Help with basic skill - steering with one hand on bars

[Weegie]

OK, one handed steering - I've got no idea how to go about learning this basic skill. (I mean, when you need to take your right hand off the bars to indicate, or to have a proper look behind)

Right now, when I remove my right hand, my steering control goes all to cock, and I'm a danger to myself and others.

So, should I try to sit more upright when removing the right hand, decreasing the load on the front and let the bike sort of "steer itself"? Or should I maintain normal weight on the handlebar, but stiffen my left arm/shoulder to keep a straight course? Or something else?

(I'm riding a Carrera Subway hybrid, in case that's relevant)

Thanks everyone

 

[gaz]

It's just practise to be honest, look at all the track riders who do pursuit. they can look behind and go in a perfectly straight line at the same time.

 

[chris667]

Just a thought, does it make you feel nervous riding with one hand? I wonder if when you take one hand off the bars you do a death grip on them?

Gaz is right, though, it all comes with practise. Go to an empty car park or somewhere where you won't be disturbed.

 

[Ian H]

My son, a new cyclist on a new road bike, started a 50 mile charity ride yesterday unable to ride one-handed. By the time he finished he was signalling and generally quite competent. So, yes, practice makes perfect.

 

[arallsopp]

There's probably at least a couple of things contributing here, all of which make it a hard skill to learn:

• general nervousness = death grip on the bars. If your knuckles are white, you probably have almost no fine motor control.
• braking whilst indicating puts extra weight on the front of the bike at exactly the time you don't expect / want it.
• its harder to balance the bike turning at low speed than it is when going faster. Doubly so if one of your arms is off the bar and waving around.
• its hard to keep the bike straight whilst looking over your shoulder. You can learn it, but it takes a while.
• the council do so love to paint bumpy white lines on junctions. These will magnify any wobble you've already developed from the above.

Your typical pull up to a junction will feature all of these, except maybe the first, which the others will combine to trigger anyway.

I'd recommend finding a nice SMOOTH car park, late evening, no cars, ride around it, nominating bays that you're going to indicate into and ride through.

• First few times, just indicate then ride through each space.
• Then pick a couple of spaces a few rows apart, and try to 'link' them without putting your hand back on. (No need to have it too far from the bars.)
• Then try to bag one whilst glancing behind you.
• Then try it whilst braking a little
• Then try to stop IN the space without putting your hand back on.
• Then try it with your arm out at 90 degrees.
• Then start combining the above, make longer links, etc.
• Or try to turn tighter, looping into one space and out on the adjacent one.
• Now do it with your other hand.

Eventually, you'll be able to ride along, pick a space, glance behind, indicate into it, pull in at low speed, stop, and go from the space, all without putting your hand back on the bars. It takes around half an hour to get enough confidence up, and after that, you can learn pretty safely on the roads.

 

[Weegie]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. Just a short update for anyone reading this thread in the future - it is indeed just down to practice. I followed arallsopp's excellent advice with a couple of "training circuits" round the local business park, and today I was chuffed that I managed to complete my first proper 10 miler, with no confidence problems at all - looking behind, steering straight with one hand, indicating properly.

It's hard to put into words, but somewhere in the last week, I graduated from feeling like I was balanced on top of a dodgy shopping trolley, to being in full control of my machine. It now feels natural.

Cheers all!

 

[arallsopp]

Good on you. Glad to have been able to help.

 

[jimboalee]

One thing that will install confidence is having strong back muscles.

The confidence to be able to hold your upper torso at a forward inclined position while signaling, drinking from your bottle, reading route instructions, reading a map, wiping sweat away from your eyes etc, etc.

You can do the 'Plank' if you haven't got anything heavy to lift, which I don't like because its not as good as Dead Lifts. Dead lifts are isotonic and the 'Plank' is isometric.

Try riding while touching the handlebars lightly with the tips of your index fingers.

 

[BentMikey]

ITYM dead lifts are concentric?

 

[jimboalee]

ITYM dead lifts are concentric?

Explain the difference between Isotonic exercise and Concentric exercise.

5 points for each correct answer.

Clue. Which joint angles are being shortened in a Dead Lift?

 

[BentMikey]

Ah, interesting! I thought you were having a moment there, but I've learnt something as a result. Never heard isotonic being used that way before, so thank you.

What do you mean by "shorten an angle", since on the face of it that doesn't appear to be working English?

 

[jimboalee]

Ah, interesting! I thought you were having a moment there, but I've learnt something as a result. Never heard isotonic being used that way before, so thank you.

What do you mean by "shorten an angle", since on the face of it that doesn't appear to be working English?

Narrow an angle ??

Reduce an angle.

Flex a joint.....

Adduct.

 

[BentMikey]

Well, that's what I assumed, but I wasn't sure what you meant. I would think that the answer is there is both concentric and eccentric contraction in a deadlift, but most of the work done is via concentric. Plyometrics might be a good example of something where a big proportion of the workload is eccentric, and I would assume is not isotonic exercise?

Ah well, enough of the off topic. I'm really glad to hear the OP has improved so much. Well done, amazing work!!!

 

[trustysteed]

make sure the hand that is still on the bars is near the middle by the stem. that will keep you more stable as your balance will be more centered.