I ride no handed occasionally. Even after all these years I can steer around obstacles and go as far as I want. However, I'd never do it when riding in a group or if traffic is near. I usually limit it to the end of the ride when I've turned into my subdivision and I want to sit up and give my hands, arms, back, and neck a short rest.

OK...



Even one handed




Thanks

Simple! You DON'T!!!

I've ridden for about 10 miles no-hands once. Go around corners, navigate through traffic, etc. It's a basic cycling skill that's the result of smooth pedaling motion, balance and hip/body control.

When crossing the finish line?

And you didn't have to brake once in 10 miles? Some prime riding country you cycle in!

Apparently not everyone lives in a town where somebody cuts in front of you every 100 yards. We can only wonder what that must be like.

In response to the original topic, I gotta say I've never really thought of this as hazardous in the least. But if you're not comfortable, then either practice somewhere safe or don't do it.

People on the internet who have never seen each other ride are ill-equiped to make broad judgements on the safety of this kind of thing.

Are you serious? They do it all the time- to take hand offs from team cars, to don/doff clothing, to stretch, whatever. It takes a certain amount of balance and core strength, but it's really a fundamental biking skill, IMO.

I used to be able to do it all the time on my old bike, and could quite easily take off/put on vest/jacket, arm warmers, eat, drink ,stretch, or just relax. Not a problem with small bumps, especially if you stay relaxed, and it's not all that hard to make fairly decent turns. My current bike is too twitchy (especially in any wind) and I'm sad about that, cuz otherwise it seems to handle quite well.

Yes, I realize that. But they do it in the midst of other pros who aren't going to suddenly cut them off or do something really dumb - which is what you have to expect from the average road and MUP users all the time. And the pros do occasionally crash, sometimes with fatal results (though usually not when they're riding no-handed... but surely if they DID try to ride no-handed in tight packs on descents, the crash rates would go up dramatically).

My main concern with no-handed riding is not road surface - it's other road users. Cutting in front of you, stepping off the curb without looking, moving laterally w/o warning, buzzing... Sometimes in these situations collisions are tricky enough to avoid even with both hands on the bars (in fact, sometimes you can't avoid them and crash). They couldn't become any easier to avoid no-handed...

I agree- it's other people that are the most worrisome. Fortunately, we've got lots of places to get away from them out here. Just NOT on the MUPs on weekends after about 9am! the only way I'd ride without hands among them would be if one was carrying a lance with a stout metal tip on the end.


This would do nicely!

Not attached to the bike I would have probably had to use flash, which I did not want to do....

Thanks!

lol..this might sound "counter-intuitive" but it is VERY true that the faster your bike is going the easier it is to right with no hands.

It's the same rule as for riding it with hands on the bars, and it's hardly counterintuitive: everybody knows that trackstands are harder than regular riding.

.....and generally, the longer the wheelbase, the easier it is to ride no hands. I used to ride no hands on the tandem so I can sit up straight to stretch and that used to scare the crap out of my wife.

I think it mostly varies from bike to bike, and specifically the head tube angle. A slacker angle will be more stable. I've done it only on mtb's for the most part

If you're on a group ride, it's best to drop to the back if you need to ride "no hands" to take remove your vest/jacket/armwarmers or grab something out of your back pocket. If you're on roads you know it's not that dangerous. You can steer the bike around any obstacles without hands if you're paying attention to what's in front of you.

If you ride no hands, you will be lucky to get a lot older. Anyway, to respond to Ollo_Ollo's comments about losing balance as you age, "don't worry. When you get too old to bicycle no-hands, you can always switch to driving your car no-hands". Driving a car no-hands is probably safer than riding a bike no-hands because at least you can use your knees to steer the car. If you want real excitement, just bicycle amongst cars where the drivers are going no handed. "Weee, I think I am going to become a hood ornament..."

Every once in a while someone will post pics of themselves after a crash where something went wrong with the front wheel. I see those toothless stitched black and blue visions every time I go screaming down a fast hill with both hands white knuckled on the bars.

Yes, as well as smoking a cigarette while you put make-up on as I have seen some automobile drivers do. If bicyclists are suppose to behave like automobiles on the road, then we better get crackin' on the no-hands riding skills.

Also, I would like to see more bicyclists with the ability to read a newspaper and drink coffee while riding in traffic as I often see automobile drivers do.

Let's step up to the plate, people!

I will have to share this science with my teen-age sons. "Boys, if you are going to ride no-hands, be safe about it - make sure you are going as fast as possible. Oh, and by the way, the same goes for safe-sex. Fast+no hands = safe.". "Now, don't tell your mother we had this conversation. This is just between us fellows..."

A larger version of my avatar:

(Driving a car no-hands is probably safer than riding a bike no-hands because at least you can use your knees to steer the car. If you want real excitement, just bicycle amongst cars where the drivers are going no handed. "Weee, I think I am going to become a hood ornament...")

That gave me a flashback memory....As an 8 yr old, sitting next to Gramps in his 37 Packard & steering while he used both hands to light a pipe! Eventually, he left a lit pipe on his workbench & burned down the garage with the Packard inside. He gave up driving because he disliked the new(1948) cars. Don

I used to be able to do it all the time as a kid on my walmart bike. Now that I got back onto a bike 7 or 8 years later and only been on for 2 months I haven't tried it again yet every time I do I get a little wobbly.