Fixed Axle Friday Throws

Did you try double looping?

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I did try double looping on one of the strings - don’t remember which one, and then had zero sleep. Instant back. :man_shrugging:t2:

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I used Alphaline mostly double looped IIRC. Make sure to twist in the same direction as the twist of the string. If it’s too responsive, give a little tug on the string and rock it back and forth around the axle.

The second thing to try is to play it like that for a few minutes, or torqued up, then undo that and see if the response is better.

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so ill just tell you what worked for me to help it click. now that you describe that, i do remember having that problem, with fixies in general. Keith mentioned where I’d start

i am personally on the alphaline train. when you put on a new string or you have to remove it for some reason, you need to start by cranking up the torsion a good bit and play it, even just playing catch, for like 10-15 min. thatll cause the loop threads to sorta fuse. you can then back the torsion off as needed

this leads to the next point. torsion in fixie isnt like it is in unresponsive. in unresponsive you always want neutral torsion. in fixie its dependant on what you are doing. if you’re doing tricks that require some snappiness, like planet hops, add some torsion. if you want some sleep time release some of the torsion

one of the tricks to learning the finesse of fixie is working with a flexible and dynamic torsion state. once i started using my torsion to dial in the response, it all started going much better. play with that some and lemme know if that helps at all

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Hard agree. I stopped double looping my Butterflies (and stopped replacing the axles with wood) because I learned that it was necessary to actively manage the torsion.

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Whatever works, go with it.

For what it’s worth, this is what I do… I’ve been using Kitty Fat string(because I already have a lot of it). When I put on a new string, I double loop the axle. When/if it becomes more responsive than I like, I take out the extra loop. This has always worked for me so I haven’t tried other methods. I prefer to maintain neutral torsion.

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Last hours of FAF on FAF and I’ve broke three strings.

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Got this in today. Ed Davidson “Bee- Yo”. Apologies for the horrid lighting, everyone is asleep so it’s literally lit by my TV screen lol

Australian Red Ironbark. 70 grams. Sounds heavy but the design makes it perfection to me.


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I’m Cuckoo for Duncan Puffs!

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Those engravings are so effin coool!

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Have you tried chapstick on the axle loop? I know a lot of great players disagree with the use of chapstick, but I stand by it. Without it, I experience the same unpredictability in response that you expressed.

Also, with butterflies, I usually play with neutral tension right from the start. I do have some wood throws that I have to crank the tension up on my cotton string, when it’s new, then slowly back it off. But with butterfly, alphaline, and chapstick, I can start neutral and stay that way.

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That is truly gorgeous.

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I’m a total noob, but just a tiny bit of chapstick on Kitty fat seems to give me consistent return on butterflies and my 3D printed steel axle fixies.

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I saw that one on his site and was marveling at it! Incredible

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You chapstick guys, any particular brand? Just rub the axle end on the chapstick head and then string it up like normal?

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I usually use a drop of thick lube on the end of the string instead because it’s less messy and doesn’t waste my good chapstick. I like nano oil 85 weight or superlube.

I have heard beeswax chapsticks are usually the best type though for proper chapsticking.

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Ive been using burts bees vanilla :joy:
i gotta try find something different thats a little thicker / more viscous.

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If you have a yoyo that won’t respond, a healthy dose of this will fix it. Best chapstick for response in my opinion. Has to be the comfort care.

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Boom.

I seem to have misplaced my sprite, Coca-Cola, and og Dr Pepper ones :joy::joy:

(My friend got me them for my birthday a long time ago and it’s all I have hehe)

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Wildwood Gnomad 49g Beech on a Friday :fried_shrimp:

@Eric_Newlin

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