Originally Posted by
canklecat
. . .
Anyway, I used to ride no-hands with my 1976 Motobecane Mirage, which had that lovely swoopy French fork and tracked like it was on rails. But for some reason I can't seem to do that with any of my bikes now. Dunno if it's due to the magical "trail" thing, or my lousy balance. I often have pretty bad congestion in my sinuses and eustachian tubes, so my balance is often sketchy. I won't even do fast group rides on those days. Today my balance was so wonky I felt dizzy just walking to check the mail. Usually Sudafed clears it up, but it also messes with my HR and BP, so I don't take it too often.
So, no more no-hands riding for me.
I don't know whether I'm terrible at riding no-hands, or the bike I ride the most has the wrong geometry; but I'm no good at it, for sure. My balance on one leg is not what it used to be (such as when putting on clothes or toweling off), but I'm perfectly stable on a bike typically, so long as one hand is on the bars.
It's heartening to see how many people posting here have the same trouble, though. I have always thought that it would be easier ride a higher-trail bike (which I associate with "tracking on rails") no hands than a low-trail bike (with more curved fork blades). In my head, I attribute the trouble with my main rider, which is a '60s frame with generous blade curvature, to this; but maybe I'm in error.
As a rider who typically uses bike paths in an urban area, it drives me crazy when other riders ride without hands. An instant pile of rider and bike in front of me, or crashing into me, is all anyone needs to make a great day on the bike into a nightmare.