Rider skidding a blue fixed gear bike on wet paving.

The skid is a key fixed gear trick. Learning to lock the rear wheel and make it slide also opens the door to variations such as the 180 skid.

There are two approaches: with straps and without.

What you need

  • Check your chain tension.
  • Check that your tires are inflated appropriately for your setup.
  • If you have a choice of handlebars, flat bars, risers or bullhorns make it easier to move your weight toward the front of the bike. Drop bars work too; they won’t stop you learning to skid.

With straps

Make sure your foot is comfortable in the strap and that you can get it out easily. The strap should hold your foot when you pull upward, without leaving the pedal dangling as you lift your foot.

Start with only your dominant foot in a strap. That might be the foot you kick a ball with, your stronger foot or the one you use to bunny hop. Don’t worry if you’re not sure: after a few tries, one side will probably feel much more natural.

Close-up of the blue Leader frame and crankset by the water.
Rider turning a bike through a public square at night.
Here, Ines’s right foot is dominant, so it’s the foot in front.

Ready? Here we go

Start at a moderate speed. Too slow and you won’t get a feel for the slide; too fast and the timing window is shorter and harder to find.

Wait for your dominant foot to come forward, just before the cranks reach horizontal. That’s when you start blocking the crankset.

Once you’ve found the timing, coordinate these three actions:

  1. Move your weight forward. For us, this is the most important part: unloading the rear wheel makes it easier to lock and slide. Think “crotch on stem.”
  2. Brace your arms and chest while your weight is forward.
  3. Pull up on the front pedal and push down on the rear pedal. At first, think of trying to pedal backward rather than simply freezing the cranks. With practice, you’ll brace through your legs, arms and chest to hold the position.

After a few attempts, experiment with moving your weight a little backward and forward to change how much the skid slows you down.

Note: If you’re struggling to get the rear wheel sliding, try a less grippy surface, such as sandy ground.

Without straps

You can also skid without straps. This approach depends on timing and on getting your weight well forward.

Just before the cranks reach horizontal, move into the same “crotch on stem” position and push backward with your non-dominant foot.

Your front foot isn’t pulling upward in this version. That’s what makes the timing harder to get right.

Rider balancing on a blue bike with one hand raised beside a fountain.
A strapless skid on a wet surface, with the abdomen against the bars—a position made possible by the short stem.

Keep practicing

Getting your first skid feels good. Keep practicing until the movement becomes familiar.

Rider on a red fixed gear bike crossing the water mirror at sunset.

We hope—and hop—to see you skidding around! If this tutorial helped, follow @after.spin on Instagram.

Video tutorial

Here’s a video tutorial by Jackson Radshaw, founder of FOAD Gang.

Watch Jackson Radshaw’s skid tutorial.

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