I'm 25 and I still can't ride a bike without holding the handlebar. I can let go and sit up just fine, but I always begin drifting left or right.
I've used the same bike all the time though, don't know if it's harder on some.
Should I kill myself?
I'm 34 and can't bunny hop or wheelie.
>>972049
Faster is easier, seat at the correct height, bike setup well (headset isn't too tight and tyres aren't at a low pressure). Steer with your body, you should be able to correct the drift with your hips and legs with your arms by your side.
>>972049
Use your abdomen to stand and balance yourself.
If your headset is too loose it'll tip to one side at any irregularity.
OP, I found it easier in the beginning to ride no hands when I was pedaling.
Try that; I think most people try it coasting.
>>972049
General good bike health = important
(true wheels,proper tire pressure,smooth runing headset etc)
I learned it by removing my hands at increasingly longer intervals(1 sec-few secs-couple of dozens of secs)
Having little weight on the front(eg sit stright on the saddle) helps me tremendously
Take it a step at a time,I understand It can feel disturbing as you feel to "not be in control" all the time.
Best of luck to you my friend and remember,while it it nice and sometimes practical to cycle no-hands,Its not needed by any means
I'm 24 and I still can't get a girlfriend
just a bit of perspective, OP
Yes, yes you should kill yourself
>>972049
>I've used the same bike all the time though, don't know if it's harder on some.
It's almost impossible on certain frames. It mostly has to do with fork geom... rake, trial, head tube angle
A low trail bike is easily to ride hands free. My cannondale roadie can do it no problem (trail ~70), my high trail touring frame can't (trail ~90)
>>972106
>low trail bike is easily to ride hands free
After posting that I see there is a raging debate about low v high trail being easier.
It might be some other factor, or it might be that 60-70 trail is the sweet spot for hands free and above and below are harder. I don't know. But it's not you, it's the bike. And it's also dangerous so it doesn't really matter
>>972099
I'm 27
I can consistently steer and take right angle turns without holding the handlebar
I haven't had a gf since high school
you can't be great at everything OP
Drop down a gear or two and use your legs to balance as you pedal.
>>972049
Is there any reason to ride without holding the handlebars?
I can hold a trackstand with no hands on one of my road bikes but I can't actually ride it no hands. It's bent and doesn't track straight. It's impossible on a lot of bikes.
>>972147
Mostly taking off/ putting on clothing - gloves, zips- or opening food, ripping a gel and putting the tab in your pocket, that kind of stuff.
>tfw riding no hands down an oak shaded boulevard and it's so lovely that i start to daydream and the bars swing to the side and i catch them with one hand almost at the point of no return and look hastily to see if anyone's laughing and there's this little kid with his mouth wide open and shocked eyes, his mothers not paying attention, and he whips his hands out of his pocket and does the dual thumbs up with a grin.
>>972168
Yeah no one cares that much
I have never been able to stand up to pedal while going up a hill
I have a road bike and it seems like everyone else does this especially the guys in the spandex bike suits, but when I go up a hill I just sit on the seat and pedal up
I don't know how bad this is that I can't do it
God I remember back when I was in college. It was a huge biking school one of the bigger tin the country
And there were always those pricks riding with no hands. They would literally just have their hands in their pockets or something. They surely did it to look cool. Then I would be behind them trying to pass and they would sort of waver from side to side because of not holding on and I could never pass them
Everyone fucking hated those people and we always wished they would hit a pebble on the ground or something and crash and get seriously injured so we could laugh as we passed them
Don't be one of the handless pricks OP
When I ride with my friends I sprint up hills with no hands just to be a dickhead
Is this bad? I don't shift gear while moving, i like to stop, get off, shift the gear, lift the rear wheel, spin the pedals with my hand, and then keep riding. I ride a road bike. I think you get cleaner shifts this way, plus a good chance to do some stretches and check your brakes are plugged in. Shifting gears while moving always upsets my rhythm and it feels dangerous. .
>>973096
You're joking. Please tell me you're joking.
>>973088
shift to a higher gear and try that way
>>973145
kek at the idea of froome holding up the peloton to do this
>>972049
It could be your headset needs replacing or is too tight. Give the bearings a clean and only do the top cap up enough to stop the fork moving.
you should check if your frame/fork is straight. i had the same problem, but because my fork was crooked, countered the tilting to the left side, by putting my weight more to the right.
>>973088
HIME HIME
My fork is slightly out of square. It barely affects most riding, but it makes it impossible to ride no-hands.
one thing no one's mentioned yet is that the rear wheel may not be seated into the drop-outs solidly (same effect as if the frame is bent, the wheel won't be straight in relation to rest of the bike.)
anons mentioned the headset. check it like this: get off the bike, depress the front brake lever only. simultaneously rock the bike back and forth, front-to-back. with the brake engaged, there will be no movement from the wheel. if you feel there's some movement, then it's coming from a loose headset (it'll feel clunky.) tightening it is easy but there's different systems for threaded/unthreaded headsets, just look it up.
if it ain't the bike, then it's you. controlling the bike is partly like ice-skating or skiing BUT you don't want the forward lean of those sports. your body will be upright. but otherwise the idea of keeping your lumbar arched like a "sitting down" position and steering with your hips is when you're really in control. I.E. leaning forward, keeping your back curved forward, to stay close to the brake levers actually works against you.
keep your center of gravity over the seatpost and steer with your butt, slight leans. a faster speed straightens you out, too.
>>972049
>I've used the same bike all the time though, don't know if it's harder on some.
It is. Less trail makes this much harder, so low trail road bikes are not as self stabilizing as a 63° fork angle, low rake mountainbike. Fatter tyres with lower pressure contribute something called phneumatic trail in addition to whatever geometric drag you already have.
Bikes are also most stable within a certain speed range. Try cycling faster or slower.
>>973282
I actually find my 66° HA downhill bike a tad harder to no hander than my 73° road bike, especially at low speed. It's not as twitchy but harder to keep in a straight line and steer with the butt.
>>973286
I find the twitchiness makes road bikes easier to ride no-hands...it's a pretty minor adjustment to keep it going straight, as opposed to having to really throw your weight into it.
I find it easier if I sit as upright as possible.
>>973286
In my experience:
>GT Chucker, AM hardtail
Easy. I can cut my fingernails and fill out lodgement slips on this.
>Santa Cruz Bronson
Really tricky. I can't sustain no hands riding on this for very long at all.
>Iron Horse Sunday
Beyond easy. The thing literally rides itself.
>Road bikes (all that I've tried)
Some effort required to maintain a steady course.
>>972049
Try holding the frame with your knees and steering it by moving side to side, this works for me on a hardtail mtb
Yes because that is such a great reason to want to die you fucking emo.
