Commuters and messengers - let's talk about skitching.

Ryan said:
If you insist on doing it, use a handhold that keeps your wheel a safe distance away from there wheel.
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agreed, also pick a vehicle that has a smooth slow acceleration. i presume a light truck would be ideal, their slow, lots to grab on to at the back and they wont be swerving all over the road.

having said this, i don't condone "skitching" neither do i employ the technique myself, but if you are going to hitch a ride, pick the least dangerous means.
 
I find drafting is just as easy and safer. On trucks and buses the "draft" actually works well enough that you can sit where you can see stuff coming and you don't have to worry about not having both hands on the bars. Obviously not effective up hills though but for commuting in heavy traffic I find it reasonably safe because you can "flow" with the traffic rather than get in it's way.
 
Blas4me said:
Another of Lucas' flicks, look out for the skitching about 3/4 of the way through, most did it well, 1 didn't...
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Now THAT's what I'm talkin' about!!! :cool: I've heard about those Monster Track videos but I've never watched one before. That... was... sick.

I think I'm going to have to try to buy one of those DVDs.

On the guy who went down when skitching... wow.:eek: Lucky it was wet and somewhat slippery roads!
 
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Techno Destructo said:
A technique I've seen a bit is people reaching down and grabbing the wheel-well of a vehicle... has anyone here done that?
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I haven't (don't like my fingers that close to a car wheel) but the reason you do that is because it's a lot more stable than holding on at shoulder height or whatever. Unless you're being pulled from directly in front then you're also being pulled sideways, which tries to tip you over... so the natural reaction is to try and lean the opposite way, which as Ryan said, can put your wheels into/under theirs. Holding onto something down lower doesn't try so hard to tip you over (less leverage over your wheels basically), so it's easier to not get your wheels sucked into theirs.
 
to be honest the idea of holding onto a 2 ton care going 60km/h scares the living shit out of me. especially when you have other 2 ton cares heading straight for you. the only time i'v skitched is on the back of a shuttle. nice and slow does the trick :D
 
kona_scrap said:
to be honest the idea of holding onto a 2 ton care going 60km/h scares the living shit out of me. especially when you have other 2 ton cares heading straight for you. the only time i'v skitched is on the back of a shuttle. nice and slow does the trick :D
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The fact that you do not no how to spell the word 'car' scares the living shit out of me:rolleyes:
 
Grow some legs and just leg it to sit in the draft. Skitching is so stupid, and so dangerous. I remember a tragic story of a kid in Adelaide skitching his way in to the city skate park on his BMX, and getting pulled under a semi trailer and run over by the whole trailer, of course being killed in the process. Then there is the sad story of Rick Boyer going under Kovariks 4WD at Mt Beauty i think? If you do it, your seriously rolling the dice...
 
I am a courier and i 'skitch' nearly every day. I usually do it to pull away from the lights because i get lazy and cant be bothered pedalling hard off the line. My technique is to find cars that have a spoiler, spare tyre on the back or find trucks, vans or utes that have trays or handles that make it easy to hold on. Over time i have learned that people with hotted up cars or newish looking ones are definitely NOT cool with this, while most trucks are cool with it. Incidentally, most cars have a blind spot created by the b joint of the doors and if you sort of crouch and hang out to the left slightly they cant see you. This said, dont try it unless you know you can handle a bike.
 
it's impressive you are alive today!!! good job on your skitching techniques. it scares the shit out of me. how long do you normaly hold on for, or is it just a quick grab to get you moving?
 
Well I learned a new word tonight.
jasco said:
don't do it when you're on a fixie unless you're sure of what you're doing.
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That's nuts. I kinda thought fixed meant it was a flat out no go. Do you take your feet off?

Tow rope up Morgan Rd at 60ish, off the back of possum's mum's car once (shuttle ran out of room), she forgot I was there and I got sprayed with windscreen wiper water, funny stuff... does that count? Probably not.

Once saw a guy try to lean for the handle on an older Sydney bus's motor access panel, only to have the panel open up.

I'm more a fan of drafting - this stuff scares the crap out of me, and doesn't do cycling's public image any favours.
(Yeah I know, neither do the no helmet / kmart bike / roadie blokes in pink 'team' kit types.)
Australia is still very pro-car / anti-anything else - we need all the help we can get.
 
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wind ding brutha said:
Grow some legs
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Heheh. Thanks for the tip. :p Believe it or not, not all skitching is done out of laziness or lack of strength/power, just like base-jumping isn't done out of necessity to get to a lower elevation more quickly... ;)

But thanks for your input. I wonder if the people who have gone under the wheels of vehicles were hanging off the front half of the vehicle, as opposed to holding on at the back? I'm going to guess they were holding on to the passenger side open window...
 
Dicky said:
Well I learned a new word tonight.
That's nuts. I kinda thought fixed meant it was a flat out no go. Do you take your feet off?
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I never take my feet off when skitching, if I'm riding fixed I really only use skitching to get me up to speed and then let go. If they keep cruising at a comfortable pace then I might hold on but not usually.

I do however regularly take my feet off while going down hills, I usually put my toes on the rear axelnuts to keep some control with them....

-Garth
 
Techno Destructo said:
Heheh. Thanks for the tip. :p Believe it or not, not all skitching is done out of laziness or lack of strength/power, just like base-jumping isn't done out of necessity to get to a lower elevation more quickly... ;)

But thanks for your input. I wonder if the people who have gone under the wheels of vehicles were hanging off the front half of the vehicle, as opposed to holding on at the back? I'm going to guess they were holding on to the passenger side open window...
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lol. nah, thats why we have downhillers. i bet it all started from a bloke who needed to go to hospital while on a mountain... :rolleyes:
 
jasco said:
I never take my feet off when skitching, if I'm riding fixed I really only use skitching to get me up to speed and then let go. If they keep cruising at a comfortable pace then I might hold on but not usually.

I do however regularly take my feet off while going down hills, I usually put my toes on the rear axelnuts to keep some control with them....-Garth
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how does this work??? I'd be scared to take my feet off, let alone put them behind me. you, my friend, have some very steely balls! :cool:
 
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