Hard time getting weight off hands and signaling.
 

So I've been cycling for a few months now and I'm building up strength around the torso area but I'm still having trouble getting weight off my hands so I can signal. I've tilted the saddle a bit upwards which helped but I still put too much of my upper body weight on the bars.

Advice? Any drills I can practice to help with this issue...

Practice riding with no hands, like for a couple of miles, even around corners.
Lots of twisting crunches. I do a couple hundred a night.

You can also try flipping the stem to a positive rise if you havent or go to a higher degree stem angle if your using a +-6 or similar.

It'd be interesting to see a picture of you on your bike. I have essentially no "torso strength" but have never had any trouble taking my hands off the bars.

When I taught skills classes to introductory track riders, the most basic drills incorporated removing a hand from the bars. I never encountered anyone who had trouble with that part, so barely know what to suggest to you. I suspect you may have fallen for the modern nonsense of angling your saddle toward the handlebars, which will give anyone a hard time.

Are you otherwise comfortable on the bike? Maybe too much reach?

You may need a bike fit. You don't need superhuman core strength to lift your hands off the bars.

Not sure if serious?

I was fitted with a 90mm stem -6 degree and it feels fine.

I have slight anterior pelvic tilt which I think might be a factor.

I feel most comfortable being as parallel to the ground as possible. If I tilt the saddle up a bit and bend over I feel like I'm being castrated. It's just when I take my left arm off the bars I lose control.

Yeah, I feel great on the bike otherwise. I was fitted like this.

bike pics needed for sure. bike alone and bike with rider

If I get my butt on the saddle and bend at my lower back I am a bit more stable but it causes slight discomfort.

If I keep my back straight it feels fine I'm just slight weight on the bars which causes me to lose control with 1 arm.

I can't ride my road bike with no hands when my torso is in normal position (hoods or drops). I have to sit up very straight, just like a kid on a bmx bike.

Not sure what that has to do with this thread, no offense to Lester. :lol:


I am guessing it is the bend in your back. Arch your back the other way when you need to signal.

+1

But a strong core helps with comfort on the bicycle.

Many say you know your saddle position is correct when you can ride for a while with your hands off the bars, in midair just above your hoods. Maybe not a couple of miles. I figured that couple mile no hands ride part might help the OP learn that hands on bars is not really all that important?

have to say pushups might be in order. you should signal right turns with your right arm anyway. the classic left arm "L" signal is for auto drivers. your arm doesn't have to stay up for more than a few seconds to inform those behind what you're up to, if no one is behind you don't have to signal at all. try raising one hand off the bar as you travel, then the other for practice.

it's not balance, it's that I find the position very uncomfortable as a tremendous amount of weight is then carried on the nose of my saddle. I ride (relatively?) low with a flat back, lot of bend at the waist.

sitting upright, the weight is where it needs to be, on the sitbones. could ride like that with no hands for however long, but it doesn't serve me other than to open and consume food.

This sounds a lot more to do with balance and coordination than core strength. OP, do you have trouble switching hand positions (tops to hoods to drops) or taking a drink from a bottle while riding? I can't imagine that you'd be comfortable with those things either if you have a tough time signaling.

One tip to try is to leave your remaining hand closer to the stem - that way if you have a tendency to pull on the bars with your non-signalling hand it won't exaggerate the movement as much as if you're holding onto one of the hoods.

Are you using your hands/arms to keep from sliding forward on the seat? IOW, if you just sit on the bike while leaning against a wall, can you (from a normal riding position) remove your hands from the bars without sliding forward (or even feeling like you might slide forward) on the seat?

Good that the OP raised this topic. I also have trouble in riding with my left hand off the handle(I am a left-hander) , but I can ride with right hand off the handle. I am having trouble in signalling left :-(.

I think the OP has to start posting a picture of his bike. Or the bike is fit wrong or his handling skills suck (that the guy is athletic doesn't mean he can handle a bike).... there must be other reasons but w/o seeing at the bike is hard to know.

Totally serious. I can get 100-120 twisting crunches in one commercial break during the news or Jeopardy. Two sets of those and I'm golden. Probably won't help with your problem specifically but it really helps me do rides of 2 hours +.

just go a block too far and three right turns later, there you are.

you guys having trouble lifting your hands seem to either have weak backs, torso muscles or are leaning to damn hard on your bars...you should be able to sit back a bit and lift your hands with no problems.

I do pushups and crunches between COD matches...pwning noobs is hard work, gotta keep your core strong.

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/e.../IMG_46102.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/e...4/IMG_9797.jpg

your first problem is you wear flip flops...second, your face is hideous. Third, I don't see any reason why you can't lift a hand...pedal faster, worry less about falling.