Any suggestions on riding backwards. I can sometimes make a reverse 3/4 circle…but only sometimes. Is it just a matter of practice, practice. Any hints on weight distribution, balance etc.
Cheers :?
Watch this guy…
Which has this great youtube comment…
keo is the only guy i would ever go down on am i am a dude. I dont care hat you say he is the fucking shit man
…simply amazing.
From that vid I reckon a key might be eyes up and look straight ahead.
He doesn’t look down once.
Keo is a true legend…he makes everything effortless…and he looks a lil like this :mrgreen:
the way i try and do it, and it’s only worked for me a couple of times, is to essentially alternate between sections of really wide flat backwards circles, but switch between them as quickly as possible, so the moment when the bike is directly upright is minimised. I imagine as your balance gets better, you speed up, and flatten out the curves more, till they’re nearly non existent.
any reason riding backwards is harder than forwards? except of course years of conditioning that needs to be undone somewhat.
Are we talking bwc-backwards circles or straight back - fakie?
Bwc = just keep at it, and you will eventually find your balance. Also try starting ur bwc with ur strong foot back.
Riding backwards in a straight like will take a lot more time and effort. I have found its easiest with more speed, too slow and it gets harder to stay straight. Instead of trying from a bwc or track stand try riding up a bank or something it helps you pick up a little speed straight away. Another way is to nose bonk off something, or just 180 into it 
Bwc didn’t take me long at all, but riding fakie took a lot more time and effort to get it down, but its all about balance, keeping ur body/ head stable and being smooth.
Hope some of that helps, I can go into more detail if needed but I’m typing from my phone atm.
i was thinking of ‘fakie’ if that’s what it’s called. backwards circles just need practice, and luck, there’s nothing too difficult about them.
as per icecream’s question, there’s a reason only forklifts have rear wheel steering. can’t remember exactly what it is, but something to do with weight shift. there were some kooky rear engine cars designed with rear wheel steering, but they were all death traps.
I imagine it’s a bit like trackstanding, just keep on practicing until you get it. I sometimes spend a bit of time trying backwards circles and start to feel in control, then I don’t keep it up and it’s back to square one 
Unlike trackstanding, it’s a bit harder to do on the daily commute :lol:
in theory, riding backwards in a straight line is especially difficult because you lose the counter correction of the fork rake/trail, that otherwise helps the bike to keep going straight by itself.
also, at low speed, you lose the gyroscopic effect of the front wheel.
so in theory if you go backwards really fast, it’ll get a lot easier.
i say in theory because i’m no keo. i have no idea how anyone does that stuff.
[quote=prolly II ]
Are we talking bwc-backwards circles or straight back - fakie?
I am trying both at the moment. Should I practice one to get the other?
its all about balance, keeping ur body/ head stable and being smooth.
So keeping ‘square on the bike’ may help?
When i am trying to do circles i find i carve the wheel too much therefore end up either going too fdast all of a sudden or wash out the front wheel. Hmmmmmmmmm!!
Thanks for the advice all. Keep on truck’n i suppose!
When trying to ride backwards I found it was easier if you get up to speed quickly and and kept up a decem speed. Its also easier to start riding backwards if you do the wall endo things to get your momentum going backwards.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BK9bzI-kQaA sickest video !!
:?
I can’t speak for fixed gear riding, because tricks on a fixed gear in my opinion are akin to bathing with several other men at once. On a bmx however, it is a lot easier the faster you go, and if you lean back (as in, over the rear wheel) this makes the steering adjustments have less input, so the rear-steer doesn’t affect you as much.
In summary, lean back, and go faster. Or just don’t do it.
you’ve been in the navy too long, holmes.
maybe because our bikes are build to ride forward ?
bomb :mrgreen:
sorry but it is a matter of practice, im getting better but always seem to spin into a reverse circle after a few meters.
If it helps try to use your cranks as a counter weight to falling…ie if you are falling to the right throw in a left pedal and steer against the fall and the same for the other side.
You should end up kind of weaving down the road, the better you get the straighter you’ll get.
Some argue that you are not meant to do tricks on fixies.
If thats the case, then fixies arn’t supposed to be ridden on the streets as well right?
Riding backwards = Practice
Make sure you’re sitting on the seat cos once you get off it, you will most likely loose balance. Also the faster you go the easier.
I can get a 3/4 backwards circle almost every time, but I cant seem to keep my balance for the last 1/4 turn :x