:notamused: Some of us are built asymmetric, so it isn't always the bike. Just about all of us know how to adjust a headset. Some, probably most, of us are prudent enough to know the balance point between risk vs. reward w.r.t. our own skill limits and our needs. Prudence means not putting oneself unnecessarily into a situation where "scared" becomes part of the equation.

I bought a set of Weyless rollers when I was in high school and taught myself to ride no-hands. Taking your hands off of the handlebars for the first time does raise your heart rate just a bit. :)
However, once you are riding rollers no-hands, it's just about as easy as riding rollers with hands. This might be something that is easier (and safer) to learn when you are young and the bones heal faster.

Riding no-hands is useful when riding in a paceline with friends. It gives you a way to pull off a vest and stash it in a pocket or make other major adjustments to clothing or gear.

Steve in Peoria

I got out of the habit when riding my Sekai 1000 which had an indexed headset. With the Sekai gone, I have to tell myself I can resume doing it.

I have a belief that as we age we tend to (both consciously and subconsciously) reduce our risk to just below our ability. The problem with this is as we reduce our level of activity..... our ability to perform subsides as well.... then we reduce our activity, again. It is natural and self-evident when older people are observed. Even without health problems many tend to move slow and cautiously.

It really is use it.... or lose it.

As riding "hands free" seems/FEELS risky... we eliminate that activity from our riding activities. Sooner or later we lose that ability. Finding and practicing balance exercises are important as we age.

To each his own. I do it as frequently as needed, often because of hands tingling or needing to stretch. The saddle is the limiting factor in how long I do it as it tend to slide toward the nose. Adjusting is easy with a little hop. Interestingly enough, the saddle is pointed too far up when in the drops.

Strong core makes it easier to transition from hands to no hands along with proper fit and a "balanced" bike. I don't find geometry to be a limiting factor, perhaps I haven't ridden a bike with a reduced trail. I would think that a "road race" geometry would be a factor but it isn't for me. Another contributing factor is how well you "know" your bike in terms of what you can do on it without holding on the bars.

Riding without hands is child's play...the real trick was riding throughout college with no shoes.

Balance is life. I know.

Never put much thought into it, it's one of the first things I do when testing a bike I just built out. When I was younger I spent a lot of time practicing balancing on both bicycles & motorcycles, riding with no hands, seeing how long I could stay upright without putting my feet down after coming to a stop and my mothers favorite the one handed wheelies.

Glenn

When I was about 12, I took my hands off the bars to wave to a cute girl I knew from school.

I crashed and burned right in front of her driveway.

Haven't tried since.

like others I used to do it more. lots of potholes in the roads around here... there is one inmate to this asylum who might self identify that i saw attempt to tighten a crank bolt with a leatherman while still riding up a curved hill. he came pretty close which was impressive.

Like many things I used to do it years gone by easy, but now I don't wish to tempt fate

I am not a daring rider. Fast descents scare me. Wet roads scare me. Black ice scares me. Sandy turns... no, no, no.

Taking my hands off the bar does not, in theory, scare me. It depends on the bike. More than one of my bikes have shimmy that I have failed to cure, and if the bike starts shimmying as soon as I take my hands off the bars, that scares me. So I don't do it. But on a well behaved, stable bike, especially on a long ride, I regularly sit up straight, take my hands off the bars, and do various stretches to keep my joints from getting stiff or sore. On a long ride, this gets really important.

and swing your arms like your running while passing

Omg, in traffic. I get that he's doing everything he can to be non-aero, but did he put a massive preload on his wheel bearings or something? It's hard to believe he doesn't have more speed than that in those switchbacks. Or maybe Stelvio isn't that steep?

He was braking with his right heel against the tire.

Yea exactly..

Someone once posted a video of a young lady eating cereal while riding no hands, in traffic no less. I'll add a link if I can find it.

As for me, some of my bikes I can ride no hands, some not. I think it's a combination of fit and geometry with my bikes. The OS2 Paramount I got from robbietunes was the worst!

When I was a kid I mastered riding with no hands on an original stingray, not just on flat straight roads but around corners and up or down hills too. The longest I went was about 7 miles because that's how far the ride was to the store from home lol.

It is really easy on older bikes with long low relaxed geometry, particularly ones with heavy rims as more rotating mass helps keep the front true at speed. These days it's hit or miss, some frames are pretty well balanced and predictable while others make it more of a struggle... On my 92' KHS I can easily ride for miles without touching the bar, but my 68' Mercier is so light and the position so upright when you sit up in the saddle it's sketchy - I commuted on that one for over a year before being able to leave the bar, and even then it was never with the confidence I have on other bikes.

I had no clue so many people still did it. I think Chrome Molly can eat an entire meal while riding, but I have a problem just getting my sunglasses off.

Aha, thank you.

Once I tried to tried to take off a hoodie sweatshirt while riding no-handed. I forgot to untie the drawstring and the sweatshirt got caught around my head. Riding no-handed while blind, even if only for 10 seconds or so, that was scary!

When I started racing I attended a clinic where we spent a lot of time practicing taking off and putting back on clothing, riding around a parking lot no-handed. It's stuck with me.

Does steering the bike with your foot count?

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=501349

Cheers

Just reading that made me feel a little uneasy.

I used to, all the time, but when I was guiding a new rider back to the finish on a no-drop club ride, I foolishly had my arms down and back when she swerved and hit the brakes in a sudden crosswind. As I was reaching up to the bars, the wind caught my front wheel and sent the bike sideways.
As momentum would have it, I did not go sideways. I continued on my present course and speed and let the chip 'n seal drag me to a stop.

I don't care for hands-off riding so much anymore, though I occasionally do it just to prove to myself that I "Ain't Skeered".