"Look Ma, no hands!"

[pooks]

As a kid, I rode a lot but NEVER was I able to ride "no hands." (I also was never able to turn a cartwheel or other stuff that probably relies on balance. I also can't dance.)

I still can't.

I'm not sure whether riding "no hands" is something I can "train" myself to do, or something that will come naturally as I become more experienced, or --

Whether some of us are just balance-impaired, and I shouldn't waste any time worrying about it.

What say y'all?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Don't forget that some bikes are easier to ride no-hands than others.

[pooks]

I did wonder about that.

[mimitabby]

I'm with you Pooks, never did it. i can take my hands off t he handlebars for only an instant. but Lisa's right; some bikes are easier than others.

[Zen]

Yup.
I can easily ride single handed on my mountain bike (haven't tried hands free yet) but on the road bike, forget it.

Depends on the frame geometry, I suppose.

[Kimmyt]

I think you can definitely teach yourself! I never was able to ride without hands, and just recently found myself realizing that as I've put more and more hours in the saddle (particularly commuting, which gives me alot of bike handling skills) I've gotten more and more comfy on my bike. So the other day I just tried to ride without hands, and while I couldn't do crazy stuff, I found I could ride for short periods of time without hands. So now every day on my commute in at one particular part of the trail I try and ride a bit with no hands, figuring that with time it'll get easier and easier!

[rapid cycler]

I had always been in awe of the pro tour riders and their victory hand throws, so I wanted to see if I could do it. I did laps on a quiet block in my neighborhood and practiced. Each lap when I hit the slight decline (I still don't think I can do it while pedaling) I loosened my grip a bit more on the bars, then re-gripped them as usual to hit the incline. Soon I was able to feel secure enough hovering above but not touching the bars, then I began lifting them a little more each lap until I was able to lift them above my shoulders for a proper victory throw. It took me a while—about an hour—but I did get there. I'm still not comfortable throwing my arms completely in the air, but I did become much more comfortable sitting straight up in the saddle with my hands hovering just over the bars, which has become a valuable new stretching position for me.

[lauraelmore1033]

I could do it as a kid (along with wheelies, jumps and other fool headed acrobatic tricks), but the grown-up bike is too twitchy. I think it's all about the bike. I see people doing it occasionally, and I find myself wondering what the advantage is--other than looking confident and smug

[Grog]

Velogirl posted a great, great trick on how to teach yourself recently. She noted it takes "commitment", i.e. you have to sit straight, not hover over the bars.

She suggested starting by taking one hand off and putting it on your thigh, then the other hand, on your thigh as well. Moving the arms around etc. takes a lot more time, practice, effort, etc. But thanks to that trick I'm now consistently able to sit with no hands for up to a minute (under perfect conditions). I wouldn't do it going down a steep hill in traffic (seen downtown Vancouver), and I can't do it to perform some action yet because the movement makes me loose my balance, but I might get there.

I figure out it's a core-strength exercise.