How to get better at balancing on a bicycle?
April 11, 2024 6:45 AM   Subscribe

I've been riding a bike casually for about 30 years, but I still feel like my balance isn't very good! How can I get better? Is there something specific that I can practice that will help me?

Some examples of things I have a hard time with:

* I can't take my right hand off the handlebars at all
* I can take my left hand off the handlebars to signal, but only very briefly
* If I turn my head quickly to see what's behind me, I always feel unbalanced
* I can't stand up on my pedals to get more power
* I only ever start pedalling with my left pedal up, if the right pedal is up then I can't start
* Sharp turns are very hard for me, often I end up getting off my bike and walking
* Going slow is hard, sometimes I'll get off my bike and walk

It's hard for me to tell if these are all part of the same skill, or if there are multiple different skills I need to practice.

Each of these things on its own isn't that big of a deal, but all together they make me feel a little unsafe while cycling, especially in the city when I'm stopping and starting a lot and need to be able to look around to be aware of my surroundings.

Have you improved your balance, especially after 30 years of bad habits? What helped you? I'd be especially interested in specific things to practice or youtube videos to follow, like "try learning to bike with no hands, here's how to start".
posted by technotaco to Health & Fitness (20 answers total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
Where do you live? In my part of the world, there are classes that teach these skills, for people who are less experienced or under-confident.
posted by rd45 at 6:52 AM on April 11 [3 favorites]


I find it much harder to take my hands off the handlebars when I'm riding a racing bike with my torso more parallel to the ground as opposed to sitting upright on a city cruising style bike or a hybrid bike that is in the middle. I think that's because I'm not supporting myself with my core as much and depend on my arms to support me on the bicycle (which is generally not advisable). I also find things much less stable if I'm on a bicycle that is too small for me or my seat is too high or low.

Is your bike the right size for you? Is your seat at the right height (knees just barely bent when you're at the bottom of your pedaling)? If you happen to have a kind of aggressive bicycle, can you make it less aggressive by raising the handlebars? Can you build your core strength more through off-the-bike activities?
posted by A Blue Moon at 7:01 AM on April 11 [3 favorites]


Perhaps get on a stationary bike in a gym and you'll be able to practice the standing up. I think once your comfortable with that, you'll have unlocked a nice part of the balance skill, which will lead to car-parking lot drills you can do for tighter turns (figure of eights), slower cycling (following a white line) and hands-off riding.

My guess is you're putting way to much weight on your hands, so even on the stationary bike you can practice that. In the back of my head I've got a quote of "imagine you're holding onto two empty toilet roll tubes that you don't want to crush-- ideally that should be the weight/grip on your handlebars". Core strength can help there more then you'd like to think :)

Bike size/setup can help too-- on a 'comfort-level racing-bike' setup I can ride hands off, but on a more city bike it's impossible for me (feels like riding a unicycle) and I don't have the ability to put the practice time in to fix that.
posted by Static Vagabond at 7:04 AM on April 11


I have this problem too! I have noticed that my children, who learned to ride on balance bikes first, have impeccable balance and can ride extremely slowly, make sharp turns, etc. I cannot!

I have for a long time planned to make or buy myself a balance bike to go back to basics, but haven't yet managed to. But I do think it will work.
posted by caoimhe at 7:19 AM on April 11


Nthing that it sounds like your bike doesn't fit you at all. Please 1/ go to a good bike shop and ask them about fit; and 2/ join a cycling class for adult beginners. MeMail me if you're in NYC.

As you describe it, you're starting effectively from zero. On top of everything, you need ride at least weekly to build some strength and gain experience.

* I only ever start pedalling with my left pedal up, if the right pedal is up then I can't start. This one isn't unusual.
posted by JimN2TAW at 7:21 AM on April 11 [4 favorites]


The build and components of the bicycle can make a big difference with this. Different gears and different frame sizes and seat adjustment all impact these elements. So it might not be you.
posted by bluedaisy at 8:01 AM on April 11


Dyspraxia is a thing. If you have eliminated the possibility that it's something about your bike, it might just be how you are.

How are you with just plain balancing? What happens when you stand on one foot, and turn your head to look to look around you?
posted by Zumbador at 8:07 AM on April 11


I suspect that your bike is not well fitted to you, and if I had to guess, I'd say that the "reach"—the horizontal distance between saddle and handlebars—is much too short. Fit can be corrected to some extent by adjusting or replacing parts on your existing bike, but if it's extremely bad, you'd need a different bike.

Some of this comes down to confidence on the bike; being on a better fitting bike will help with that, but it's also a matter of experience. I think if you've never felt comfortable on your bike, you've never had a chance to develop that confidence. The position that would inspire more confidence may seem counter-intuitive and uncomfortable at first: the saddle will be higher and the handlebars farther away. But that will give you a better weight distribution, better handling, and let you put more power into the pedals.
Going slow is hard, sometimes I'll get off my bike and walk
Do you have more than one gear? Do you know how to shift?
I only ever start pedalling with my left pedal up, if the right pedal is up then I can't start
Everyone has a "good foot." I am an experienced cyclist, and I find it extremely weird to push off with my bad foot.
posted by adamrice at 8:08 AM on April 11 [6 favorites]


Oh sorry for the double post, also vestibular dysregulation, which affects your balance.
posted by Zumbador at 8:09 AM on April 11


Best answer: Have you actually practiced these things? I have ridden a bike pretty regularly, but not continuously since I was a kid and I'm well into middle age. My bikes both fit, I just need to practice. If I'm not doing something regularly though, I'm not going to be able to do it without a bit of practice.

