so there i was, riding home from school about 12 minutes ago and i go to lay some mean patch and blow out the rear tire on my bike (the same one andrew and jason so lovingly crafted for me). i realize that the short life of my tires is due to all the bad-ass skidding i've been doing around campus and this poses a bit of a crossroads for me. do i ride my bike more conservatively and actually use the hand brake andrew insisted i have or, do i continue to be a bad-ass at the expense of new tires every 3 weeks or so? this is a tough question but i think you all know the answer. once a bad-ass always a bad-ass.
i ordered 4 new tubes and 4 new tires from bike nashbar minutes after getting the flat. i even paid extra for 2-day priority shipping. i'm so cool.
9 years ago
7 comments:
Hey dude, you don't get to call yourself a bad-ass skidder until you throw down the leg over the handle bar skid.
Also, there is a phenomenon* called skid patches that you should know about, now that you have advanced a few levels. Skid patches don't refer to anything you add to the bike, but rather to 'patches' of your tire where you skid. I don't remember what your chainring/cog sizes are, but they affect how many skid patches you have. If you only have two patches, you'll run through tires pretty quickly. I have 16 skid patches. Boo yah.
More here: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html#skid
*I call it a phenomenon because it contains the unexplainable: math.
good article. I have 19 skid patches. 50/19. I should put a 49 or 51 chainring on cause I want to be an ambi-skidder (better for skidding around tight left corners) and that would give me 38 skid patches without changing my gear ratio too much (which I really like). Good info. Thanks Roo!
I only have 5. I have been running a 55x11 ever since I had my legs surgically replaced with tree trunks.
umm, so impressed with A. the skidding and B. the math skills.
ps. I can't skid worth shit - I am no where near bad ass - hopefully you can give me some tips
oh, also, just to note, I have seen Andrew lay down the one leg over the handle bar skid, while intoxicated, at night, on brick, and while riding illegally on a section of street where your not supposed to ride bikes.
now I'm not suggesting anything, but...
I estimate that I have skidded about one inch once down Jessica's street which is in New York so that is cool, right? Maybe we can work on that in DC.
I do however make great screeching brake sounds when I ride around in the cool night air and stop hella fast. Who needs skidding?
Can't wait to see those legs, Neil.
gots me 8
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