Riding no hands. Who does it and why?

[Trek420]

Started with a non-scientific observation; we're on a typical walk to the store and see at least 4 men riding on the MUT hands free. It's a beautiful day and a great skill so why not? Today's unusually busy on the trail so I question the safety but still if you got it, flaunt it.

Then Knott and I were talking about this and both observed; we never see women riding hands free. Why is that?

So do you ride no-hands, if not why not and do you wish you could?

If so when and why?

Talk amongst yourselves.

[marni]

I am primarily a road rider on Texas chip seal however there are stretches of certain roads that I will ride hands free from time to time,. mostly to check my balance and coordination but also to prove myself that I can do it. So far my longest distance isn't much more than 1/2 mile but it's on a road with no traffic or other riders. As for hand free on a MUT, I question whether its safe. Maybe guys feel more of a need to prove that they are good at ridi8ng hands free. trail

[Helene2013]

Never. I'd kill mydelf I think. Lol barely can leave one hand for few seconds. On flat bar I can ride a longer time. But never on road bike.

[ny biker]

I could probably my teach myself to ride with no hands, but I see no reason to. I guess it would come in handy for things like eating or taking off a jacket while riding, but it's easier and safer to just stop when I need to do something that requires two hands.

(Plenty of people have no concept of how to ride safely on a MUT. I've turned into that crazy lady who yells at people who pass when it's not safe.)

Greetings to Knott!!

[rebeccaC]

It’s a useful skill and I'll ride with no hands for a number of reasons. Showing off isn’t one of them though. If someone is comfortable doing it and doing it safely why not do it. If someone isn't comfortable and needs to stop then they need to stop.

Now on a bike path when someone is riding towards me with no hands, listening to an iPod, cranium protected by a hoodie at most and front Vbrake not even connected properly I do get a little nervous ....but then I'm also good at quickly unclipping and using my leg/foot to protect myself from someone riding into me.

eta 'if so when and why'......when i feel it's safe and for food/drink, clothing, stretching, relaxing, get some deep breaths, helping get into or just feeling a smooth pedaling motion, balance and hip/body control etc.

[Crankin]

Never. I can barely manage the water bottle, and only with my left hand. I can barely signal with my right.
I stop if I need to do something like make a clothing change.

[DebSP]

I have tried it several times over the last couple of years. My husband does it quite easily. I have to work at it and it depends on the bike. Today on my cross check, I found I could ride no hands while pedalling if I flail my arms around for balance. I was on a pretty empty rail trail so I felt safe. I wouldn't do that on my road bike on the side of a road. I have managed on my mountain bike on a rail trail but no pedalling. I only ever tried out of curiosity. I see them doing it in the TDF. But it hurts my girly parts to sit in that podition on my saddle for any length of time.

[lauraelmore1033]

I just like my front teeth too much to even try it. (and that's not sayin' that handsfree riders don't, just a measure of my confidence in my own ability to do it)

[zoom-zoom]

A caveat to this is my current road bike, a Pinarello racing set-up. It turns very fast, handles great, but hands-free is dangerous for me because the wheel turns unexpectely.

Hands free is convenient. It allows you to sit up and rest on long rides, or if you are not feeling well, etc. Also allows you to eat, etc., more easily. (But not, repeat NOT! on my current bike).

So maybe it is my bike...it's twitchy. I should try it on my CX bike when riding on the road, sometime. That's far less nimble.

[Kiwi Stoker]

Only on the back of the tandem (I am not captaining so it will not cause an accident).

I do it to open food packets for my captain, scratch his back, stretch my back, help another cyclist tuck something back in their pocket etc.

Otherwise there is no way I would do that on a single.

[nuliajuk]

I've never been able to, though I often have wished I could. I've come closest since switching to deeply curved SMP saddles, but still feel like I'm going to pitch forward over the handlebars. Perhaps men's pelvises are shaped differently enough to make it easier for them?

[zoom-zoom]

I've never been able to, though I often have wished I could. I've come closest since switching to deeply curved SMP saddles, but still feel like I'm going to pitch forward over the handlebars. Perhaps men's pelvises are shaped differently enough to make it easier for them?

THIS! Also, I have a pretty severe case of spinal lordosis, so even standing my entire pelvis is sorta pitched forward (it's a BIG reason I love my SMPs -- everything else was like a torture rack to some degree. I no longer draw blood on rides).

[brigada]

I think the one mistake people do while learning to ride no hands is just removing their hands off the handlebars slightly and then panicking upon losing control. The thing is, in that position your back is arched and it's super difficult to maintain balance that way.

However, if you move away enough to sit upright and straighten your back, you will realise how much easier it suddenly becomes! It sounds daunting, I know, but it becomes so much easier to control your bike and remain in balance that way. It also helps, imo, to keep pedaling at a steady pace, maintaining a nice speed of, say, 15 km/h.

It is perfectly natural to be scared at first and for learning to be a gradual process, so go somewhere where the pavement is smooth and the road is straight and traffic free. Don't start by removing one hand off the bars and then the other because you will throw yourself off balance like that. Just keep pedaling at a steady pace and get comfortable doing so.

When you end up letting go of the handlebars, try to sit up straight, even if just for a brief moment before you plant your hands on the handlebars again. When you get there, just keep doing so until you overcome the initial fear of letting go.

Of course, don't overdo it. This step can take days, but I find it goes quite fast once you achieve this and it comes down to pedaling steadily and maintaining that momentum from there onwards. It takes effort and may seem impossible at first, but it's worth sticking through it. It's a bit like learning to ride the bike - once you get the hang of it, you just keep getting better.

So keep at it, and do let me know if you decide to give this technique a try! I really hope it will help those of you who want to learn

[Eden]

I ride hands free at times, usually near the end of a ride, especially when cooling down, to stretch a bit. I also do it to demonstrate to people that turning a bike is something you accomplish with your hips and core, not your handlebars (I can ride figure 8's hands free) and of course it comes in handy for removing jackets/arm warmers etc.

[zoom-zoom]

I recently crossed the 10,000 mi. threshold on my road bike and still can't do this, in spite of planking at least 2 min. every day. Is it a geometry/fit thing? My SuperSix is fairly aggressive and maybe a hair long through the top tube.