Fifty Plus (50+) - Learning to Track Stand 50+

Any of you learn to do a track stand after you turned 50?

The instructions on this site (http://www.teamestrogen.com/articles/asa_trackstand.asp)make it sound attainable, and I tried some of the exercises on a grassy field today. Not easy. Gonna take some time and a few falls.

I figure it would be good to know because it *cough* looks cool *cough* would be good low speed riding balance practice.

I practice from time to time, but only on my daughter's bike as it has platforms. If you're gutsy you're supposed to practice clipped in, and then learning to fall by keeping both hands on the handlebar so the bike takes the brunt of fall. I guess it sounds fine in theory, but I'm not dumb enough, er I mean brave enough to try it.

I have been practicing mine for about a year and I am only good for a few seconds, but now thanks to that article I am going to be impressing people at lights very soon, maybe. I always unclip my chocolate foot, but my goal is to stay clipped in.

Useless stupid human trick as far as I'm concerned. I can't see risking a broken clavicle to impress anyone with a track stand. YMMV but I've never felt like I was disadvantaged having to put a foot down. Getting the ability to consistently clip in without having to look down is far more valuable IMO.

Yea I do that all the time when the bike is in the trainer

I have tried and made it maybe 15 seconds at the most. Clipped in helps. Just be ready to give up quick when you need to. I am a long long long way from ever doing it at a light.

I used to do it at any stop with enough crown in the road. Now I am practicing it as I return to cycling after a 15 year layoff. It used to be a piece of cake...not anymore. I think my extra pounds may be putting the fear of a fall in my mind somewhere. It will come. Practice makes perfect. It was as routine as breathing back then. I'm sure you can do it.

God bless!

-Ron

Useless stupid human trick as far as I'm concerned. ... I trackstand almost every stop sign and many red lights, and it makes for a safe, smooth, efficient launch. I do sometimes cheat by creeping forward, but if a klutz like me can do it, anybody can.

Useless stupid human trick as far as I'm concerned. I can't see risking a broken clavicle to impress anyone with a track stand. YMMV but I've never felt like I was disadvantaged having to put a foot down. Getting the ability to consistently clip in without having to look down is far more valuable IMO.

Not true if you trail-ride. It's a rght nice thing to be able to do.

For roadies it seems a bit gratuitous.

WHen I lived in Rochester new york, it was very handy on the city route I rode to get to my country ride. Lots of traffic lights and lots of traffic. Every little bit helps.

God bless!

-Ron

I read somewhere that track standing is harder on white bikes.

I guess I learned around age 50, or maybe late 40s. In the playground nearby, they had added a wheelchair ramp to a large kids' play structure, so I placed myself on that so I could practice trackstands with rails on both sides of me for convenience. While my youngest kid played I rocked the bike back and forth while lightly holding those rails.

The idea is you have your wheel slightly turned to one side, so as you move the bike subtly forward and back, it also moves from side to side to help you stay balanced.

It's harder to learn stuff when you are over 14 and your brain is not as plastic as it was then. I can only track stand now under the following conditions: The road slopes upwards a bit, my left foot is forwards, and the wheel is angled to the left. In that situation I seem to be able to propel the bike a little bit forward and left, then let it roll back and the front wheel moves a bit to the right, and stay balanced that way. I cannot balance with the wheel pointed right or my right foot forward. I can do it on my road bike but not my mountain bike. I can't do it on flat land by using the brakes to stop the bike and rock it backwards as some people do - I need to ride up a slope and roll back by gravity.

I was in Vancouver a few weeks ago. I was waiting for a bus and watched a bicycle commuter riding between cars at rush hour on a fix geared bike. His cell phone rang and he picked it up with one hand while standing. He then came to a red light where he executed a one-handed, track stand while talking on the cell phone with the other hand. I was impressed.

I've always wanted to and now that I've read that article, and since I have some time, I think I'll try, in spite of the fake hip!

I can about come to a complete stop for an instant but can't get the dadburned recombinant bike to trackstand. Gonna keep trying.

It's harder to learn stuff when you are over 14 and your brain is not as plastic as it was then.

A lot of the time it feels like my brain is plastic,or rubber, or some other synthetic material. I guess I'm just on the bounce.

