# How to: Ride with no hands :)



## g8keyper (Jun 30, 2008)

Went on a group ride and everyone is riding with no hands from time to time; what's the secret?????

I want to try, but not brave enough yet.

It does look like fun through!! Look ma' no hands!!! LOL!


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## Mapei (Feb 3, 2004)

1. It's much easier to do when your feet are firmly attached to your pedals, whether by a toe clip or clipless pedals.

2. Try to relax when you're lifting yourself off the handlebars to your upright position.

3. Keep pedaling. You pedaling adds a valuable dollop of centrifugal force.

4. It's easier to ride without hands when you are going at a reasonable rate of speed. Start experimenting when you're going from fifteen to twenty mph.

Good luck. Have fun.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

First, the bike has to be in good shape. Some bikes do better than others at this; if you're doing group rides I assume you have a decent quality road bike. Wheels / tires true and pumped up, frame straight so it doesn't "pull" etc.

You want level clean pavement, at least a full lane wide b/c you will wobble a bit at first.
No wind. Wind can really mess you up if you're not ready for it, and even if you are.

Get up to your normal flat/ steady moderate cruise speed. Stable and comfy with your hands in the usual place. Keep pedaling, hold/hover your hands over the bars. Keep your torso in the usual position as if you were just riding along. See, you can take your hands off and nothing happens. 

Then get used to riding like that and notice how you're steering with your hips, not your hands. Also notice there's a "lag" between moving your hip and the bike responding; the handlebars act as a bit of a counterweight that you have to move.

The trick to sitting full upright hands free is the transition; a little wobble is inevitable, but you want to do it smoothly so that you're sitting upright and the bike is going straight.


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## g8keyper (Jun 30, 2008)

Creakyknees!!!

I got scared reading that!! Holy Moly!! Ok, I think my bike can do it so I guess I'll give it a try later tonight out by myself. That way if I bite the dust nobody is around to laught their butts off haha!


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

make sure you got the helmet on........I mean when I was a kid , they weren't invented yet so it was safe....but NOW..........everything is so much more dangerous (we used to play with mercury and bit lead fish sinkers to tighten them on the line too) explains a lot huh?


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## g8keyper (Jun 30, 2008)

Touch0Gray,

I was on the phone today while reading your post and read it to her. She laughed so hard; said they used to break open mercury thermostats and use the mercury to shine nickles and dimes!!! Said "Mercury isn't dangerours that's all hype" LOL


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## mrgoodcat (Jul 3, 2008)

"Look no hands"

"look no teeth"

heh heh


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## edhchoe (Jun 3, 2007)

Practice at a moderate speed. It is easier to do it at fast speed than at a slow speed but since you don't know how try it at a moderate speed. Don't pedal. Just coast.
Practice and you will feel when it is safe to do it.

Start with one finger from each hand on the handle bar and when you think it is balanced let go completely.


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## jupiterrn (Sep 22, 2006)

And please do not practice the NO HANDS technique during your group rides. It could get really ugly quick.


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## jsedlak (Jun 17, 2008)

"I can ride with no handlebars, no handlebars"

I used to be able to, but now I can't now that I am on a skinny bike and higher up.


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## Robert E Smith (Apr 20, 2008)

As a kid I rode more without hands than with most of the time!
Logged hundreds and hundreds of miles on my Schwinn Varsity!
Dad died when I was little, Mom never drove bike was my wheels to the world!
Was even clocked one time at 53 miles an hour by a couple of guys in a car! They were freakin out! Yelling Dude! you were going 53 miles an hour!
I loved that old Varsity! 
Now with the new shorter more responsive frames I have found it a lot harder to ride hands free, bikes just reacts so much quicker now days!
But with a little practice you can do it! 
Just be carefull about jerking your head around to check out that hot chick! You could end up face down rather quickly HaHa!


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## Export A (Mar 18, 2007)

Touch0Gray said:


> make sure you got the helmet on........I mean when I was a kid , they weren't invented yet so it was safe....but NOW..........everything is so much more dangerous (we used to play with mercury and bit lead fish sinkers to tighten them on the line too) explains a lot huh?



my dad and I used to melt old lead wheel waits to make fish sinkers..I still have the mold,


uh what um the hell was this thread about...oh yeah if you want to ride hands free tighten your headset up reallly tight.


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## Touch0Gray (May 29, 2003)

we used to cast lead soldiers down the basement...I remember going down the stairs and seeing a gray haze in the air....oyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy


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