Help - standing up!

[Moodyman]

I learnt to ride a bike in my teens and that was on a MTB with gears. Most of my cycling was leisurely and I never went far.

6 months ago I returned to cycling after a 15 year gap, and the bug bit me. Now I commute 24 miles daily up some steep climbs.

But, I CAN'T STAND UP AND PEDAL. I never had a bike as a kid, so never learnt how to stand up on a single speed.

I currently spin up the steep climbs, which I don't mind as I'm quite fit, but occasionally I want to leave the saddle.

When I find a quite piece of road, I try and stand up and find the bike is about to tip over sideways.

Any ideas how to overcome this?

 

[upsidedown]

Tip over which way ? Over the front or to a particular side ?

 

[fossyant]

Practice, and you might need better core strength. I assume you sit down all the time ? The bike won't tip over, TBH, you can chuck them all over the place if needed. Have you ever done MTB'ing - good for bike skills.

 

[gbb]

Watch Mark Cavendish sprinting !!! he throws the bike all over the place

Seriously, keep your head and shoulders level, let your torso and bike move around, but keep the shoulders and above on an even keel...it keeps you stable.
As Fossy says, practice makes perfect.

You'll also find the legs wont like it at first. Keeping the right cadence helps too.
Keep going, you'll find you can power up inclines if you work at it.

 

[Arch]

I currently spin up the steep climbs, which I don't mind as I'm quite fit, but occasionally I want to leave the saddle.

Spinning is much better for your knees...

I almost never stand up and honk - if I have to resort to that on a hill, I know it'll be two or three revs and I'll be down to stalling speed.

So I can't help much, except to suggest that you try to start gently. Get some speed up, then balance the pedals for and aft, and stand up and freewheel for a bit then sit back down and pedal again. Then gradually introduce one rev while standing, then two etc, without shoving too hard - that'll be what makes the bike feel like it's tipping (assuming you mean to one side).

 

[Moodyman]

Feel like I'm goign to tip-over sideways.

Fossy - Yes - I sit all the time and No, never done serious MTBing though ridden on light offroad surfaces like canal paths.

According to Sheldon Brown, unless you're a racer, which I'm not, standing up is a waste of energy and puts a lot of stress on the bike. But, sometimes I need to get off the arse to help with blood circulation.

 

[Debian]

Feel like I'm goign to tip-over sideways.

Fossy - Yes - I sit all the time and No, never done serious MTBing though ridden on light offroad surfaces like canal paths.

According to Sheldon Brown, unless you're a racer, which I'm not, standing up is a waste of energy and puts a lot of stress on the bike. But, sometimes I need to get off the arse to help with blood circulation.

That's fine now and again if you need to. But standing up to pedal hard is a bad idea on two counts:

1. It's bad for the knees, sitting and spinning is much better.

2. If the chain slips or snaps then you come down HARD on the saddle or the frame with your tender bits. It hurts - a lot and can cause loss of control!

The bike won't tip at all if you're travelling at any sort of speed, the wheels act like gyroscopes and will keep the bike upright.

Other than that I can't help with tips because it's not something I've ever had difficulty with.

 

[BrumJim]

Confidence? Perhaps some mind control or trying on a soft surface first so you aren't afraid of falling over.

 

[BentMikey]

"It's bad for the knees" - isn't that the same sort of urban myth that says riding fixed is "bad" for the knees?

 

[Debian]

"It's bad for the knees" - isn't that the same sort of urban myth that says riding fixed is "bad" for the knees?

No

 

[trekkie]

On longer rides I find the slight change of position when standing up a welcome break. Can't say I ever experience knee pain, but then maybe this is also down to selecting the correct gear for the climb?

As for advice, have to agree with gbb by saying keep your head and shoulders level, then rock the bike from side to side beneath you as you peddle - should be your arms and the bike that are moving.

 

[BentMikey]

No

Substantiate or retract!

 

[colinr]

"It's bad for the knees" - isn't that the same sort of urban myth that says riding fixed is "bad" for the knees?

If they're true, my knees are absolutely for it anytime soon!

I'm pretty sure my quads and calves do the work when standing uphill, knees are just innocent bystanders.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

I'm a leisurely commuting cyclist and don't stand up often. I do stand up to get the first two pedals in when moving off from traffic lights (yes, I know I could gear down, no, it's not more efficient for me to do that).

Can you balance out of the saddle, without pedalling, while the bike is freewheeling on a (slight) downhill or level?

 

[Origamist]

Try not to lean too far forwards as it distributes your weight unevenly.