Riding no hands. Who does it and why?

[Wahine]

There are several really good reasons to learn to and practice riding without hands. Obviously it has to be done in a safe manner and I'd say on a heavily trafficked trail is not one of them.

Riding without hands allows you to learn to control your bike with your trunk/core and legs, this makes you more stable on the bike in all situations and allows you to control your bike with less input to the front end from your arms. The latter comes in very handy if you hit something with your front wheel, you're less likely to crash. It also helps you develop the skill needed to correct your bike if you've done a quick evasive maneuver.

It allows you to explore the stability of your bike. The more you intuitively know your bike, the better you are at other skills like descending.

It builds frontal plane stability skills that in turn will translate into better balance with other activities including walking on uneven surfaces. As we age our balance/stability in the frontal plane (side to side motion) deteriorates and is one of the contributing factors to falling, not just while riding but also walking and hiking.

And of course there is the argument about the functional aspects of being able to take a vest or jacket off, reach in your pockets for something, stretch... The better you are at riding without hands, the better you are at doing other functional activities on the bike one handed, like reaching and replacing a water bottle.

Having said all that, it's a good idea to explore your balance standing on one leg first before trying to ride no hands. For eg this and this.

Doing front plank, side plank and bridging exercises are also a really great way to build strength that can help with finding better stability on the bike.

[salsabike]

I never learned as a kid, but have always wished I could. Thanks for the learning tips, Wahine.

[Jolt]

I also wish I could...it would help if I could get up the nerve to try but that just hasn't happened. I have no trouble holding a straight line while one hand is off the bars to grab or replace a water bottle etc. but feel like I would swerve and crash if I tried to take them both off (despite being on a bike that should be easy to ride no handed...touring bikes are known for being very stable).

[PamNY]

Riding without hands allows you to learn to control your bike with your trunk/core and legs, this makes you more stable on the bike in all situations and allows you to control your bike with less input to the front end from your arms. The latter comes in very handy if you hit something with your front wheel, you're less likely to crash. It also helps you develop the skill needed to correct your bike if you've done a quick evasive maneuver. .

Thanks for the information on balance. I probably won't ride without hands, but what you said is interesting.

[Crankin]

I am aware that it helps balance, but since it's fairly amazing I can even ride a bike, this is not something high on my list. I can plank for a minute and have much improved balance on one leg, but no amount of practice with certain bike skills has helped. Considering where I started, I'm good.