"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Useful Roadie Tricks

Forget the bunny hops and front wheel stands and wheelies.
Can you do the important tricks such as...
1. picking up a water bottle off the ground at 20 miles per hour? Useful in a feed zone.
2. peeing off the bike in the middle of a race? (Preferably at the back of the pack.)

What can you do? And how is it useful?

Photo taken during the 1989 Tour de Trump somewhere in Pennsylvania.

What about the old frame pump in the spokes trick. Always good for a laugh....ok never mind.

Lets see a show of hands from the people that can pick up a water bottle off the ground while riding their bike. I know for sure I can't do this.

When there's a rip in the fabric of time.

Forget the bunny hops and front wheel stands and wheelies.
Can you do the important tricks such as...
1. picking up a water bottle off the ground at 20 miles per hour? Useful in a feed zone.
2. peeing off the bike in the middle of a race? (Preferably at the back of the pack.)

What can you do? And how is it useful?

Photo taken during the 1989 Tour de Trump somewhere in Pennsylvania.

I can wretch my brains out at the end of a long sprint - I'm not sure how useful it is however.

Haha....I almost tried peeing on the bike about a week ago, but I wimped out and found a dumpster to pee behind. I guess since I'm a first-timer I should wait for a tailwind.

Well I can pick up a water bottle off the ground on my mountain bike while riding on the grass. I started practicing it because I read it somewhere that it was a way to develop bike handling skills. Like riding rollers or anything else it takes some practice but it's not too hard.

As you ride up to the bottle you actually have to lean the bike away from the side that the bottle is on so that the weight of the bike leaning right counters your body leaning left....sort of like counter stearing in turns ;)
If you try it make sure you practice picking up the bottle with both hands. You'll find you'll be naturally better with one hand over the other.
I'm sure you could do this on a road bike on the road but I would think that pavement would be harder because the water bottle would slide away if you didn't grab it just right.

[QUOTE=EventServices]
Can you do the important tricks such as...
1. picking up a water bottle off the ground at 20 miles per hour? Useful in a feed zone.
QUOTE]

A bigger trick for most is finding a girlfriend or wife willing to do team hand-ups at road races throughout the season.

I'm trying to teach myself to put the chain back on the ring in case it slips off. Has only happened once or twice, but having to stop to fix it really sucks. I don't race yet, but I will be.

A guy who once raced for our club could do a track stand, then roll backwards, lock his back wheel, do a backroll while still clipped in, roll completely over (360 degrees) and return to his wheels.

If you try it make sure you practice picking up the bottle with both hands.

Being entirely too literal for a moment, I had a good laugh when I pictured someone reaching for the bottle with both hands simultaneously... :) Definitely a Calvin and Hobbes moment.
I was impressed when Dave managed to pick up a notebook off the ground while riding in Breaking Away.

Being entirely too literal for a moment, I had a good laugh when I pictured someone reaching for the bottle with both hands simultaneously... :) Definitely a Calvin and Hobbes moment.
I was impressed when Dave managed to pick up a notebook off the ground while riding in Breaking Away.


I knew someone would think that when I wrote it...... :rolleyes:

OK, here it is. In street clothes. On wet pavement. Without helmet. And a small bottle.

This is handy when you miss a hand up in the feed zone, and your support crew mysteriously leaves a full bottle along the road a few miles later.
I think it was Davis Phinney that got caught doing this. Not sure.

Just for fun, here's a Sharpie Pen.

I was going to use a dime, but I spent my last one on bike stuff.

I knew someone would think that when I wrote it...... :rolleyes:

Well, I've never been accused of having a "middle of the bell curve" sense of humor. At least it keeps me from getting bored.

Just for fun, here's a Sharpie Pen.

Was the rider travelling at 40 km/h? I'm assuming that's you. I can't tell you how many times I've been riding along and been asked to sign a chick's rack and thought 'If I only had a Sharpie'. ;)

Just for fun, here's a Sharpie Pen.

I was going to use a dime, but I spent my last one on bike stuff.

Man, that hurts just looking at it...
Bonus points if you kept the bar end out of your ear when you came back up! :p

Haha....I almost tried peeing on the bike about a week ago,

Whose bike did you try to pee on and what did its owner do to deserve it?

;)

How about the ability to shoot a snot rocket from either nostril with sharpshooter accuracy?

How about the ability to shoot a snot rocket from either nostril with sharpshooter accuracy?

This is how I take out competitors. Actually I've seen close calls when people haven't shouted "On your left".

Whose bike did you try to pee on and what did its owner do to deserve it?

Next time somebody in a car makes me mad I'm just going to whip it out and pee on their tires like a dog.

Hmmm...I wonder if women would have an advantage over us on this one? In every other situation in the world, it is always easier for a man to take a pee, but perhaps women could do this one easier.

These are the kinds of thoughts that kept me out of the really good schools.

Hmmm...I wonder if women would have an advantage over us on this one? In every other situation in the world, it is always easier for a man to take a pee, but perhaps women could do this one easier.

These are the kinds of thoughts that kept me out of the really good schools.


Quote from Caddyshack, "......well the world needs ditch diggers too..". :D

JoeOxfordCT...

I'm actually a Government worker!! HA HA!

I was riding with a mate recently and had to stop for a squirt. He kept riding and when I caught back up he showed me how to do it on bike and one does not pee in one's pants. Pretty basic stuff given the equipment men have.

Not without a drinking straw pedal. :rolleyes:

I never tried for the water bottle or sharpie but did save myself a fall when I couldn't get unclipped at a light. I leaned it over put my hand on the ground and shoved as hard as I could manage to right myself...off I went.

