Two questions

[Twenty Inch]

1) How do I legbrake? Is it as simple as applying pressure on the backstroke of the pedal to slow it down? I slowed the bike down in this manner on yesterday's commute.

2) How do I stop bobbing about in the saddle when going downhill? I seem to bob up and down as the legs go around.

Other than that, I'm loving it!

 

[Canrider]

1) Yes, pretty much. I confess I don't legbrake very much, certainly not right down to a full stop, but do use it a bit to moderate speed on downhills. It's not so much 'pushing back', as sort of tightening up your leg muscles to resist the natural turning of the pedals, so maybe not actively pushing against the pedals as absorbing some of the energy through stiffening your legs. If that made any sense.

2) TBH, you probably don't. I've found that I 'bob' at certain cadences, namely about 120rpm (for me, your mileage may vary). Above that speed, the bobbing stops, although getting past that point can be a bit scary! Adjusting your saddle height may help, always remembering that you don't want to be hyperextending your legs.

 

[RedBike]

1) Instead of pushing down on the pedal I pull up (clipless pedals).

2) Check your saddles at the right height and get used to spinning those legs.

 

[Andy Pandy]

2) what worked for me was concentration on pushing my foot forwards at the top of the pedal stroke to ensure that the pedal wasn't driving my foot (and arse) upwards. If I relax and let the pedals push my foot around I bob at higher cadence. If I try to keep my foot ahead of the pedal I don't. The down side with this is you speed up down hills.

You could always stick a smaller cog on the back.

 

[Twenty Inch]

Cheers Andy - I have a smaller cogged wheel, but I'll wait a while!

 

[peejay78]

re:legbrake

lock up the rear wheel by unweighting it, then hop along to skip-stop, or skid stop without hopping.

try skidding in the rain first time - very easy.

skip stop is for dry conditions.

 

[Twenty Inch]

re:legbrake

lock up the rear wheel by unweighting it, then hop along to skip-stop, or skid stop without hopping.

try skidding in the rain first time - very easy.

skip stop is for dry conditions.

EEEK!

Thanks for the tip, but I'll use the brake levers and dual-pivot brakes that the previous owner thoughfully fitted for the time being.
I'm not sure I'm coordinated enough to carry out that manouevre without injury.

 

[Canrider]

It's not as hard as it seems, simply because the rear wheel skid isn't anywhere near as dangerous as a front-wheel skid on a bicycle. Many people report their first skid stop happening unexpectedly, like the rain example peejay gave. You think you're going to 'legbrake' but the slippery surface means you wind up stopping the wheel completely and SCHRRRRRRR, controlled skid-stop!

 

[BentMikey]

Skid stops are fun, and not too hard, especially if you unweight the rear wheel first.