Saw someone keep their bike standing at a red light
 

Not doing a track stand. I was in a left turn lane in my car and a cyclist was behind me, in my rearview mirror I saw him come to a complete stop but not clip out. His front wheel was completely straight too, and he was just sitting there.

Before this happened I saw him very quickly pedal backwards a lot before coming to a stop. Not sure if some crazy voodoo device is on his bike that allows him to do this?




I had been drinking heavily so maybe I was seeing things.
j/k

Sounds like you were stuck in a time wrinkle. It wasn't the rider pedaling backwards that you saw. It was time running backwards.

I knew a professional ballet dancer who rode all over the city on a unicycle. He probably could have balanced a bike at a red light. Not many other folks.

Probably a Jedi.

Training wheels?

For what it's worth that usually means a comet passed very close to the earth. Its gravitational pull ****s time up briefly and makes it easier to ride up hills.

What you saw is what is known as the wagon-wheel or stroboscopic effect, an optical illusion where a spoked wheel or in this instance, the furious spinning of the bikers legs in low gear, may appear to rotate backwards (also known as the reverse rotation effect).

Track standing without turning the front wheel is possible.

I've seen it sober.

+1

That was me. With my puppy. It's like a voodoo device.

If you're slightly co-ordinated, you can pull up close to the curb, curbside pedal back, roll backwards a bit off your front brake, and jam your curbside pedal on the top of the curb. You're "balanced" and won't squirm around. Just don't roll forward. It's all in the pedal pressure. You can take your hands off and play with your phone, futz around with your jacket, adjust your junk, whatever when you're securely jammed.

Edit: re-read your post. No curb involved. Dude was probably just good.

Whoa whoa whoa WHOA! Nobody said NOTHING about a puppy.

Cyclists stop at red lights?

Was he riding a BMX bike and being profiled?

P.S. Work on your game.

Did you feel a slight bump in your car? I bet on a truck or suv that was the right height, you could ride up behind one and wedge your front tire in...stay stuck like that untill the vehicle pulls away... :-)

With a little practice, keeping upright while stopped is not hard to do. Apply pressure to both brakes while you push on the pedals. Swap your handlebars back and forth to maintain balance. Over time, you will stay upright longer and not need to pivot the bars as much (or at all).
Practice until perfected....
It's a handy mountain bike trick on tight obstacles

or ... with a ton of practice it becomes easier.

I guess I could take trials riders as an example ... but then, i don't have anything like the coordination or balance of those guys ...

btw thanks for specific instructions. I will test that method to fall over at intersections from now on.

Best reply in the thread.

You were going so fast it only looked like he was going backwards...

I've gotten pretty good from years of commuting, but I still have to turn my bars and get out of the saddle. This is impressive.

For a total beginner I would recommend not clipping in, practicing on a slight uphill grade and only use the rear brake as much as necessary, until finally, you won't need it at all.
Most people can get fairly decent in about an hour of practice.

Probably had a kickstand........

Tom Hanks did that in The Man With One Red Shoe.

DEF. voodoo....