Can you cycle upright?

fryup

I always envied guys who can cycle upright with both hands off the bars, peeling a banana, having a drink even changing a shirt mid cycle.

Is there a technique to this? is it just plain confidence in your own ability cause i keep losing my nerve trying to do it

endacl

Just sit up. There’s no magic involved.

fryup

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

easier said than done

John_Rambo

Is your bike set up right for you? Unless there's something up with positioning of the saddle, stem length etc... this should be fairly natural and easy to do.

endacl

fryup wrote: »

^^^^^^^^^^^^^

easier said than done

Do it without tensing up.

fryup

^^^^^^^^^^^

easier said than done

endacl

Sorry. That’s all I got...

benneca1

buy a set of rollers and practice indoors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WCUN7-nezQ

saccades

Practice with the saddle a bit nose up until you get the hang of it, some bikes have twitchier noses than others, I stuggled on my Pompino and bmx but no bother on any of my other bikes through the years.

TotalReality

Sit back,back straight and pedal smoother and you'll crack it,then you'll be wondering what all the fuss was about

robyntmorton

You really need to just find somewhere quiet, try it until you get comfortable, and not be afraid to look like an idiot falling over.

I really need to take my own advice, as it's a skill I don't possess either.

s15r330

fryup wrote: »

^^^^^^^^^^^

easier said than done

No, it is literally sit up and pedal. The front wheel wants to carry on straight.

artanevilla

It's momentum that's keeping you from falling over not your hands. Sit up, the bike will keep going forward.

endacl

robyntmorton wrote: »

You really need to just find somewhere quiet, try it until you get comfortable, and not be afraid to look like an idiot falling over.

I really need to take my own advice, as it's a skill I don't possess either.

And don’t practise clipped in!

DanDublin1982

endacl wrote: »

And don’t practise clipped in!

Hah. Just about to post that.

peasant

cython

I used to have a block about this for years, finally started arsing about enough with it while commuting (hard shoulder in the Phoenix Park kind of places, not just in the middle of traffic!) and it suddenly clicked. As others have said, sit up on a straight and flat stretch of road. Ensure you're in an appropriate gear that you can keep a decent cadence, as hopping your hips (low gear) or mashing (high gear) will cause your weight to move more, and destabilise you a bit. As a stepping stone perhaps try to cycle as much as you can with basically fingertips on the bars (i.e. taking your own weight onto your core and lower body) but eventually you will need to just do it, in much the same way as ripping a bandaid off.

endacl

Solution found!

Plastik

As others have said, sitting straight up is the key. If you are nervous, hunched over, and reaching for the bars for fear of falling it becomes much harder. Get up to speed. Sit up as straight as you can with your fingertips barely on the bars, and then sit up straight. Keep pedaling.

Wishbone Ash

Mercian Pro is the best I've seen at it. He's the type of rider who can easily remove or put on a jacket while on a descent in Wicklow and take a few photographs while he's at it. :cool:

I used to be able to do it as a child/teenager but seem to have a mental block now. It's a deficit I keep intending to remedy.

secman

I find it easier on a heavier Bike, it's much easier on my steel frame, less easy on the Alu frame, the trek with carbon wheels just seems too light.... and there's the fear factor... it cost too much... and it's carbon

plodder

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I used to be able to do it as a child/teenager but seem to have a mental block now

Same here. Could turn on a sixpence with no hands as a kid but taking it up again recently, I don't have that confidence or sense of balance.

I've tried it again though and I think to start it helps if you are free-wheeling and you can use your knees against the cross bar as an extra balancing force. Get used to that and you can start pedaling then I think.

secman

plodder wrote: »

Same here. Could turn on a sixpence with no hands as a kid but taking it up again recently, I don't have that confidence or sense of balance.

I've tried it again though and I think to start it helps if you are free-wheeling and you can use your knees against the cross bar as an extra balancing force. Get used to that and you can start pedaling then I think.

When we were kids we didn't have a mortgage !

fryup

^^^^^^^^^^^

and we had no fear/sense

Mech1

get one of the local kids you trust to give it a go on your bike, you will see how easy it can be.

eeeee

I can do it now, but didn't event try to do it till this year (apart from on rollers). Now I can take off a jacket/cardigan, put it in my bag on the commuter. Grand on the road bike. Haven't tried it on the track bike yet.
It's not as hard as you think. I can steer around potholes/manholes on the commuter whilst stuffing a jacket into my bag, doesn't take long to get it.
It's harder to go no handed on rollers than on a bike! I only do it for short periods on rollers. Ugh it's nearly roller time again boo!

Wishbone Ash

nee wrote: »

...cardigan..

WTF? :eek: Is it for your pipe and tobacco?

Apologies but if there a item of clothing that should be banned from this earth..........

eeeee

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

WTF? :eek: Is it for your pipe and tobacco?

Apologies but if there a item of clothing that should be banned from this earth..........

Ah now I love a good cardigan. Colour, pattern and cut are key. #CardigansFTW!

wherearewe45

Ya I was surprised how easy it was when I first tried it. Have a bit of speed for momentum, smooth flat ground and it comes surprisingly easily

Beasty

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXQskfi6j1s

plodder

nee wrote: »

I can do it now, but didn't event try to do it till this year (apart from on rollers). Now I can take off a jacket/cardigan, put it in my bag on the commuter. Grand on the road bike. Haven't tried it on the track bike yet.
It's not as hard as you think. I can steer around potholes/manholes on the commuter whilst stuffing a jacket into my bag, doesn't take long to get it.
It's harder to go no handed on rollers than on a bike! I only do it for short periods on rollers. Ugh it's nearly roller time again boo!

Unfortunately (for me), I think age (and not just having a mortgage) has something to do with it. Unless you maintain these fine motor skills from a young age, they are harder to re-acquire when older.