P
Peter Clinch
Guest
Elisa Francesca Roselli wrote:
> Behemoth doesn't like this at all. Just after I _stop_ nodding my head,
> she decides to convey this subtle movement to the whole of her frame,
> especially to her cranky, hypersensitive steering.
As suggested elsewhere, you need to get the bike checked, though it
would probably just need a confident cyclist to give it 5 minutes and
see if it's okay. If it's genuinely touchy then off to the mechanic for
a hard look. IIRC it's a Dutch style roadster and these are usually
about the easiest bikes you can find anywhere to roll along where you
want riding one handed (or even no handed) once you have the technique.
As suggested elsewhere in the thread by David, the key is no input
beyond the minimum necessary into the steering. While he suggests just
palm tops, I like to ride with just fingertips on the bars. As well as
preventing a death grip it helps you sit even further back/upright which
in turn minimises any steering input from leaning on the bars.
If you're putting nothing into the steering on either side then it
follows there will be no difference removing one of the hands that isn't
doing anything (aside from keeping things steady). By contrast, if both
hands are actively putting energy into the steering but opposing one
another to keep you straight, as soon as you alter anything (such as
leaning to one side as you might do nodding) then you'll compromise your
steering.
The key is to relax, though of course that's always hard to do when
you're stressed about the need to do it :-(
John's tip of looking where you're going, rather than at what you're
doing, is a /very/ good one and applicable to a great many activities.
I quote it at myself on the unicycle, in the kayaks and canoes, on the
skates and the skis... When you look where you want to go, you tend to
go there as the body tends to look after the rest. You look after the
end and the means often follows, but stare at the means while aiming at
an end you can't even see at the time tends to produce failure and
frustration.
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
> Behemoth doesn't like this at all. Just after I _stop_ nodding my head,
> she decides to convey this subtle movement to the whole of her frame,
> especially to her cranky, hypersensitive steering.
As suggested elsewhere, you need to get the bike checked, though it
would probably just need a confident cyclist to give it 5 minutes and
see if it's okay. If it's genuinely touchy then off to the mechanic for
a hard look. IIRC it's a Dutch style roadster and these are usually
about the easiest bikes you can find anywhere to roll along where you
want riding one handed (or even no handed) once you have the technique.
As suggested elsewhere in the thread by David, the key is no input
beyond the minimum necessary into the steering. While he suggests just
palm tops, I like to ride with just fingertips on the bars. As well as
preventing a death grip it helps you sit even further back/upright which
in turn minimises any steering input from leaning on the bars.
If you're putting nothing into the steering on either side then it
follows there will be no difference removing one of the hands that isn't
doing anything (aside from keeping things steady). By contrast, if both
hands are actively putting energy into the steering but opposing one
another to keep you straight, as soon as you alter anything (such as
leaning to one side as you might do nodding) then you'll compromise your
steering.
The key is to relax, though of course that's always hard to do when
you're stressed about the need to do it :-(
John's tip of looking where you're going, rather than at what you're
doing, is a /very/ good one and applicable to a great many activities.
I quote it at myself on the unicycle, in the kayaks and canoes, on the
skates and the skis... When you look where you want to go, you tend to
go there as the body tends to look after the rest. You look after the
end and the means often follows, but stare at the means while aiming at
an end you can't even see at the time tends to produce failure and
frustration.
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/