No hands

benphyr

Guru-me-not
Below is the story of my learning to ride no hands. Your Mileage May Very (YMMV).
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I rode no hands on my diamond frame bike after trying and trying and eventually it became relatively easy and I would zip up my jacket or open a granola bar or cruise along without any issues. That started when I was a kid.

Skip forward to learning to ride the Cruzbike then using it to commute for a year and I didn’t think about riding it any differently than I do about riding the diamond frames - hand signals, shoulder checking, waving, etc. are normal and I read about people riding no hands on their Cruzbikes and I tried and found it scary similar to when I originally learned no-hands on the diamond frame so I remember thinking that it is not worth that kind of effort to learn it and I may not ever be able to learn.

Skip forward a few years and without any conscious training at it I found myself one day doing a bit of no-hands down the paved bike trail maybe zipping up my jacket and thinking Wow.

Since then it has continued to get easier. I don’t usually ride in traffic that way on principle and am wary of more complicated manoeuvres but can cruise down the path easily only putting my hands on the bar out of caution and respect when I meet other trail users. I can’t put out high power without concentrating hard, wobbling, and hands ready, but have not actively practiced it.
 

Henri

scatter brain
A few years? I hope I can get there a bit quicker with some conscious effort. Started cruzbiking a few weeks ago and I already can need much less hand strength for steering and countering pedal movement and riding with one hand is no problem. But I started right with the Vendetta line, which is probably hardest to ride without hands. So I am cautiously looking forward to being able to use my hands for small things while riding. :D
 

Frito Bandito

Zen MBB Master
I have been riding with 1 hand for quite a while, getting food or stuff out of the Moosebag or my hydration bottle behind my head. But I have also been coasting more often with no hands, and occasionally pedaling without hands. It is a nice skill to have, but I don't do it when the bike path is busy. There are sometimes too many distracted cyclists and pedestrians out so I always keep at least 1 hand on the bars.
 
I’ve been working on it. Weirdly I find it easier when I’m going slowly. I also notice that it’s easier when I’m wearing regular shoes, I think because the float in my shimano spd shoes makes it harder to use my feet to steer. Wonder what other people think.
 

brokemyback

Well-Known Member
Can anyone ride a Vendetta, no-hands, without wobbling? I find I must clamp the seat between my shoulder blades, as a way to react the natural wobble due to pedaling. The natural wobble is enough to just about cause sea sickness if I keep my head in contact with the headrest. Smoother if I hold my head up and keep my brains stable. I've got quite a few miles on both my Silvio and Vendetta, yet no-hands cycling is not smooth. Does it ever get smooth?
 

Frito Bandito

Zen MBB Master
I'm still wobbly, but with really low watts like 50 or maybe less I can keep it pretty straight. I am sure others are better at keeping it smooth though.
 

LarryOz

Cruzeum Curator & Sigma Wrangler
Can anyone ride a Vendetta, no-hands, without wobbling? I find I must clamp the seat between my shoulder blades, as a way to react the natural wobble due to pedaling. The natural wobble is enough to just about cause sea sickness if I keep my head in contact with the headrest. Smoother if I hold my head up and keep my brains stable. I've got quite a few miles on both my Silvio and Vendetta, yet no-hands cycling is not smooth. Does it ever get smooth?
Jim Parker is the best I have seen. He can lace the fingers of his hand behind his head and ride down the road straight and smooth.
I believe one of the keys is to maintain a constant even presure on the pedals all the around if you can.
I have never been good at it at all.
 

ratz

Wielder of the Rubber Mallet
Core strength is the key, and a good sense of what the feet can do. Steering input is mostly done with the feet and shoulders. Any of the more
upright bikes with 40-degree or more upright seats are pretty straightforward. I've seen Jim do figure 8's in the parking lot with an upright, and there are plenty of videos of straight-line riding. On the below 40 degrees, it's body rotation versus shoulder rotation. On the Vendetta it is more of a 30-second experience versus 5 minutes; and it helps to get the arms out wide. Problem is the V20's will destabilize alot faster than T50
 

DavidCH

In thought; expanding the paradigm of traversity
Most people aren't symmetrical so expect a wobble. V20c has an improved headset so it would be easier on that.
 
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