Track Stands – easy on a hill, impossible on the flat.

So, after years of trying, I’ve finally learnt how to trackstand. At least I can easily manage 5 seconds, so should be able to pass my TCL assessment!

But only with my front wheel pointing up hill, so that I can rock back and forwards slightly.

What I cant worked out, or even understand the physics of, is how I now learn to do the same trick on a completely level surface. With the hill gone, what opposes the force I’m applying through my pedal?

Thanks for posting this, you’ve made me feel like Ryan Leech crossed with Wade Simmons. Have you tried not applying force to the pedals? Just practice…..lean a lot.

use pressure on the pedals and the front brake.

Roll forwards slightly, then apply the front brake, shifting weight forwards and then backwards, similar to an endo but very small, you can then roll backwards. Catch this with the pedals and repeat.

Try to keep your centre of gravity (hips) centred and move the bike under you.

HTH

use the front brake to stop you, flip the front wheel to 75 degrees ish and with a combination of weight shifting, and pushing against the resistance of the front wheel as it cannot move forward, that’s pretty much all you need to do. Use of the brakes isn’t necessary.

The only time you should really need the brakes is if you’re doing the same on a downslope, to stop the front wheel rolling through gravity.

I’ve been doing this in the kitchen for the last ten mintes or so (much to the missus’ delight). Similar to the above, though not exactly. I use the back brake to hold me in place, then (imagining the bars are clock hands) turn the bars to 5 to 5 or 5 past 7. Gently and slowly shifting your weight back or forward and will cause the bike to move ever so slightly back and forward, or perhaps side to side.

I was keeping the back brake locked on initially but once I got back in the swing I was able to let go and just use momentum, if you think your loosing it, use both brakes, change sides and start again. Once you find the balancing point its all about shifting your weight, very little if anything to do with pedal pressure.

good tips, thanks. I think I’m only half way there…

Front brake and a bit of body shifting and you’re there. On a flat road, try pointing the front wheel towards the centre of the road, you’ll usually find there’s enough of a camber to act as a ‘slope’.

i can for a long time facing up a hill and on the flat, but point me down a hill and im pathetic!

I seem to have lost the ability to do this (on skinny road tyres) mind you, going to SPds and road bikes at the same time probably didn’t help!

I tend to turn my bars to the right, dip my left leg and kind of rest the bike on the edge odf the tyre. hard to explain, but it end up with the bike at about a 75degree angle.

The ground is very rarely flat, there will be some sort of slope you can work with, it only needs to be a few inches long.

Using the brakes is kind of cheating?

use pedal pressure and rear/front brake then after a while youl be able to adjust a trackstand on flat/up/downslopes .eventually you wont use either and just balance