[Closed] I simply cannot trackstand

i cannot either (can sometimes manage max 4-5 seconds on a good day).will be interested in any advice also 🙂

get a 29er it's a lot easier

Get a fixed gear it's a lot easier ( no handed trackstands here 8) )

*[url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/i-dont-know-what-surprised-me-more-just-saw-a-brand-new-trek-remedy-8 ]Alpin to the thread[/url]*

I found facing up a small gradient helped

Yes, don't get your feet caught with the front wheel overlap or you will lose balance and fall in a crumpled heap in front of traffic. 😳

http://www.trashzen.com/balance-trackstand.php

I'm gradually getting there. However Jedi pointed out that being able to ride very very slowly is more useful than trackstanding in more MTB situations so I'm working on that now too.

Practice uphill on a slight incline, stand, don't use the brakes, get used to a slight pedal drive to push you into the gradient and then roll back an inch or two. Repeat.

I can't track stand for toffee on a fixed but am ok on gears and some motorbikes.

try standing, weight slightly forward and using the front brake to hold the bike whilst slightly pushing forward on the pedals

i look at a fixed point a few meters in front (if its a difficult place to track stand)

[another no-handed track-stander]

Keep your head up, makes it a lot easier.

Forget the "stopping" bit at first, just ride tighter & tighter circles slower and slower to get a feel for keeping the bike upright, then when you do try to stop do it on a slight upslope as that gives something to push against.

And it helps if you're in the right gear - it's all about pedal pressure & how the back wheel moves. Too high a gear means too much pedal movement & not enough wheel (though Hoy can trackstand on his bike so that's a pretty high gear), too low makes it a bit twitchy to start with.

Don't touch the brakes!

As above, practising on a gentle gradient helps. I try and think of it a little bit like holding a car on the clutch - its a balance of the right pedal pressure to counteract the gradient. Feathering the brakes can help too.

Post a video of yourself for some more effective advice 🙂

Trackstanding is easy.

Wheelieing, for more than 2s, in a straight line. Now that's tricky.

Try dropping your saddle if you haven't already. Gives much more room to manoeuvre the bike under you.

Its not really that important in the grand scheme of things. The ability to carry out very slow speed maneuvers is the practical by product, as mentioned,incidentally I can track stand likes boss.:-)

Front wheel turned 45 degrees, stand with pedals level, chocolate foot forward, weight forward, brakes. Balance by moving the bars over the front wheel. For a proper trackstand it's brakes off, of course, in which case do the same with the front wheel pointing up the camber on the road, using pressure on the front pedal to balance.

try standing, weight slightly forward and using the front brake to hold the bike whilst slightly pushing forward on the pedals

No. Do not use the brakes. I need a slight hill to roll up against, so I can roll slightly backwards, but I can stand there until I'm bored, mostly.

When we were kids the village show slow bike race took hours! But i cant do a lot of things. Manualing or even doing wheellies are way cooler. Can you do them?

Try setting a small target of a few seconds ,then pedal away.Repeat until the time gets longer.
Use all above advice while doing this..angle of bars ..slight hill..brakes if you really must at the beginning.
If this all fails ,get your ears syringed 😀

However Jedi pointed out that being able to ride very very slowly is more useful than trackstanding in more MTB situations so I'm working on that now too.

Maybe but it depends what kind of trails you are riding. I ride a lot of trails with rocks and roots and woodwork. Frequently you get your line wrong and come to a stop on the flat and uphill and if you can't trackstand you have to dab. If you can then you can get your balance back and with some trails type trickery get going again. You can also stop and check out the trail without putting your feet down so you don't get that few seconds of having to get into pedalling again.

Its a cool feeling on some of the technical climbs I do to come to a complete stop, feel c**p that you have messed it up then trackstand and clear it.

I can't see how you'd need to trackstand for more than a few seconds so I wouldn't get too upset about it. Unless, of course, you're wanting to look cool. Legs bandy, chin high works for me.

Frequently you get your line wrong and come to a stop on the flat and uphill and if you can't trackstand you have to dab.

Tch! Get off, push back and try again...

I though [s]grand[/s] track-standing was for track racing and traffic lights only, both of which are rare on mountain bike rides 😉

I do practice slow riding, and should do it more, especially for slow steep cornering under braking. Must learn Euro-hopping switchbacks too.

If you're really struggling, lean your front wheel against a wall, just to get the feel of keeping your weight central over the bike.

Can't do something on bike. Must remember that advice. Get off and walk. If it is useful totally depends on the trails you ride.

Stand tall, pedals level, weight above stem or as close to it as you can. It's definitely easiest if you point the front wheel up a gradient and rock backwards and forwards through pedal pressure put also try stopping and just balancing for as long as possible. Always look up at something 10-20 meters away. At junctions I actually find it easier if I'm looking side to side at traffic. Practice practice and more practice.

No. Do not use the brakes. I need a slight hill to roll up against, so I can roll slightly backwards, but I can stand there until I'm bored, mostly.

