How to stand up on a bike without moving?

Bruce W.1 said:

I've seen it in videos, I've seen it live, people staying vertical on a bike without moving. At
the start of a race guys do it all the time, staying up without moving. What's the secret?

I tried shifting my middle rear and torso to compensate for falling but no luck. There must be a
method to this, I just haven't figured it out. What's the technique? How can one prevent falling
without moving?

We're moving but you just don't notice it from across the street. Some of it is shifting side to
side, most is varying pressure on the pedal a little is turning the fork. Once we're balanced and
standing still of course it doesn't take much to maintain position. Just pedal pressure then. It
helps to face up the crown of the road or against a lip or small rise in the pavement if one's
available.

--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Quoted message said:

staying up without moving. What's the secret?

It's commonly called a "track stand" because it's a common tactic in some types of track races
where it's advantageous to have your opponent take the initial lead. A google search on "bicycle
track stand" (without the quotes) will bring up a wealth of information on the finer points of how
it's done.

"Bruce W.1" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've seen it in videos, I've seen it live, people staying vertical on a bike without moving. At
the start of a race guys do it all the time, staying up without moving. What's the secret?

I tried shifting my middle rear and torso to compensate for falling but no luck. There must be a
method to this, I just haven't figured it out. What's the technique?

How can one prevent falling without moving?

Thanks for your help.

It's called a trackstand. Search that term and you'll find all kinds of info on it.

In short: turn wheel slightly, weight over front, use brakes and slight pedal taps to keep it going.
The only way to get good is to do it. Over and over.

Chris

On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 00:13:01 -0500, "Bruce W.1" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I've seen it in videos, I've seen it live, people staying vertical on a bike without moving. At the
start of a race guys do it all the time, staying up without moving. What's the secret?

I tried shifting my middle rear and torso to compensate for falling but no luck. There must be a
method to this, I just haven't figured it out. What's the technique?

How can one prevent falling without moving?

Thanks for your help.

Practice, practice and practice. As others have noted, it's easier if the front wheel is pointing up
a slight slope, the camber of the road is enough which is why most of us turn the front wheel to the
right to do it here in England, and this is also the same way as the banking at a velodrome.
Obviously you'll need to turn the other way if you're on the "wrong" side of the road. If you don't
have a slope to work against, the next best thing is a fixed wheel! It's easier on a road or track
bike because there's a more direct relationship to the road with hard skinny tyres, but once you've
mastered that it's quit possible to sit still on a 10" travel downhill bike too.

Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included May contain traces of nuts Your milage may vary

Bruce W.1 said:

I've seen it in videos, I've seen it live, people staying vertical on a bike without moving. At
the start of a race guys do it all the time, staying up without moving. What's the secret?

I tried shifting my middle rear and torso to compensate for falling but no luck. There must be a
method to this, I just haven't figured it out. What's the technique?

How can one prevent falling without moving?

Buy stabilisers ;-)

On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 00:13:01 -0500, "Bruce W.1" <[email hidden]> may

have said:

What's the secret?

The same as the answer to the question "How do you get to carnegie Hall?"

Practice.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Yes, I have a killfile. If I don't respond to something,
it's also possible that I'm busy.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Werehatrack said:

Bruce W.1' may have said:

What's the secret?

The same as the answer to the question "How do you get to carnegie Hall?"

Practice.

and relax. you can't do it if you're trying too hard and tensing up. jb

On Sat, 17 Jan 2004 20:17:08 GMT, jeffbonny <[email hidden]>

may have said:

Werehatrack said:

Bruce W.1' may have said:

What's the secret?

The same as the answer to the question "How do you get to carnegie Hall?"

Practice.

and relax. you can't do it if you're trying too hard and tensing up.

I think you've got a point. I can only do it when I'm not stressed out or dog-tired. (And usually
not for terribly long in any event; I most often do it just to make the kid ask me why I'm
standing still.)

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Yes, I have a killfile. If I don't respond to something,
it's also possible that I'm busy.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

"Bruce W.1" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I've seen it in videos, I've seen it live, people staying vertical on a bike without moving. At
the start of a race guys do it all the time, staying up without moving. What's the secret?

I tried shifting my middle rear and torso to compensate for falling but no luck. There must be a
method to this, I just haven't figured it out. What's the technique?

How can one prevent falling without moving?

Thanks for your help.

Dear Bruce,

Everyone else seems to be giving you honest, upright advice, so I'll tell you how to cheat.

For both trackstands (motionless on two wheels) and wheelstands (riding on the rear wheel alone), it
helps to lower the tire pressure.

Partly, you get a broader base as the tires flatten out and threaten to pinch-flat or damage the
rims. (Never happened in the years that I spent playing on a 5-speed Schwinn.)

