

http://povertyover.christianaid.org.uk/po/convince#how_poverty_can_be_solved

My point was that I think you've missed the point of advertising....

Jonathan, it is because of wealthy types with expensive full suspension bikes that more money is invested in trail centers and the like.

The more people getting out and riding the better, who gives a toss what there ridiing and how, if it's got two wheels it's a bike, pretty simple. And there are certainly worse things than skidding to worry about!!!

[i]Intentional skids/drifts/slides/scuffs on managed trials, bridleways and tracks do not help good relations between mtb'ers and other countryside users[/i]

I don't think anyone would be able to produce anything like proper evidence that anything any mountain biker does or doesn't do on a trial has any impact good bad or indifferent to any other trails user image of cyclists at all. I'm constantly amazed by the attitude of some cyclists that everything that we do do is a reflection of the rest of the cycling world...Even if you could raise an objection from "another trial user" if you pulled the best skid in the world right in front of him, you'd be hard pushed to get a reaction along the lines of "this cyclist pulled a skid ergo ALL cyclists are idiots", people simply don't think like that.

Don't skid if you don't want to, but let go of the idea that you're on some higher level of skill or trail preservation, and the idea that trails are being unnecessarily eroded because some one pulls a 20ft skid on one is just so ludicrous.

People unfortunately do think like that - that's exactly the point. When someone sees a cyclist doing anything abrasive at all (running a light, riding on the pavement, flicking the v's, skiding like an infant, failing to slow down for horses or walkers - whatever) they see all cyclists doing that.

It is the skid that is ludicrous.

here here nickc

perhaps those who never lose traction are just riding too slow to. Probably saves them lots on tyres too.

look at all the erosion going on here:
[img] [/img]

Now that is really funny. Huge bike, full face, knee warmers - just what that dead flat bit of woods merits.

He he. Very good.

That is a joke, right?

It seems to me that high horses can't go fast neough to drift it round corners. 😆

Its all great being a fast, clinical and smooth rider but I'd rather aspire to be a Colin Mcrae than a Seb Loeb any day of the week 😀

Good cornering technique. Has he just spotted a penny over in that bracken?

Buried Prostitutes hand?

Is he not just setting up for that next left hand corner Mr Agreeable?

Glenp, I know you say about 4yr olds but do you not find that one of the things you have to show a lot of people on your skills days is how to control the braking and position their weight to let them ride without skidding? And that is't not actually that easy for them to do it once the trails get steep, loose, rooty etc and they start to build their speed up? I have had a few inexperienced riders over the last year and find that it's one the things that I show them that makes a big difference to their riding.

Skidding isn't the best for the trails but DH racers use it all the time to set up for corners and in tight switchbacks. One to leave for the racers though I think. Drifting is all differnt though, having the bike break loose in a corner (without braking) and holding it/controling it is a fantastic feeling.

I'm not against riding any whatever way is most fun for you. And quite obviously ripping it up like that is spanking fun. I was just annoyed by Hora's declaration that it was OK to skid "out in the wild", but not in trail centres. Whereas, if anything, the opposite is true.

I deal with just the sort of people who get wound up by mountain bikers skidding quite often - and they're definitely not a figment of kill-joy mountain bikers' imaginations. They do exists and quite a few of them are itching for excuses to try and stop you riding places.

But to be honest, that's not the point - the point is that some styles of riding are more damaging to trails than others, and some trails are more sensitive than others. Anyone who thinks a skidding wheel doesn't damage a trail more than a rolling one is either (a) very inexperienced or (b) a moron.

So - back to my original issue - to think that it's 'OK' to "pull skids" on Lake District bridleways (you know, that big, extremely popular, upland area that has massive problems with trail erosion and overuse) is a notion that could only have come from someone who is either (a) or (b).. see above.

As a little experiment, can i just ask the people who don't skid,
can you do a wheelie? 😀

Evidently it's also okay to cut corners on switchbacks beacuse you can't ride them.

I'd like to see people try and ride some of the really loose bermed corners on the Mega at any kind of speed without skidding/drifting a bit.

