muprocket

Can you guys give me some tips on training to keep a line? I've been riding for about a year now, and while my speed has improved dramatically, I don't feel the same improvement in handling skills (apologies to you, lady on the bridge this morning).

Are rollers really a good investment here, or can I save the money and practice something on the road?

Creakyknees

hmm... relax the elbows, relax the wrists / hands, relax in general, look where you want to go, keep the torso still while spinning, ride exactly on the white line, ride narrow singletrack mtb at high speed... those should help.

fauxto nick

3 shots of vodka before a crit.

DScott

Learning to ride without hands helps.

tollhousecookie

Cycling is a combination of "want to" and "how to" you need to give equal attention to both.

merlinextraligh

All good advice. Looking where you want to go really does matter. Your body will go where your eyes are focused.


Try riding straight down the white line (when its dry), if you look at the white line far enough ahead its pretty easy to stay right on the white line.

Also ride a reasonably high cadence with a smooth pedal stroke.

And rollers will help.

Brian Ratliff

1+

I learned by learning to ride on the white line. And not the 8"er. The 4" white line. learn to ride the stripe and you'll learn to keep a line.

Tulex

Speed makes a difference. It's harder to hold a line going slow, so if you are slowing down to go by people, that can have negative results.

tollhousecookie

Yea, while getting passed by a logging truck doing 60...

Brian Ratliff

Being passed regularly by logging trucks doing 60 will certainly help teach you to keep a line .

J.Lockdown

+1 for that.

Also get some group rides or even just ride with someone near you. It will help you get comfy riding closer to others and get your stability better. I would suggest however dont jump into any pace lines until you feel good about your handling, dont want to clip someone and take them down.

DScott

I'd repeat the advice to stay relaxed, especially in the entire upper body. Be the duck. Calm and cool above water, pedalling like crazy underneath.

Machka 

As well as riding the white line, I also recommend going to mall parking lots etc. after hours and riding up and down on the parking stall lines or across the ends of the parking stall lines.

carpediemracing 

Although it's easy to say "relax your upper body", I find that I have some tension in my arms. This is normal, else I'd be supporting my upper body with just my back/hips, and that's not possible without constantly accelerating.

The best advice I ever got was to "steer with your hips". Keep bars basically straight/still. I ended up with a lot more upper body tenseness for a week or two while I rode (solo) like this, but it really helped.

cdr

rbart4506

I think riding with my wife all the time has really helped with our bike handling skills. We are always riding in single file or closely side by side. Either way we are use to having another rider close by...

Of course 6 years of MTB'n before we hit the roads didn't hurt either....

Randochap

Body English.

JohnDThompson 

Rollers will definitely improve your ability to hold a line. The downside, like all indoor trainers, is boredom.

Val23708

i find i ride smoother when putting out more power

tollhousecookie

Now that would be silly... it would be dark after hours.

Allegheny Jet

I started to ride rollers this past winter. Improvements in holding a line were needed just to be able to keep on the rollers for 10 minutes. After a while I could ride while watching TV and taking sips from a bottle, then putting it back in the cage. I think I finally graduated from Roller U when I could attack out of the saddle for 20 seconds then settle down into a 4 minute Z4 interval. This spring when we started group rides and races the improvement in my handling skills was pronounced.

Tulex

No, I think Canada closes early.

curiouskid55

If you are wobbling back and forth it is probably not steering but a lumpy peadling stroke. Have you ever done any isolated leg drills? This will identify the weak spots in your stroke. Rollers are the best way to develop an even stroke because if you don't you will fall off on your head. I have never been bored on rollers, terrified is more like it. Demands constant concentration. But produces results instantly. If you just can't steer a stright line you might just neeed to relax a bit, but maintain concentration on what you are doing.

Machka 

**********

It gets dark before 9 pm???

But even if it was, who cares. Parking lots have lights, and so do bicycles.

tollhousecookie

Maybe so, but mall security is tough in my town... and those golf carts are hard to out-run.

palookabutt

+1

Some chip-sealed roads have smooth shoulders that can get quite narrow. It's fun to try and keep to the smooth part.