How do you do it? Sometimes I can maintain upright while being almost motionless (muscle twitching to compensate) on my MTB... maybe a little less on my road bike. Is it simply getting out of the saddle and shifting weight to keep balance? Occasional forward pedaling/braking-backwards kinda stuff? Kinda like oscillating to get an average center position?
[email hidden] (Phil) wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:
Quoted message said:
How do you do it? Sometimes I can maintain upright while being almost motionless (muscle twitching to compensate) on my MTB... maybe a little less on my road bike.
Most roads tilt slightly from the center to the edge. Aim your front wheel uphill and pedal slightly. Back pedal and brake a little and roll back slowly. Repeat.
l would think that it is a little easier on a track bike with no freewheel more practice is what you need and like the last post said point your bike uphill
"Phil" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
How do you do it? Sometimes I can maintain upright while being almost motionless (muscle twitching to compensate) on my MTB... maybe a little less on my road bike. Is it simply getting out of the saddle and shifting weight to keep balance? Occasional forward pedaling/braking-backwards kinda stuff? Kinda like oscillating to get an average center position?
Phil, Squid-in-Training
To add to the others fine comments, it's also kind of a 'zen' thing. If you think about it too much it is more difficult to do. My friend rode up to me once and stopped to talk. Nearly a minute of conversation went by when we both suddenly realized he was trackstanding the whole time without thinking about it. He can't do one to save his ass if he thinks about it. I guess the point of this is to keep from over-correcting. Kind of like carrying a full cup of coffee, if you don't look at the cup you won't spill as much.
I've been trying to learn this myself. Didn't know about pointing uphill. I have learned that turning your wheel into the direction of fall will bring you upright again. But I tend to overcompensate and often rapidly turn left and right which gets you moving forward. Can do it for about 30 seconds, but I look like a spaz. Keeps the cars away!
Fine, but the other one, "bouncing in place", seems to utilize a very kinky crankset. To quote: "Stand on the pedals ( 3 and 6 o'clock) with powerfoot forward..." Can you please post a picture of said crankset?
Fine, but the other one, "bouncing in place", seems to utilize a very kinky crankset. To quote: "Stand on the pedals ( 3 and 6 o'clock) with powerfoot forward..." Can you please post a picture of said crankset?
I have watched people perform a trackstand and it's like observing Jesse Jackson speaking when you're sure he's going to get the words so balled up that it becomes incomprehensable (and yet he never does). The trackstander is on the verge of falling the whole time, it seems impossible that he won't, and yet he never does.
sorry about that... as you probably figured out from looking at the pictures, I should have written 3 and 9 o'clock.. I'll make that fix. thanks charlie
Ivo said:
"Stand on the pedals ( 3 and 6 o'clock) with powerfoot forward..." Can you please post a picture of said crankset?
On my track bike, I get my cranks horizontal or the front one facing upwards a bit. Then I stay motionless, occasionally pedaling forwards and backwards (I have the backwards luxury on this bike). I keep my right foot forwards and my front wheel turned to the right. I find that it is helpful if I rest a leg against my top tube. I agree that it is somethin of a Zen thing. On my track bike, it took about two months to learn this. I highly recommend staying in your driveway or wherever after (or before) each ride and practice trackstanding for a couple minutes.
On my mountain bike, it's a different story. I've had this bike for several months, but can't trackstand very well yet. I guess I need to hit the driveway and practice some. I need to get more into my Zen groove, I suspect, because I'm too used to pedaling forwards and back. Now I need to just be still. Good Luck! -- Alexander Kahn