Why is it easier to trackstand with the front wheel turned?
 

This has been bothering me lately.

What exactly makes it easier to trackstand with the front wheel turned?

I don't think 2/1/0 handed trackstands really make a difference here.

having the wheel turned provides lateral balance (what keeps you on the bike)

'cause both wheels aren't parallel. it's easier to balance than it would be if they were in a straight line - if they are, the tendancy to fall over in one direction or another would be greater

i don't think it's because of the static stability of a turned wheel compared to an unturned one, but rather the dynamic control that you have. with a straight front wheel, feet on the pedals offers you only front-to-back control. but by turning the wheel, you combing front-to-back control with side-to-side balance. pushing the pedals helps get the bike back underneath you.

yeah, queerpunk has it. If the front wheel is straight and you start tipping to one side ot the other, you have no way of correcting it. With it turned you get a little side to side motion when you go back and forth. It also allows you to get a little uphill action to push against using either the bank of the track or the crown of the road. I think many people will agree that its easier to hold still on a slight hill as opposed to a perfectly flat surface. I myself prefer a little downhill so I can sit down and use my rear foot to hold me in place.

tim

after offering my own bit of genuine advice...might I be the first one to offer a friendly, genuine...

DUH !!!

This question was a joke, right? Right? I really hope so.

Ding Ding Ding!

Maybe someone can answer this one:

Why is it so hard to trackstand with your right food forward and wheel turned to the left? Or vice versa? And no, I'm not talking about toe overlap.




Jon

damn, that should be 'foot'.

just practice more.

and, i think it's different for everyone - the setup you describe above is actually my stronger side.

Because it is.

I'm not sure that you're catching what I'm saying. I can trackstand left foot forward/wheel to left and right foot forward/wheel to right no problem. But what I can't do at all is stand with left foot forward/wheel to right or right foot forward/wheel to left. So out of 4 possible foot/wheel positions, only two come easily. Anyone else experience this?

i think it's general practice that you have the wheel turned the same direction (either right or left) as whichever foot your are placing forward (either right or left)... so: right foot forward = wheel turned right / left foot forward = wheel turned left.

choice of foot is based entirely on comfort and whichever foot is dominant and feels "correct". you want your dominant/comfortable foot forward so you can make those incremental adjustments foreward and backwards on the pedals, which in turn will move the bike side to side since the wheel is pointed that direction (right of left, depending on foot). as for the wheel needing to be turned in the same direction as that forward foot, well that boils down to physics and lateral balance as described above. it's awkward to have left forward / wheel turned right (or vice/versa) because the forward movement would translate to wrong or unnatural left/right movement... i believe. in other words, you want your forward movement made by your foot on the pedals to translate to a natural side-to-side rocking movement that feels natural.

(unless i am imagining this all wrong in my head, which is entirely possible).

this is only thinly related, but i had some bmx buddies who could sit on their bike with the wheel turned 90% and both feet on the wheel, and just chill there indefinitely. like they weren't even trying to balance. sick, that was!