So let me get this straight... The general opinion is that skids are for people who have no riding skills? B*llocks. On occasion a skid can be an excellent way toset up for a corner, or to force the bike into what little support there may be in a corner. Drifts are a completely different technique to skidding, so they really shouldnt be compared.

Ever seen earthed fundementals? Steve Jones has a section on skids... I doubt any of the people critiscising skids are any where near as fast as he is.

the message seems to be, skillz skidz = rad, flid skidz = wak. or something.

Skidz are Kewl 🙂

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but make sure it's on someone else's trails 😉

Someone called 'chalkyslide' starts a controversial thread about skidding.
What a way to spend an afternoon 😉

**** that is one big dog towing him along with a cameraman on its back 😯 😆

Hora
Skidding and drifting are the samething. One is a 70's term and the other is a 90's term linked with Fastandthefurious etc.

No they are not.

Have you ever seen grass track or speedway racing. The bikes drift, power slide. The rear wheel is turning, gripping but its at an angle to the direction of travel.
Trying skidding a speedway bike!

Muppet.

Stupid to say that skidding is always a sign of a lack of skill, just silly nonsense IMO. But skidding on a built trail or path for no good reason isn't on, every pound and minute that the trailbuilders spend fixing an old trail that's been damaged is a pound or a minute that they don't spend making something new to ride.

(frinstance, I do trailbuilding at glentress sometimes, and we spend an awful lot of time removing braking bumps... If we weren't doing that, the new black section would be finished, and they're caused by people skidding into corners either because they don't know how to avoid it, or they choose to do it)

Whats with Muppet? Is that what your daddy used to call you? 😆

Skids are ace!!!!

Just remember to clean the pan afterwards tho! 😆

Glenp, I know you say about 4yr olds but do you not find that one of the things you have to show a lot of people on your skills days is how to control the braking and position their weight to let them ride without skidding?

As you say, it makes a massive difference to their riding once they understand how those elements are related, and how they can find grip, not deliberately break grip. Also agree that certain DH racing situations would call for skidding - but that's on a closed DH race track, not a shared public space.
__

As a little experiment, can i just ask the people who don't skid,
can you do a wheelie?

If your trail riding objective is to have maximum fun by riding quickly, quietly and smoothly, enjoying the countryside as you go, then skidding ain't part of it. And just for anyone that thinks I must be an old fart ambling around with a basket on the front of my bike - you are most welcome to come down for a ride, and if you still think I'm slow you can post it up here. If you can see which way I went that is.

As a little experiment, can i just ask the people who don't skid,
can you do a wheelie?

What's the point of that question?

I think he [b]might[/b] have been extracting the urine. 😉

It must be great being a trail god like yourself. 🙄 😉

I'd rather aspire to be a Colin Mcrae than a Seb Loeb any day of the week

what dead?

I only ever skid on golf courses.

I think we should all unite in our hatred of one particular type of skid:

I am with terahawk, try Penrith for size its well good

Skid Nazi's.

Imagine riding down a trail and you come in hot, jam on the anchors and your wheel locks. Skiiiiiid!

Man wearing what appears to be an SS outfit jumps out of the heather. Strides towards you:

"That was fun" you say

"Quiet" He barks
"You must not skid, have fun or even attempt any humour. If you do not start taking yourself way too seriously I'll be round with my mobile gas chamber!"

He whips out a pair of leather gloves of hits you around the chops. Very roughly indeed.

The Future.

skidding is the mac-daddyiest of ALL bike tricks... EVERYbody knows that, plus chicks dig it !

Especially if you can drink a beer and skid at the sametime! Imagine the following you'd have 🙂

I'm a bit of a trail centre novice so I need to get this straight:

Setting out armed with picks and shovels and despoiling some perfectly innocent undergrowth to create a 'trail' is "good", yet hurtling down the same trail and redistributing some of the man-made surface in a skid is "bad".

Is that correct?

Oh its Way more complex than that. Don't think you can come on here with your 'simple' explanation and clear things up!!

🙂

right, off to afan and brechfa now for the weekend. I'm sure i'll skid the back round, absolutely on purpose, once or twice... Bite me