As above, is good balance on a bike something that you are either born with or not, or is it something that you can learn with practice?

I’m in the learn with practice camp. But then I believe that about most things.

Some people will probably be a bit more balance “talented” than others straight out of the box, but I’d say with practice pretty much everyone should have pretty good balance. So like most sporty-type things really.

I’ve met a fair few people who are, as a friend puts it, ‘physically dyslexic’.

dyspraxic?

For most folk even the dyspraxic it can be learnt – just its easier to learn for some than others

Alot of it i feel is core strength

If your stable its easier for your body to control your balance it has to make less adjustments than if your like a plate of jelly

Learning to ride the unicycle and increased core strength greatly improved my ability to ride narrow shore 🙂

I think its a bit of both. Balance ability I was reasonable at out of the box, but as time has gone on, there is no doubt that my low speed technical balance has improved with more riding and practice.

Definitely something you can learn but some are more gifted than others. My balance used to be rubbish (and it’s not too bad now)!

Can we define what we mean here. Are we talking low speed stuff, narrow trails or what?

Agree with above. I’ve taught and watched a lot of martial artists unable to hold the most basic position at first, but get better and better until you’d never believe they were the same person. Fitness helps, but a fair few of the ones I taught were already fit and completely hopeless at the start.

I had to relearn balance after a head injury which damaged my inner ear on one side. I have to take a lot more visual cues and struggle in the dark.

Can we define what we mean here. Are we talking low speed stuff, narrow trails or what?

Isn’t balance just balance? In my life that usually means, in addition to the usual day to day stuff, the ability to stay balanced when riding horses, attempting yoga positions (badly!) and riding bikes (am working on balancing wheelies and manuals at the moment which is stretching my ability!)

Are front back as well. I was thinking left right wasn’t that hard

This is remarkable, a Parkinson’s disease suffer who can barely walk, can ride a bike with ease. So I’d have to say it’s intuative.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaY3gz5tJSk[/video]