Witzelsucht alert.

Useless stupid human trick as far as I'm concerned. I can't see risking a broken clavicle to impress anyone with a track stand. YMMV but I've never felt like I was disadvantaged having to put a foot down. Getting the ability to consistently clip in without having to look down is far more valuable IMO.

Not at all. It can save broken bones while climbing a very steep trail and stalling out. You can maintain your balance and get your feet down and keep from falling back down the hill. That's a major cause of bone breaks in places like Moab with the slickrock.

I practice once in a while, but I'm not there. I've made some platforms out of wood to snap into my pedals so I can practice with out being clipped in. I can maintain balance at less than half a mph which helps some times on the really steep climbs where a root or rock will slow you very suddenly if you don't unweight just right.

Al

Lots of skills come when you have to use them. After 15 years of Mountain biking a lot of skills that you don't realise you knew- come into practice. Hammering down a trail and a Tiny pooch appears. Too late to brake and you hope it doesn't run in front you. It does so you suddenly know how to bunny hop.A turn comes on the trail that is too sharp to get round and you do a stoppie and find the rear wheel lifted and round she goes. Going down a steep rooty drop and you realise it's an Oh-Oh moment and you find yourself trackstanding while you look for the least painfull route to fall on.

Onto the road bike and traffic lights that you approach slowly waiting for them to change----and they don't. you know that if you take the foot off the pedal and stop- the lights will change so instant trackstand.

Now I missed out completely on the BMX and that is where I think our generation are missing out. Those BMX bikes teach you a lot of skills. They are built for tricks but I missed out on them. Certain skills still allude me. I can't wheelie- I can't hop sideways up kerbs and I most certainly can't annoy the ***** of a neighbour that I want to by pulling tricks on 700C wheels.

So I reckon we all have to buy new bikes. Tricked out BMXers with the baggies to go with it and the Dome helmets. Never know- I might be able to start annoying that neighbour.

Now onto the sideways bunny hop. The rider is Martin Ashton. (Britains Hans Rey). Ex worlds trials champion- British and European height record holder and on top of that he has (Wheres the Drum roll emoticon?)--He has a Blue Peter Badge and this is the mostly prized award a 12 year old could ever attain. Only expect UK readers to understand this. That bar is 1.1 metres high. And I wasted a decent ride especially to stop and meet him.

I saw a guy do a TS the other day during a group ride. It was both impressive and scary at the same time. It was so jerky looking that he may as well have been under a strobe light. But he made it through a red light without falling. Kudos for that.

Not sure I wanna do that on a CF bike though. At least, not learn to TS on one.

I trackstand almost every stop sign and many red lights, and it makes for a safe, smooth, efficient launch. I do sometimes cheat by creeping forward, but if a klutz like me can do it, anybody can.

Biggest problem with doing it at stop signs is that motorists then tend to get all antsy about whether you are stopped or not, and what should they do... resulting in the odd "after you Alphonse" situations.

I still track stand when there is no one around, (as my stops are in nano seconds, then). But if I come to a stop sign with other traffic on the cross street, I put my foot down, just to be clear.

Stoplights are a different matter... trackstanding through an entire red light is good practice. :D

Oh! Thanks for the link! I'm just learning to ride fixed at 55...:)

Hammering down a trail and a Tiny pooch appears.

Or a bunny.

I can about come to a complete stop for an instant but can't get the dadburned recombinant bike to trackstand. Gonna keep trying.

Keep working on it....I've almost got the knack on my EZ Sport LWB. With the Trek
820, on a good day I can impress the motorists.

Or a bunny.

I got hit by a bunny recently. As I passed a bush, this brown furry thing went from left to right, passing between the two wheels hitting me on the right ankle. Startled the fool out of me and the bunny. I don't think the rear wheel rolled over him.

I'm used to running over rattle snakes when going to fast to avoid them, but not bunnies.

Al

when I grow up I'm going to learn to trackstand... I ride a fixie, so I have no excuses, as it is supposed to be much easier, but I haven't taken the time to learn...

train safe-

Get a nice tri recumbent and the trackstand is a lot easier. I was practicing trackstanding and like magic the bike shot out behind me and I was airborn over the bars and tucking to roll on my right shoulder. I decided that this was more abuse than I wanted to go through so no more trackstanding for me.

