Help with balancing

[jeannierides]

The more hours you log on your bike... the more comfortable you will feel with getting the water bottle.

Just don't do like the Gov. of Va. did...and pull out your water bottle the same time you're supposed to be crossing railroad tracks! Yikes! Believe he broke his wrist...silly man...

[Nanci]

A Camelback may solve the drinking problem, but there are other reasons you might want/need to remove a hand from the handlebars for- so it's probably better to work on your balance so you can ride comfortably with one hand for short periods. You might want to one day be able to unfasten your Camelback and sling it around the front of you to dig around in it for something, without stopping! :-)

Nanci

[profàvélo]

On a road bike, this wouldn't work for me:

I have tried using my left hand to pick up my bottle (my front brake is on the right side like most North Americans I guess) and realized that my left arm is way stronger than my right arm (even if I'm a rightie for writing), hence I feel much shakier holding the handlebars with my right arm only.

Grog,
Your front brake is on the right, as you said. Your rear brake, of course, is on the left, so you should keep your left hand on the handlebar, and drink with your right hand. You are lucky in that this is actually easier for you. I am a rightie, and I am having a hard time learning to drink with my right hand because I've always done it the other way.

Everyone else,
Yes, it does get easier with practice. A year ago, a balance-challenged friend of mine always had to stop to drink. We teased her enough that she made herself learn to drink on the bike, and now she can grab her water bottle like a pro. I like the practice-in-the-empty-parking-lot idea. And learn to drink with your right hand from the beginning, so you don't have to re-learn it like me.

[Trekhawk]

Grog,
Your front brake is on the right, as you said. Your rear brake, of course, is on the left, so you should keep your left hand on the handlebar, and drink with your right hand. You are lucky in that this is actually easier for you. I am a rightie, and I am having a hard time learning to drink with my right hand because I've always done it the other way.
.

Ok now you have me confused. Isnt your rear brake on the right? (Unless of course you are in the UK or NZ/Aust) Mine is so you should keep this hand on the bars and drink with the one that you use to work the front brake. Dont want to go emergency braking with the front brake.

[Grog]

Sorry I got it wrong in my message.

My rear brake is on the right hand side, so theoretically I should be drinking with my left hand. But I still think it doesn't work.

My front brake is on the left hand side.

Sorry!

[Trekhawk]

Sorry I got it wrong in my message.
My rear brake is on the right hand side, so theoretically I should be drinking with my left hand. But I still think it doesn't work.
My front brake is on the left hand side.
Sorry!

Hey Grog - no need to be sorry. It just doesnt take much for me to get confused and I was thinking hey have I got this all wrong even had to check on the bike just to make sure.

[Grog]

Hey Grog - no need to be sorry. It just doesnt take much for me to get confused and I was thinking hey have I got this all wrong even had to check on the bike just to make sure.

Oh well - the general principle is "keep your hand closest to the rear brake on the handlebar and use your other hand to do whatever"... but it really doesn't make sense for me anyway.

I'll check out my more expert friends next time I get out and let you girls know...

[shewhobikes]

When I first started riding I was scared to let go with one hand and find the bottle. But when I began doing longer rides, it just became imperative to hydrate more and it wasn't always convenient to stop. Everyone has given you good advice: It just takes practice, kind of like clipless pedals. One day in the spring we were riding a long bike trail (on road bikes), so there were no cars to worry about and minimal bike traffic. I picked that day to practice, practice, practice, grabbing my water bottle. After that, it got easier. Good luck!

[profàvélo]

Grog,
Your front brake is on the right, as you said. Your rear brake, of course, is on the left, so you should keep your left hand on the handlebar, and drink with your right hand. You are lucky in that this is actually easier for you. I am a rightie, and I am having a hard time learning to drink with my right hand because I've always done it the other way.

I would like to retract my earlier posting and apologize profusely for my confusion. I swear I was only trying to help...

*profàvélo bowing before the TE board*

right = rear
I got everything completely backwards, as y'all have pointed out. The only part I got correct is that I have been drinking with the wrong hand. (My only excuse is spending too much time at my computer and not enough on my bike.) On my ride yesterday, I thought of you all and made myself drink only with my LEFT hand. It was not easy.

If I promise not to post anything else mechanical or directional in nature, will y'all let me stay?

[Trekhawk]

I would like to retract my earlier posting and apologize profusely for my confusion. I swear I was only trying to help...
*profàvélo bowing before the TE board*
right = rear
I got everything completely backwards, as y'all have pointed out. The only part I got correct is that I have been drinking with the wrong hand. (My only excuse is spending too much time at my computer and not enough on my bike.) On my ride yesterday, I thought of you all and made myself drink only with my LEFT hand. It was not easy.
If I promise not to post anything else mechanical or directional in nature, will y'all let me stay?

profavelo - LOL - Im so pleased they dont kick people off for saying silly things or I would have disappeared after about my second post. Im no technical guru after reading posts about braking I had to go and check on my bike (see no idea).
I was like you when I went for a ride yesterday and had a drink I kept thinking about all the girls from TE and their drinking tips.

[Veronica]

I'm finding this whole thread about which hand to use very amusing. I'm picturing where on my road bike my hand on the handlebar is, while I'm holding the water bottle. It's somewhere near the middle of the flat part of the bar. It's no where near the brakes - front or rear. If I have to make a sudden stop, the bottle will probably get dropped as I'd prefer to brake with both hands and that is what my body is trained to do. Since the bottle in my right hand, it will end up on the side of the road, not in the middle of traffic.

If you are only using the rear brake, you only have about 30% of your normal braking power. If you brake hard with just the rear, you're probably going to skid into whatever it is you want to avoid. I think that if I really want to stop and can only have one brake, I'll take my chances with the front. Yes, I know I may endo, but I have twice as much braking power to play with.

I stand by the advice of don't drink if you think you're going to need to do any sort of emergency evasive action.

As far as balancing while you're reaching for the bottle. It gets easier with practice - just like everything else. And soon you'll find yourself not even thinking about it.

Have fun!


Veronica

[DirtDiva]

When I'm on the road I tend to drink at the stoplights. It's not like there's a shortage of 'em here...