Road Cycling - Riding no hands, how do you do it?

I have been riding for 10 years and racing for 1 year. Yet I am still unable to ride no hands. Sometimes it is a handy skill to have, like eating on the bike and peeling a banana, powerbar etc. Or adjusting a helmet strap, sunglasses. Or taking off arm warmers and putting them in a back pocket. A few guys I ride with can ride no hands perfectly, make any adjustments and keep going. I have to stop, and then get going again. I can manage to ride with one finger on the bars, but as soon as I let go of the bars I start to wobble and have to grab them again. My balance must be shocking. I have a fear that something will cause the wheel to turn and take me down. What is the catch to getting good at it?

Please. Don't lecture me about riding no-hands, it is a necessary skill for racing.

CHEERS.

Mark

It probably helps if you accelerate as you ride no-hands.
If I'm going really slow and need to get my hands free, I typically use a gradual acceleration to keep my balance.

When i first got my bike i couldnt ride no handed, now i can turn, go straight, whatever. it's just balance and getting used to the bikes handling.

I think I started riding WNH over 20 years ago, so I don't know how I learned. However, I think a trick would be to commit, and put your weight back - it will be more stable with you weight off the front wheel. I can ride WNH while coasting, but I usually do it while I'm pedaling - feels more stable with power on the ground. I'm so confident with it now I can do it around curves - and even remove a jacket and put it in my pack - practice x 3.

When I was trying to learn riding no hands I would just *barely* take my hands off the bar, keeping my fingers around the tube still, just not grasping it. Then just move further and further away as you get more comfortable. Having a helmet on seems to make it a lot easier too ;) It also seems like single speed cruisers or whatever with the big balloon tires are easier to ride no hands. Hey, you could go to your LBS and tell them you need to borrow a cruiser so that you can learn how to ride no hands. :p I bet they would just LOVE that.

Good luck,
Paul J.

You need to have a smooth pedal stroke, you start bouncing or get uneven and you get screwed...and practice

maybe it depends on the bike, also? i run 90psi 1.25" cyclo/semislicks on my mtb bike and do it easily.. with my XC tires its not as easy

ive once seen a guy actually transport a bike around town by holding the entire thing above his head with both arms while riding his own

just sit up straight and look where you're going for the most part. you can look down at the handlebars briefly, but just don't do it for a very long time.

i learned no hands in one night and by the end of it i was standing up, gripping the seat with my knees with my arms outstretched like a bird. i felt so free gliding through the streets of boston with no cars around at 2:30am.

oh gilgamesh, my beloved single speed roadie, return to me!

In many cases I say it comes down to the bike. On my road bike I can ride no-handed all day. On the hybrid/mountain I can't go ten feet.

Faster is better. Make sure your handlebars are alined straight.

Faster is better. Make sure your handlebars are alined straight.

Also, make sure your wheels are true. On my MTB, I'd always be veering off course when I went no-handed. After redishing and truing the front wheel, I could do the whole LA back calisthenic routine...on the trail, no less.

In many cases I say it comes down to the bike. On my road bike I can ride no-handed all day. On the hybrid/mountain I can't go ten feet.

Agreed, and might I add geometry. If a bike has very quick steering, short wheelbase, steep angles, etc. it can be more difficult to ride with no hands. I can ride my Lemond Zurich all day with no hands, around curves, complete circles, slow or fast, pedaling or coasting but I can barely ride my old crit bike with no hands.

This story may not impress you experienced roadies but when it happened, it amazed me.

On my first organized (mass) ride, a group of cyclists was in front of me. One guy wanted to take his jacket off. He pulled over toward the side of the road and removed his jacket while still pedaling. At one point he had both hands behind his back while getting his sleeves over his hands. As he was stuffing his jacket into his rear pocket with both hands he steered his bike back into the group by leaning it. He never missed a pedal stroke.

if your head bearings are too tight you can´t for love or money , so ....
worth a check ?

Interestingly, I have the same problem. When I was a kid I'd ride my old ten-speed Schwinn all the way to school with no hands. Now it scares the bejeebus out of me to try. I must be getting old ;)

On my first organized (mass) ride, a group of cyclists was in front of me. One guy wanted to take his jacket off. He pulled over toward the side of the road and removed his jacket while still pedaling. At one point he had both hands behind his back while getting his sleeves over his hands. As he was stuffing his jacket into his rear pocket with both hands he steered his bike back into the group by leaning it. He never missed a pedal stroke.

I never quite felt that comfortable. I could always picture my jacket getting caught on my watch and being unable to get my arms back in front of me.

Also, I've seen riders changing jerseys while riding and always imagined getting the jersey stuck while pulling it over my head, thereby rendering myself blind.

I did a lot of racing and a lot of group riding but never felt 100% comfortable riding hands off. When I was a kid I could ride all the way from school to home without ever touching the bars. Then again I was riding a Huffy.

Someone posted a story once about being a spectator at the TDF and riding down the backside of a mountain climb after the majority of the peloton had passed. He said he was descending at a rate that was pretty fast for him when four pros suddenly flew by him. The amazing thing was that one rider was sitting up putting a jacket on. Damn.