I'm turning 50 in a few months. Raced bikes in my youth.

Some tips on track stand.
Easier if your front wheel is on a slight uphill, that way you can roll back, pedal forward, roll back etc. When first starting out you can turn the bars to the left and grab the front wheel with your right hand and shuffle it forward and back.
Learn to hop the rear wheel when rolling really slow. Pull up on the pedals and shift your weight to hop the wheel one way or the other. Helps when you feel like you are loosing balance, hop the rear wheel and regain youre balance.

me showing off - rolling front wheel with right foot.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47b8d834b3127ccec40ba51f270600000020O08UcN27Zs3B7efCA/cC/f%3D0/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D480/ry%3D320/

Tried a couple today on my criss cross on the katy trail. I waited until I was good and tired. Did one for a short time. I hit soft gravel rolling back on the second one, stopping me dead and causing a near fall....don't have the reflexes yet to just push back before I wanted to. That was enough for today...on the road will be easier. I used to be able to stop dead in the road and simply balance the with the front wheel turned to the left and the front brake on. That was on my road bike. Never really cared that much about it on the criss cross. Slow was good enough off road to get me up and over fallen trees, etc...unless they were small enough to bunny hop at trail speed.

I can see how it can be done on a slight incline, where you can rock back or forth to keep the bike under you. However, the logic of working against the brakes on flat ground doesn't make any sense to me. I'd think that you need some way of causing the wheel to roll backwards. Am I missing something?

It's a balance act on flat ground. You have to be very, very comfotable and very still. Rolling isn't part of the equation anymore if the ground is flat...unless you use your hand or foot like the photo above. Frame flex and muscle twitch is all you have on flat ground.

Much easier using the crown in the road...that's plenty on most roads.

God bless!

-Ron

I worked on it a while today. I suck. :thumb:

As a new Club Tombay member, I think I'll get the rhythm of clipless before I attempt this. It's impressive to see though. I often chuckle to myself as I wonder what other [non-cycling] drivers must be thinking as they see it.

I hadn't tried it for a long time so I went out today and I could barely do it for ten seconds, and I had to roll the bike 4 or 5 inches each way. I need to get my groove back.

I never could manage a real track stand on any freewheeled bike, so shamelessly cheat. Unless the light is extremely long, six or eight feet is usually enough on a DF and play about does help pass the waiting time.

On my SWB recumbent the cheating gets ridiculous. Forty feet of leeway might be enough. For a short light. On a good day. With a nice headwind.

I can see how it can be done on a slight incline, where you can rock back or forth to keep the bike under you. However, the logic of working against the brakes on flat ground doesn't make any sense to me. I'd think that you need some way of causing the wheel to roll backwards. Am I missing something?

Some rider on BF a while back was explaining that he would lock the brakes with the wheel turned a bit, and lightly rock the bike, balancing based on the fact that the contact patch would roll a little bit back and forth (left and right) as he rocked

Any of you learn to do a track stand after you turned 50?

The instructions on this site (http://www.teamestrogen.com/articles/asa_trackstand.asp)make it sound attainable, and I tried some of the exercises on a grassy field today. Not easy. Gonna take some time and a few falls.

I figure it would be good to know because it *cough* looks cool *cough* would be good low speed riding balance practice.

I have found that it only takes 3 things. Practice, practice and practice. :-)

Part of what I do is, every time I take a shower, I stand on my right leg, focus on a spot on the floor about 6 - 8 feet in front of me and dry off my left leg, being careful to wipe in between each toe, then work up to my knee. I then repeat this on the other leg.

This gets me used to the idea of finding a focal point to concentrate on when in a track stand.

Another thing is that I use toeclips, so not being able to 'unclip' becomes a non issue.

Lately I've been riding a bike with a 3-speed hub and I find this much easier to track stand on than my fixies. Having said that, my steering geometry is quite different from my 3-speed to my fixies.

Realistically, I don't stay 'up there' for very long but my favorite thing is to stop at 4-way stop sign, take one hand off the bars and wave a motorist on my right to come across.

I'm 68 and hope to good at this by the time I reach 98. :-)