Mostly, you get much greater rolling resistance, so the tires don't shoot out from under you so
fast. With 120 psi, you're trying to balance on two huge, hard disks that roll with distressing
ease. With only 40 psi, the soggy tires are much easier to control.

So you might try lowering your tire pressure and practicing in the driveway until you get the hang
of it, somewhat like training wheels. Helps for rolling backwards, too, another crucial skill for
those who failed to run away and join a circus.

If you go on to wheelies, heading up a gentle slope will substitute for the resistance of soggy
tires. With a freewheel, you can raise the front wheel by pedalling harder, but only a slope or a
soggy tire will slow you down and let you lower the front wheel before you go over backward.

If you get good enough to carry the front wheel in the air for considerable distances, you'll
discover that even the angular momentum of the spinning front wheel makes it easier to balance at
first--as the front wheel spins down from your tiny corrections, you'll find it harder and harder to
balance side-to-side. This, of course, plays no part in trackstands.

The other dishonest advantage is wider handlebars. Every now and then I get the foolish urge to re-
live my youth and try to pop the front wheel up on my touring bike. That's when I remember my long-
lost cow-horn handlebars.

Carl Fogel

Carl Fogel said:

Dear Bruce,

Everyone else seems to be giving you honest, upright advice, so I'll tell you how to cheat.

For both trackstands (motionless on two wheels) and wheelstands (riding on the rear wheel alone),
it helps to lower the tire pressure.

Partly, you get a broader base as the tires flatten out and threaten to pinch-flat or damage the
rims. (Never happened in the years that I spent playing on a 5-speed Schwinn.)

Mostly, you get much greater rolling resistance, so the tires don't shoot out from under you so
fast. With 120 psi, you're trying to balance on two huge, hard disks that roll with distressing
ease. With only 40 psi, the soggy tires are much easier to control....

Dear Carl,

Trackies typically use tires inflated in the range of 110 to 150 psi (~8 to 11 bar). However, they
have the advantage of being on a fixed gear, so they can also move the bicycle slightly backwards.

I also can stay up a long time with both my feet clipped in. I simply use a hand on the ground to
hold my self up. 😉

A trike with a headrest is even better, as one can go to sleep without falling over. 🙂

Tom Sherman - Quad Cities

"Easy-chair Rider" by Carl Fogel

"Sure, man," said a laid-back cyclist named Sherman, "Recumbents are great, but don't expect any
sermon." He then popped a handful of Sheldon's Product W pills, Headed out on the high-way for more
low-slung thrills, And at-Tom-pted his position to determine.

"Bruce W.1" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I've seen it in videos, I've seen it live, people staying vertical on a bike without moving. At
the start of a race guys do it all the time, staying up without moving. What's the secret?

I tried shifting my middle rear and torso to compensate for falling but no luck. There must be a
method to this, I just haven't figured it out. What's the technique?

How can one prevent falling without moving?

Thanks for your help.

I once won 100$ in a messenger track stand contest (2nd place), but that was when a track stand was
a track stand. Now it's all one foot this and no hands that.

As others have written, the best way to learn is to point the front wheel up a slight slope, then
you hold the bike against gravity. Gear choice is important. The bike leans one way and you lean the
other way. You will favor a single method, which will be limiting; try to learn with the front wheel
pointed either direction, and with the feet in many different positions.

The question remains: are you sure you want to do this? Track standing is one of the most annoying
things a cyclist can do. Plus, it can be confusing. Track standers look as if they are about to
sprint into intersections. And it will be difficult not to waste energy doing it even after you get
really good.

I admit it is fun though. I still do it as much as possible.

Robert

Quoted message said:

"Bruce W.1" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I've seen it in videos, I've seen it live, people staying vertical on a bike without moving.

Bruce... quite a while ago, when i first learned how to track stand, i did a writeup on it... it may
be helpful and may save a few bruised hips during the learning process..

pages.prodigy.comtrackstands.htmlOpen ↗

also, i think it is illegal to trackstand at the start of a cross country mountain bike race...
don't know about road races.

charlie

Carl Fogel said:

For both trackstands (motionless on two wheels) and wheelstands (riding on the rear wheel
alone), it helps to lower the tire pressure.

In a separate post said:

It's easier on a road or track bike because there's a more direct relationship to the road with
hard skinny tyres, but once you've mastered that it's quit possible to sit still on a 10" travel
downhill bike too.

So who is right?

To the OP: I finally learned to trackstand when I got over my fear of going backwards on the bike.
You can roll backwards a few cm before you lose it. Allowing that reverse roll before compensating
was the key for me.

