Balancing the bike while stopped

[MacLean]

hey all,

I've seen a few guys waiting at traffic lights on bikes and are able to balance completely stationary without putting their feet down. They seem to twist the front wheel about 45derees and somehow balance it upright.

Can anyone here do it? If so any tips!!?

 

[Kestevan]

Practice on grass

 

[MadoneRider1991]

practice and it gets easier

 

[jonny jeez]

Trackstanding always looks like its soo much work for very little gain, I see guys perching,some moving about quite a lot…..others almost stationary (and with a some real skill) but they all still move off with the rest of us "foot planters" at the same pace.

Is it all about posing (which I am all in favour of!)..or does it perform a function that i am missing in its subtlety.

 

[HaloJ]

Being able to track stand is very handy for control. Those on fixies have the added advantage of being able to physically pedal back and forth which is the technique used when on a uni cycle. Freewheel it is indeed harder to do it everywhere although it's probably about the same difficulty on a slope upwards

I made a tit of myself doing it on a freewheel on a down hill slope. I grabbed too much brake and fell over, luckily only in front of the OH and the cabby at the lights.

This is a nice guide on how to do it though....
http://www.teamestrogen.com/content/asa_trackstand

Edit: I actually went to Finsbury Park and practiced for a day. An interesting experience and a great entertainment to the young kids. "Look mummy that girl is stood on her bike!"

 

[Arch]

Yes, it helps with control of the bike a lot more, (as well as posing of course)

Don't see how you can move off at the same pace? Especially as you have to clip in?

Only if you're daft enough to have clipless pedals to faff about with.

I don't see why you would think someone would necessarily get away faster from a trackstand than someone going 'hup' and onto the pedals. The only thing that matters is what gear they are all in.

 

[Riding in Circles]

No problem for trike riders.

 

[Will1985]

Yes, on the track or with the fixed is much easier (although the coach at the last CC session I went to told me to stop and move to the rail as I might fall!). I'm still trying to master hopping the back wheel to reset the crank positions if I have to move forward quarter of a revolution.

I do it on the road and TT bikes a lot as well to avoid unclipping - pull up to the lights in a wheel track and then turn the wheel up into the slightly higher bit in the middle of the lane.
I was road bike trackstanding for 4 and a half minutes on Sunday at some lights waiting for a car to come up behind to activate the filter light sensor.....good practice but I had to concentrate!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

'what's the point of trackstands?' is a question only every asked by those who can't do them. It has to be, imo, the single most important skill to master for off road mtb'ing. Try it off road, on a downhill slope, with a freewheel, whilst you try to figure a line to take on the upcoming drop off. Great fun.

 

[skudupnorth]

I'm a poser ! I love trackstanding in front of the traffic at the lights !!!

 

[nosherduke996]

i,m good at handstands

 

[Debian]

I'm a poser ! I love trackstanding in front of the traffic at the lights !!!

+1

Not that I can do it all that well at the moment, but I am improving

 

[coshgirl]

I love trackstanding and actually got props off a wvm this morning because of it :-)

 

[markg0vbr]

i do a track stand every time i pull up, some times i read a book while doing one, my record is 2hr 15mins.

just flick on the parking brake let go of the hand grips and relax, easy.
the extra wheel helps

 

[Bollo]

+1

Not that I can do it all that well at the moment, but I am improving

+2 for the pose value!

I can trackstand on the commuter, but the vanity bike is a bit tricker because (a) speedplays don't let go that easily and ( there's plenty of toe overlap. Tripping yourself up on your front wheel and then tipping sideways with the bike still fully attached is not good for the ego or the 40yr old bones.