I'm not going to lie, I was amazed by the whole thing and probably couldn't do it again though.

PJ

I can pick up a bottle, but theres like a certain speed that I have to be going, like 8-10 mph. any slower and I fall over, any faster, and I miss the bottle. one thing that makes it easier is being in the drops, at least in my experieince.

Hmmm...I wonder if women would have an advantage over us on this one? In every other situation in the world, it is always easier for a man to take a pee, but perhaps women could do this one easier.

Huh?

I learned how to replace the chain on the ring trick this summer. Got pretty good at it and then it finally occurred to me that I ought to adjust the FD limit screw.

Duh.

I learned how to replace the chain on the ring trick this summer. Got pretty good at it and then it finally occurred to me that I ought to adjust the FD limit screw.

Duh.

How do you do this? i've tried but not been successful on doing it while stayin on the bike.

A couple of usefull tricks come to mind :D

Learning to push other riders around with your helmet is a very usefull and effective technique (equally effective at the helmet, shoulder or hip).

Try riding up next to a training partner and pushing them on the hip, you will find that you can move them with just a finger and very light pressure.

Working on various parts of your bike while racing, eg Rear Derailure (yes I have seen this done!), Brakes, comes in handy.

Learning to make a "Flat Tire" noise can be very entertaining. In a similar category with "Clicking" your brake lever in time with the cadence of the rider ahead of you.

omfg mean.

Voodoo, that's devious!
Kinda like the guy who screams "My front fork is cracked!" and then attacks when everyone slows down to give him space.

Or Sean Kelly who used to scrape a pop can on the ground to make the sound of a crash.

I'd hate to ride in front of YOU! ha ha ha

I never tried for the water bottle or sharpie but did save myself a fall when I couldn't get unclipped at a light. I leaned it over put my hand on the ground and shoved as hard as I could manage to right myself...off I went.

I'm not going to lie, I was amazed by the whole thing and probably couldn't do it again though.

PJ

I am in awe! :beer:
It would have been funny if a car had been behind you at the time, and they thought that was how you handled every red light!

Can you do the important tricks such as...
1. picking up a water bottle off the ground at 20 miles per hour? Useful in a feed zone.

Well, since I don't race I've never felt the need to pick a water bottle up from the ground at 20MPH. when I did race, it was in MTBing and that kind of situation would never really present itself. However, I have tried to do goofy things like take pictures from hub-level. Given that I can accomplish that, I don't think it'd be too much a stretch to reach for a bottle.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/20040702-bothell_ski-bike-friday_night_ride/PICT0039.jpg

Voodoo has obviously raced with the big boys.

On many occasions, I saw Nelson Vails use his head to push someone out of the paceline.
And I saw Leonard Nitz do a hip sling in Greektown.

Ah, them were da days.

Nothin wrong with a descrete little sling among team mates ;) Sorry i started to digress into the dark side, I'll keep the "dirty" tricks to myself. Some usefull tricks;

Practice riding leaning shoulder to shoulder w a teammate. Can be a lifesaver when you find yourself in a tight space and you can relax and ride thru it. Another great thing to practice on grass.

Learn what it feels like to get both your front and rear wheels clipped. Again on grass. Anyone familiar with Chop?

Learning to pass items to other riders, eg Bottles, food, ect. Need to be able to use either hand. A helpull hint, put your other hand right next to the stem. It seems to me that those of us who grew up with downtube shifters are better at this.

Well, since I don't race I've never felt the need to pick a water bottle up from the ground at 20MPH. when I did race, it was in MTBing and that kind of situation would never really present itself. However, I have tried to do goofy things like take pictures from hub-level. Given that I can accomplish that, I don't think it'd be too much a stretch to reach for a bottle.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/albums/20040702-bothell_ski-bike-friday_night_ride/PICT0039.jpg

Pics of girls > pics of men

A couple of usefull tricks come to mind :D

Learning to push other riders around with your helmet is a very usefull and effective technique (equally effective at the helmet, shoulder or hip).

Try riding up next to a training partner and pushing them on the hip, you will find that you can move them with just a finger and very light pressure.


I do this all the time in races. not to bump someone out of the way, but its such a more direct and effective way of letting somone know you are about to slide up past them than saying "hey (insert rider #, team name)"

Well I can pick up a water bottle off the ground on my mountain bike while riding on the grass. I started practicing it because I read it somewhere that it was a way to develop bike handling skills. Like riding rollers or anything else it takes some practice but it's not too hard.

As you ride up to the bottle you actually have to lean the bike away from the side that the bottle is on so that the weight of the bike leaning right counters your body leaning left....sort of like counter stearing in turns ;)
If you try it make sure you practice picking up the bottle with both hands. You'll find you'll be naturally better with one hand over the other.
I'm sure you could do this on a road bike on the road but I would think that pavement would be harder because the water bottle would slide away if you didn't grab it just right.
I picked up a bottle in a XC race a few years ago. I was out of water with about 30-40 minutes to go. a guy a few riders ahead of me dropped his bottle but kept going. So I thought what the hell and scooped it up. Wasn't hard but the guy behind me impressed. And it was a pretty full bottle too!

And it was filled with his herpes-of-the-mouth back wash.... Kidding... I hope....

How do you do this? i've tried but not been successful on doing it while stayin on the bike.

All you have to do is shift upshift with the front deraiileur and pedal lightly. There really isn't any skill involved.

-s