Try a different/friend's bike? I've got two, both 26in, on one of them it's really easy to trackstand (can almost do it sitting), on the other I can only manage it for about 2 seconds.

sit ups & yoga really help

its all in the core muscles and yoga helps with balance and breathing too

use minimum brakes.. only apply as a last resort

If you are riding a bike that can freewheel then advice to "not use the brakes" is nonsense. Unless you only trackstand on an upslope then you have to use your brakes. As had been said, in and of itself it isn't that useful a skill, but it does help with slow speed balance and manouvers.

Use your brakes if you want to especially when learning what it feels like. By all means progress to using an upslope with no brakes but don't feel bad if you do.

Head up and look to the distance.
Stand up with your cranks level.
Roll to a stop. (using your brakes if you want)
Turn your handlebars towards your forward foot.

As with all skills it takes time and practice.

Edit. Also remember that it is not passive, you will have to move your body around to maintain balance.

If you are riding a bike that can freewheel then advice to "not use the brakes" is nonsense

I see what you're thinking there, but it's not strictly true

trying to trackstand against full brakes is counter productive for a beginner, a small amount of movement shouldn't be discouraged..

My recommendation is when practising, each time you fall off, try and analyse why you fell off, and address that on the next go, e.g do you always fall off to the left, then perhaps put more weight the other side etc.. That's the way I approach things anyway. Maybe videoing yourself would help.

Turn your handlebars towards your forward foot.

How important is this exactly? Is there's anyone out there who can trackstand well who does this the other way round? Cos I can trackstand for a few seconds at a time, but usually only with my wheel pointed away from my forward foot, and I wonder if this is what's holding me back from getting better at it. If I try it the 'proper' way then I find it much harder.

I'm right-handed but usually lead with my left foot, if that makes any difference.

cheers fellas. I'll just book a couple of weeks off and try and crack it...

Rock the bike back and fore underneath you. Much easier with a slope, even if it's just the road camber.

The hardest thing is being able to look around and over your shoulder for cars etc, whilst keeping balance. Helps at traffic lights when in uber-courier mode, and also looks cool and nonchalant.

I can't see how you'd need to trackstand for more than a few seconds

Turn your handlebars towards your forward foot.
How important is this exactly?

what is this 'chocolate foot' thing? I thought that was what a guy in a video was saying.

Trackstand
Wheelie
Manual...just a fraction of the skills I wish I could do but fail at 🙁

I am going to find a quiet (soft) spot and practice them this winter though 8)

Not me but a lad I know

http://www.trashzen.com/balance-trackstand.php

good link.

All I was going to say is that if you can ride a bike, you can trackstand -

You keep a bike balanced by steering into a fall, constantly. The line between the tyre contact patches is your centre line, and your C of G must stay balanced over it. Steering allows you to move the bike under your C of G, and keep it all aligned.
So to trackstand, just keep the wheels still-ish and move your weight around, more of the opposite to rolling along balance (simplified yes, but you get the point) ie, stall the bike with the wheel turned a little to help the 'rolling' balance action, use the brakes, just keep your body weight centred and moving either side of the line that links the tyre contact patches. Just as you do when rolling along, but static.. easy )

Like you, my instinct is to turn the handlebars away from my front foot, which I'm trying to change.

It's pretty good fun and stops boredom at the traffic lights when commuting.

Also it appeals to my inner show off.

in terms of learning how to do it, it's come naturally to me as long as I've been riding. However, I'd say to use the rear brake more than the front, as you want to rock the front wheel back and forwards to maintain balance.

Ride trials for 6 years and you'll get the hang of trackstands. I once did a track stand for 14 minutes. I was trying to watch a whole episode of the Simpsons but after 10mins the leg burn started getting to me. If I could alternate legs then it'd make it a lot easier. I use the front brake a lot more than the back brake.

The advice in this thread is reasonable. Easiest way to learn is on a slight upwards slope. Turn your bars to the side (I turn mine away from my lead foot fwiw) and don't use the brakes at all. For me (right foot forwards, bars pointing to the left) I do this:
If I'm falling to the left, put more pedal pressure on. The bike will move forwards and because the wheel is turned, it'll come under you, moving the ground contact patch to the left
If I'm falling to the right, ease off pedal pressure and roll backwards - the opposite will occur

Ie your main active movement is forward/ backwards, not side-to-side as you might imagine. I'm sure there are other correctional movements involved but the main movement should be forwards / backwards. The better you get, the more subtle these movements are. If you're doing this on the flat then you have to use your brakes to hold you from going forwards and to do the opposite you can do a little roll back from pushing against the front brake.

The guy in Bellys' Vimeo video is doing it wrong IMHO. It seems to be working ok for him but it looks awkward and he's having to do big adjustments - it doesn't look stable.

Try dropping your saddle if you haven't already. Gives much more room to manoeuvre the bike under you.

This might not be the best approach, I find it helps having the saddle at normal height so i can lean the bike a bit and hold it there with my inner thigh.