Dave dvt at psu dot edu

dvt <[email hidden]> wrote:
: To the OP: I finally learned to trackstand when I got over my fear of going backwards on the bike.
: You can roll backwards a few cm before you lose it. Allowing that reverse roll before compensating
: was the key for me.

that is right on. i never got really good at trackstands on my fixed until i was reasonably
comfortable riding backwards.
--
david reuteler [email hidden]

I was once a Trackie , (Velodrome racer) who did track stands in my sleep. No big deal, other than
practice and practice. The real trick to balancing is to turn your front wheel to help maintain your
balance. It is fun and is good pracyice for bike handling. Other good tricks, banging elbows with a
friend, bumping tires, and my favorite was picking up apples from the ground while moving. We used
to ride by an orchard in the fall and fill our jersey pockets with apples by the shoulder. Try
posting this to rec.bicycles.racing

Steve news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've seen it in videos, I've seen it live, people staying vertical on a bike without moving. At
the start of a race guys do it all the time, staying up without moving. What's the secret?

I tried shifting my middle rear and torso to compensate for falling but no luck. There must be a
method to this, I just haven't figured it out. What's the technique?

How can one prevent falling without moving?

Thanks for your help.

I once won 100$ in a messenger track stand contest (2nd place), but that was when a track stand
was a track stand. Now it's all one foot this and no hands that.

As others have written, the best way to learn is to point the front wheel up a slight slope, then
you hold the bike against gravity. Gear choice is important. The bike leans one way and you lean
the other way. You will favor a single method, which will be limiting; try to learn with the front
wheel pointed either direction, and with the feet in many different positions.

The question remains: are you sure you want to do this? Track standing is one of the most annoying
things a cyclist can do. Plus, it can be confusing. Track standers look as if they are about to
sprint into intersections. And it will be difficult not to waste energy doing it even after you
get really good.

I admit it is fun though. I still do it as much as possible.

Robert

Steven Gee said:

I was once a Trackie who did track stands "in my sleep." No big deal, other than practice and
practice. The real trick to balancing is to turn your front wheel to help maintain your balance.
It is fun and is good practice for bike handling. Other good tricks, banging elbows with a friend,
bumping tires, and my favorite was picking up apples from the ground while moving. We used to ride
by an orchard in the fall and fill our jersey pockets with apples by the shoulder.

On that note, other things that were common in the days of yore (when all bikies were ABL and later
USCF) riders, was that we sprinted for city, county and state lines as well as summits of marked
mountain passes. Recently when towing a couple of fully equipped "jersey pros" into Livermore CA on
Tesla Road, they wondered what was going on when we sprinted off the front into the wind past the
city limit sign. They had never heard of the practice.

Where have all the bikies gone, long time waiting...

"The American Bikie" was still one of the great caricatures of the NORCAL Newsletter, with bike, Brooklyn-Molteni-
Kass wool shorts, USA team jersey, leather 'hair net' and gloves, no socks and sharply delineated
(that's why they shaved) leg defo. It characterized bicycling of the times. We remember it well when
Greggy-poo and his father were a NORCAL USCF riders from Nevada.

Jobst Brandt [email hidden]

Jobst Brandt said:

On that note, other things that were common in the days of yore (when all bikies were ABL and
later USCF) riders, was that we sprinted for city, county and state lines as well as summits of
marked mountain passes. Recently when towing a couple of fully equipped "jersey pros" into
Livermore CA on Tesla Road, they wondered what was going on when we sprinted off the front into
the wind past the city limit sign. They had never heard of the practice.

The "Noon Ride" still sprints to city limit signs. And speed limit signs. And school zone signs. And
stop signs.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA terrymorse.combikeOpen ↗

Terry Morse said:

Quoted message said:

On that note, other things that were common in the days of yore (when all bikies were ABL and
later USCF) riders, was that we sprinted for city, county and state lines as well as summits of
marked mountain passes. Recently when towing a couple of fully equipped "jersey pros" into
Livermore CA on Tesla Road, they wondered what was going on when we sprinted off the front into
the wind past the city limit sign. They had never heard of the practice.

Quoted message said:

The "Noon Ride" still sprints to city limit signs. And speed limit signs. And school zone signs.
And stop signs.

That's good to hear. I don't get to ride with the faster rides these days much anymore but there are
some really sprints around this area, downhill on HWY84 to LaHonda and south on HWY1 to Santa Cruz
county as well as Alameda county on mines road.

Jobst Brandt [email hidden]

Terry Morse said:

The "Noon Ride" still sprints to city limit signs. And speed limit signs. And school zone signs.
And stop signs.

Does anyone else think that sprints to stop signs sounds like a really bad idea? And school zone
signs? I guess if school is out, that might be OK...

Dave dvt at psu dot edu