No hands while not pedaling

[Joe Riel]

Have been riding the v20 three days a week for a year. Not at the point where I can ride no hands, but when climbing gentle hills it doesn't seem too far away. Imagining that I'm actually steering with my feet, with a light touch on the bars, seems to help.

A question for those who can ride no hands. Can you do so without pedaling? Say on the flats or a gentle downhill. That seems like it would be a very different mechanism. If doable, are the feet at 12:00 and 6:00, or 3:00 and 9:00?

 

[CruzRider]

A question for those who can ride no hands. Can you do so without pedaling?

Yes, I can ride the T50 with no hands on a controlled course without traffic (it is a circular road in the local park). I seem to be able to do so as long as I have energy. It is a flat course, so there is limited coasting. I have gone hands free on down hills, also on the T50.

No, I can’t go hands free on my V20. That is crazy town

 

[Randyc3]

Hi,
Yes, I can. I only do it for very short smooth straight sections(flats). Both my feet are equally weighted and I tighten my core slightly. Keep riding, you will get there.
Cheers and safe riding.

 

[IyhelM]

Riding without hands while pedalling, you naturally find balance with each stroke; it is harder without pedalling but should come naturally after some time. For what it’s worth, it took me maybe 6,000 km to ride without hands on the V1, and probably an additional 2,000 without pedalling. When I got the S2.2 it was much easier to adapt and I could ride no hands almost instantly (shorter chainstay, lighter beam).

Originally, feet roughly at 10 and 4 (left front, seen from the left side), now I don’t care. When coasting, you can tighten your knees on the beam.
The hard part was to restart pedalling, especially if you need to spin fast.

 

[Frito Bandito]

I can do it at a lower power output, probably around 20ish kph while digging in my seat bag, flipping my magnetized visor over, turning on my bar end lights in the TT bars under my seat bag that support it, fishing stuff out of the Moose pack or hydration bag, or even using my cell phone (on the empty river) to take a pic or video. I have even loosened the bolts to adjust my bars and retightened them hands free just to see if I could do it. All of these are pretty much when no one is on the river, and kind of a useless skill and ridiculous thing to do anyway at my age, especially in traffic, but they are possible.

Some people complain of pedal steer, I get it, but it can be used to your advantage if you have to weave through some garbage on the road. After windy days especially I sometimes use it to dodge everything left on the path just to have something different to do and remain sharp on the bike.

Edit: After reading IlhelM's reply I thought to include that I am more comfortable with my left foot at 12 and right at 6 when coasting, and I do pinch the bike with my knees at times.

 

[Andrew Wilson]

I cant ride the v20 nor my old Baron with no hands... I can barely ride an upright with no hands

 

[Duncanleon]

I have had no problem with single handed riding, and yes I tried it when the bike was new because Robert made it look so easy, But I'm missing why is it so important to go no handed? If it's just to say that you can then weigh that against a spill. It's similar to my daughter saying "Oops" after denting the car door. It doesn't fix it but she's now aware of it...

 

[Frito Bandito]

I have had no problem with single handed riding, and yes I tried it when the bike was new because Robert made it look so easy, But I'm missing why is it so important to go no handed? If it's just to say that you can then weigh that against a spill. It's similar to my daughter saying "Oops" after denting the car door. It doesn't fix it but she's now aware of it...

It is a nice skill to have but most if not all of the reasons I listed above can be done 1 handed.

 

[Greg S]

And lest anyone reading this thread feels like they're unskilled or are missing something, you're not.

It's similar to being able to do a track stand on a DF bike. There are quite a few people (most?) who've ridden for decades who can't do a track stand. Are there times when it's useful? Yeah, but very few and you can certainly manage otherwise.

My recommendation is if you want to try it, do so on quiet roads and approach it in the same way you did riding no hands on a DF.

And for the record: yes I can but only coasting. Haven't been able to do it while pedaling but haven't really worked at it.

 

[IyhelM]

I don’t think anybody stated it was a must have achievement
Being able to ride with just one hand is essential in order not to have to stop every time you need a drink or a bite, or readjust your glasses, remove your gloves or sleeves, etc. - or simply to signal you’re turning! But both hands isn’t and I would not recommend trying to force it - it may come naturally.

Though once you’ve mastered it you can brag and look very cool riding uphill at a leisurely pace with your arms crossed on your chest. It tends to upset DF riders even those climbing much faster

 

[mesooslo]

I put my feet at 12-6 and steer by moving my feet slightly. Every ride ends with a no hands experiment. I’m intent on pedaling Silvio around 2 corners in 2 blocks. Not even close to that but you learn a new skill by practicing.