I can trackstand well - 5 years of commuting to work with 20+ sets of traffic lights makes for very good practice.
I don't think there's a hard and fast set of rules, but for me the key thing is to relax, especially your legs as they are what control the balance. I can pretty much be completely still, making slight adjustments of pressure on the pedals. you see people trying to trackstand by twisting the front wheel all over the place, stamping on the pedals and moving from side to side - they're too tense. just reeellaaaax.
the hardest thing to do is trackstand when pointing downhill on a freewheeled bike. you have to use the brake and pull back on the bars to adjust yourself - doesn't look cool.

I'm in the stand up, look forward, front wheel at a slight angle, use the front brake and relax camp.

Superficial sums up what I do there ^^

Keep pressure on the pedal and if you feel your balance going one way just release the front brake slightly and roll forward a touch, balance going the other then ease of the pedal pressure and it comes back.

Standing allows you you move the bike beneath you - relaxing is key.

I think track standing is an important skill - it means you can, if you need to, stop on a climb which gives you confidence at riding very slowly.

See loads of fixie riders "sawing" back and forth at the lights in the City. Cool? not in the least as far as I am concerned.

Want to see real balance and precision? Go enter a trials competition. You will see some things really to aspire to.

See loads of fixie riders "sawing" back and forth at the lights in the City. Cool? not in the least as far as I am concerned.

Yeah, it has to be said I don't really understand why people think this is cool. I can do it at lights but I usually just feel like a bit of a tool. No one is impressed, and it wastes energy.

Aim yourself at the ground and miss.

(DA)

I don't recall anyone saying it was 'cool'.

If you're commuting and clipped in it allows you to get away from lights faster than cars so they are aware of you and you can 'assert your presence' or whatever you're supposed to do.

so it could be argued that it's a skill that makes you safer on the road.

I don't recall anyone saying it was 'cool'.

I think it's cool 😛

I think it's cool.
I've had people say 'nice skills' to me - was that just sarcasm?

Either way, it's not done to look cool:
- it helps to relieve the boredom of sitting at the lights for a few minutes, if someone else is doing it at the same time even better - competition, especially if you try to put them off
- it makes you quicker off the lights to get away from traffic
- it makes pedestrians think more about when they cross
- it uses up energy/ keeps your heart rate up
- and above all, it's fun

I was really frustrated at this too...then I got it! Others have explained the technique above, here's my experience with it:

I ride right foot forwards and find it easier to turn the front wheel 45 degrees or so to the right. I repeatedly went to a grass slope with a mate, it seemed to help to point the frame to 10 o'clock relative to the hill (if 12 is right up the hill) and then my front wheel would be about 12 o'clock pointing up the hill. Find a mellow hill, just enough to resist you. Flat pedals make a huge difference, when I tried to learn in spuds it was horrible and didn't work!

It's easier with softer tyres as they roll less easily; trackstanding at lights with my road bike now makes doing the same with my MTB seem a lot simpler. Track bikes are easy once you are used to being nailed to the thing!

It's key to be comfortable with the short backwards roll (1/4 crank rotation)so you end up rocking as opposed to surging and rolling back. I find if the surface is quite flat I sometimes use the rear brake for pedal resistance, release and shove the bike backward to act as the rearward roll an uphill slope would give. As said the crown of the road is just enough in many situations.

Try and fit in a little bit of practise regularly and you'll build progressively until you get an 'AHA!' moment. You can do it, you just have to train your body to be subtle.

Although not massively useful on the trail, I do feel I have a greater sensitivity in my bike control which is no bad thing. And it looks cool 8)

I'm in a similar place with manuals. It feels near impossible but I know I'll get there...one day. I did a brief 1 handed trackstand the other day, right knee pressing on the grip and right hand ready for a high 5 (uphill of course, with no-one looking).

No one gave me a high 5 🙁

I've had people say 'nice skills' to me - was that just sarcasm?

Never had that,but a kid pushed me at some lights in Hackney ,but that's Hackney kids for ya.
He must have thought I was too cool for my own good 😀

As a confirmed mincer I've perfected the 'roll up to an obstacle and pause whilst having a squint to see if it's too tricky' trackstand.

It only lasts a second or two before I have to;

1) keel over sideways 'cos I can't unclip in time.
2) close my eyes and roll in
or
3) get off and walk

You struck me as someone who doesn't need to do this Tim when we rode on Sunday so I'd stick witrh attacking full tilt if I were you 😉

cheers

Luke

brakes is right. It is so important to relax otherwise your movement are far too big and jerky. That is why it is easy to trackstand when you know you can do it as you are relaxed about it!

Cheers Luke.

I owe you a tube mate - join us on Sunday and I'll pay you back.

not sure I can do this weekend - my son's on a DofE walk and I'm not sure what time he needs picking up.

dont' worry about the tube.

We normally bump into the DofE lot trudging about up there anyway - you could bring him a bacon sarnie.

Thanks

Ah - I didn't say it wasn't cool - just that no-one else had said it was and uphillcursing seemed to think we were saying that it was.

It's a skill that, like most other skills, needs practise to get right.

Having skills is cool.

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