These skills include:
- signalling with my opposite hand such as pointing with my right arm
- tight turns
- flying dismount (getting off the bike while it is still in motion)
- unclipping/clipping in with my opposite foot

I can do them if I practice a bit. I usually pick somewhere safe and quiet, like a dead end or a park. I spend an hour just working on that skill. For the turns, for example, I ride in a circle where I feel comfortable with the turning radius. Then I tighten it up, changing directions, and the turn radius I'm comfortable with gradually gets smaller. If I do this regularly, the skill stays. If I don't, it goes away and I need a refresher.

Same thing with removing a hand from the handlebars. In a practice session, removing it quickly while in motion is a victory. Repeat, removing it just a bit longer. Be patient and make gradual changes.

Just plain mileage is a thing, too. I've done week-long bike trips where the bike becomes a part of me by the end and then I've taken a few months off and needed to practice.
posted by TORunner at 8:30 AM on April 11 [3 favorites]


Do you live in a place where beginner mountain bike classes are taught? I had some of these same barriers (tight turns, riding slowly), and found that mountain bike classes got me much more confident in those areas when I returned to my road bike. The classes included many repetitions of the same fundamental skills—riding through cones, riding in a circle, riding standing up, and being aware of the subtle movements you can do with your shoulders and hips to maintain balance.
posted by oxisos at 8:46 AM on April 11


I taught myself to ride without hands, then years later on a slightly different bike I couldn't repeat the trick. Consider examining the bike, have it looked at by an expert to, find abe sure it "fits" your leg and arm lengths. Just a thought but it may not entirely be you.

As for practicing, find a very large area that's a solid surface but safe, not so much pavement, and practice. One thing I did for the no hands was specifically practice connecting my arms to the handle bar. I'm not suggesting no hands but practice taking the right had off and specifically moving back to the handlebar from differing positions, starting from inches to arm out and even over the head.
posted by sammyo at 9:33 AM on April 11


Loving this thread, good Q OP. Some bikes are just twitchy! I use a sit up and beg posture on a bike I made. And so my head swivels like it does normally. Lots of great advice here.
posted by drowsy at 10:12 AM on April 11


Nthing to go to a bike shop and ask to get "fitted" - it may be that your current bike does not fit you, and it may or may not be able to be adjusted to fit you better.
posted by amaire at 10:33 AM on April 11


I learned balance on a skateboard and would wager you could improve your balance by learning to ride one.

I'm a very experienced cyclist and do not recommend ever riding no hands. It's not safe for you as it adds a buffer to both your steering and your stop time, endangers everyone around you, and has absolutely no benefit. Those who say it's more comfortable than riding with hands need to get a better-fitted bike.
posted by dobbs at 10:57 AM on April 11 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Agree with TORunner that it really all comes down to practice. Some people learn these things quicker but I think anyone can learn. There was a time when I could barely take my hands off the bars for a second without feeling unstable but with practice I can now ride comfortably with hands off the bars including turning etc.

For no hands try to find a place where you can ride a long way in a straight line without worrying about running into anything and practice just lifting your hands off the bars for a second or two at a time. The faster you're going the easier it is to balance so it might be helpful to be a on a very slight downhill that lets you keep up speed without pedaling which can destabilize you while you're learning. Eventually you'll be able to hover your hands over the bars for longer and longer and then lift off entirely. This may take months but you will get there with regular practice.

For going slow every time you come to a stop see how slow you can go while staying balanced before getting off the bike.

The main thing is just to practice these things as much as you can in circumstances where you're not worried about getting run over or crashing into things.
posted by 12%juicepulp at 11:14 AM on April 11 [1 favorite]


My question, since you don't talk about the bike you are riding, is: have you been riding the same bike this whole time? Have you tried different bikes?

I ask because bikes that were made about thirty years ago were made with super steep tube angles and were very twitchy in handling. So it wasn't easy to take your hands off the bars or ride slowly without losing your balance, especially if the bike wasn't a good fit.

I firmly believe that anybody can learn these skills! I have coached a lot of beginning road cyclists and would always insist that my riders be able to take a hand off the bars, ride out of the saddle, and be able to negotiate tight turns.

(Pro tip: I find it's easier to ride slowly if I'm feathering the brake.)
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 7:12 PM on April 11


Response by poster: Thanks, this is all very helpful, especially the ideas about how to practice these skills! To answer some of the questions about fit: right now I own two bikes (a Trek FX 2 and a Trek FX+2), both of which I bought new at different local bike stores in the last 5 years or so. I assume the fit isn't completely wrong since I talked to the folks at the bike shop about fit a bit when I bought them, but I might fiddle with the seat height.
posted by technotaco at 7:25 PM on April 11


I would recommend getting a bike mirror to put on your handlebars or helmet. I think there is value is reducing the cognitive load of worrying if traffic is behind you.

Can you stand up on the pedals on an exercise/ stationary bike? (Just to confirm that this not a strength issue).

You can DIY a balance bike by removing the pedals.

Most People Don't Know How Bikes Work

posted by oceano at 8:17 AM on April 12


I looked up an image of that bike and it seems like a nice ride. Some things come to mind, like that bike has an MTB heritage with some cross-bike DNA thrown in. I wouldn't really consider it a commuter or shop n bop bike really. I'd use this bike to jump curbs and race around, but that's just me.
You might consider getting a bike that's more of a Eurocentric style with moustache style bars and a more upright riding position. There's a world of difference between having a position that's bent forward somewhat and one where you can be more or less upright and see the world coming at you.
In other words, get a bike that's designed for comfort with low step-through, fenders, racks and so forth. Don't get a bike that's trendy no matter how much your local bike shop wants to sell one to you. Go to thrifts, go to off-the-wall shops, look around. There's a lot of bikes that don't cater to trendy and want your ride to be safe and fun.
posted by diode at 5:05 PM on April 12


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