It might be a skill that can be acuired..Was there not some saying. "No hands, No- brains." My group makes comments about one member who rides with no hands a lot. He still does it... He crashed once. Fell off of back of bike. Wonder did not beak his tail bone. Said he was pretty bruised back there. I have no interest in learing this skill.
Even If I were to win a stage of the Tour De France..Would not do that act.

Someone posted a story once about being a spectator at the TDF and riding down the backside of a mountain climb after the majority of the peloton had passed. He said he was descending at a rate that was pretty fast for him when four pros suddenly flew by him. The amazing thing was that one rider was sitting up putting a jacket on. Damn.

On the WCP Crash DVD there is a spectacular wipeout involving a member of the pro peloton putting on a rain jacket and losing control of his bike. Can't remember who it was, or what race, but it had to be mighty embarrassing.

Sit up straight, thats the key. If your leaning forward then your center of gravity will be too far forward and you will need to have your hands on the bars to steer. Pretend your sitting on a chair.

cheers

Try holding your arms straight out to the side and sitting up straight in the saddle. As you get more comfortable, bring your arms to your sides.

Also, train on rollers. You will need good balance, smooth pedal action, and the ability to ride a straight path to ride on rollers. Riding "no hands" should be dead easy after riding rollers for a while.

On the WCP Crash DVD there is a spectacular wipeout involving a member of the pro peloton putting on a rain jacket and losing control of his bike. Can't remember who it was, or what race, but it had to be mighty embarrassing.

the Kazak who died last year - Alexi Kiriev (SP?) died while trying to put on a jacket - jacket got caught in wheel, he flipped, hit his head died.

Dumb crashes like that happen quite often - sad that people get hurt, but a lot of it is their own doing... so - even if you've perfected balance - be vigilant in paying attention! small things can get you killed! :(

the Kazak who died last year - Alexi Kiriev (SP?) died while trying to put on a jacket

Andrei Kivilev

I've seen someone ride back to back centuries completely no-handed. Of course, he was riding a unicycle. ;)

the Kazak who died last year - Alexi Kiriev (SP?) died while trying to put on a jacket - jacket got caught in wheel, he flipped, hit his head died.

Dumb crashes like that happen quite often - sad that people get hurt, but a lot of it is their own doing... so - even if you've perfected balance - be vigilant in paying attention! small things can get you killed! :(
Do you know, Was Kirief wearing a helmet?

Do you know, Was Kirief wearing a helmet?


sadly - no, he was not.

that's why after paris-nice UCI started implimenting the helmet rule

I dont think most of us ride for miles without hands.I might for a minute after a long ride just to sit up or just long enough to get a bar open but now i cut the wrapper before i ride so i just pull it out of my pocket and push it out,all one handed.

Check the head bearing tightness - it is a sure giveaway on motorcycles, if the head bearings are too tight they wobble when you go without hands.

Does anyone have any experience with the brake/shift cables not being cut right and causing problems with the balance or causing problems going without hands? It appears that if the cables are not cut correct they could put a push on the handlebars to either the left or right. I was looking at my bike last nite (in the bike stand) and was wondering if this could affect it.

Last summer we were on a ride and a friend (female) who is next to me says "don't look, I am taking off my top..." - next thing you know there was a crash right behind me, from her trying to remove a jacket no-handed.

Last summer we were on a ride and a friend (female) who is next to me says "don't look, I am taking off my top..."

You know... if I were present, that would have resulted in me crashing. :)

next thing you know there was a crash right behind me, from her trying to remove a jacket no-handed.

BOOB RASH! That's gotta hurt! :D

CHEERS.

Mark

Thanks for the tips, still practising.

On the WCP Crash DVD there is a spectacular wipeout involving a member of the pro peloton putting on a rain jacket and losing control of his bike. Can't remember who it was, or what race, but it had to be mighty embarrassing.

Is there somewhere that I can get a copy of this?? Oh and what sort of crashes? Just cycling?


i learned no hands in one night and by the end of it i was standing up, gripping the seat with my knees with my arms outstretched like a bird. i felt so free gliding through the streets of boston with no cars around at 2:30am.

I do that too! except is in the day time and usually on quiet country roads.......

Is there somewhere that I can get a copy of this?? Oh and what sort of crashes? Just cycling?




Its on the World Cycling Productions site

Here is a really good review of it: http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=9274

I'm don't remember "learning" to ride with no hands I just did, it came naturally. I remember doing it way back when I was about 6 or 7. I figured if I can ride a bike than I should be able to ride with no hands and I did. I usually ride no hands to restore the blood back into my arms and hands or so I can do shoulder shrugs and pinches, also to unwrap power bars or eat something. I don't ride this way for miles but probably the furthest I've gone is a mile maybe a mile and a half. It's not something I would do on a busy street, or rough surfaces or with a pack of riders, because you never know when you may have to dodge something or stop fast, or the front wheel grabs something, and riding with no hands when something like that occurs could cause a serious problem. I can ride with no hands around turns, slow, fast, pedaling or not. Man, I can't explain really how to do it I just do it. You do have to sit back on your bike with your back straight, it's just a balance thing.

Try singing some Italin song the next time you try riding with no hands-it might help!

sadly - no, he was not.

that's why after paris-nice UCI started implimenting the helmet rule

It would be nice to think it was humanitarian but was more likely fear of litigation . :mad: