unusual riding habits

I like back pedaling! Dunno why, but when coasting I like to back pedal a bit.

I make motor bike noises. If anyone sneaks up behind. They will hear me change down a cog and go zooming off. I also like to eat sandwiches when doing big climbs on group rides! I can’t make motor bike noises and eat, but people tend swear at me eating on big climbs. Oh and sprinting up hills on group rides for a wee. You have finish your wee before the group catches you and rejoin.

When doing off road rides getting in front then hiding. Then your mate comes charging past to catch you, sneak out and overtake them again. More being swore at!

He he he

Chickening out on gaps on the first ride of a new track and then wishing I’d done them.

brilliant! not just me that does odd stuff then

Making pinging noises when passing through tunnels or underpasses.

I giggle and scream on my MTB. All the time.

Oh, also riding up hills makes me fart, so I like to wait till a mate (normall y the same mate each time) is gasping for air right behind me and let one rip!

DrP

I bought a cheap second hand folding bike. It was unrideable because it has a back pedal brake. Until then I wasn't aware that every time I stop pedalling to coast I back pedal until my right foot is down and my left foot is up.

I rely on SPDs for bunny hopping kerbs. All my bikes have SPDs. I discovered how reliant I am on SPDs when I was riding my son's bike with flats and jumped off the pedals just before running heavily into a kerb and crashing.

I like back pedaling! Dunno why, but when coasting I like to back pedal a bit.

I do this too but purely because I like the noise of supadrive hubs

also hands on top of my grips, so not actually gripping the bars but resting on top enough that it doesn’t hinder reaching the brakes, but that may well be just because it helps my gammy wrist

@bobbyspangles your not alone, I too always ride along the 'L' of slow = its the right distance out from the kerbsaide and i find it helps me to be conscious of my lane usage.

I've done it for years, decades even.

On my commutes I used to challenge myself to ride no-hands round the right-hand u-turn into the office car park from the road (for reference of how awesome this skill level is: your average sized car needs to stop and reverse slightly when coming out of the car park and turning left).

Another favourite no-hands-one-leg. Never committed to no-hands-no-legs, nor committed to standing-no-hands without gripping saddle between legs. Leaning bike over with one hand and/or/maybe opposite leg in the air. That kind of stuff. Madly swerving from side to side.

Helps having a very quite farm road/cycle path to do this on.

I don’t hold the grips unless I’m riding downhill or technical trails/singletrack, 800mm bars with Renthal super-tacky push-one.

I will at least have thumbs above the grips, but normally have my hands over the master cylinder, and use my little finger to brake, or on long climbs, hold the bars in the middle either side of the stem, but as soon as its goes downhill, my hands are most comfortable on the grips as wide a grip as possible.

ride along the L in any slow signs painted on the tarmac

Do this as well!

I lift my arse of the saddle before I fart.I try not to celebrate it.

when riding techy steep stuff, i sing to myself in my head - not out loud obviously, not a complete loon. some how i find it helps me ride a little more relaxed and less death-grippy

Mine is simple, I am always riding the worst lines. If there's a perfect line, a fast line, a smooth line, I'm 3 feet away riding over a pile of rocks or doing 3 90 degree turns to go round a simple corner, like sonic the hedgehog collecting rings from the most inconvenient places. Every I ride with gets warned, don't follow me, I am mentally defective.

I think it started as a way to add bits of extra challenge to riding, and maybe as a bit of a reaction to doing a lot of riding at glentress where the main blue groove is usually the easiest smoothest way down the hill. But I still do it everywhere and it damn nearly kills me sometimes 🙂

I think it started as a way to add bits of extra challenge to riding,

Yes I do that too, zig-zagging down a rutted farm track and up and quick manual down the small bank at the side. It's about as technical as it gets off road around here.

I was tempted to just say I practice trials riding (not very well) as that definitely gets a person involved with some wierd riding habits in order to learn some of the essential but totally un-impressive base skills required.

I lift my arse of the saddle before I fart.I try not to celebrate it.

You’re not alone, just can’t do it sitting down

Mine is simple, I am always riding the worst lines

also me…

I will at least have thumbs above the grips, but normally have my hands over the master cylinder

Thats how I meant to word it

When riding alone (90% of my rides) I always have headphones in, Podcasts up hill, music downhill.

On these I always ride on the ridges not the troughs

Pretty sure the act of riding for many on STW could be deemed an unusual habit.

But I still do it everywhere and it damn nearly kills me sometimes

I think you shared a video once 🤣

I lift my arse of the saddle before I fart.I try not to celebrate it.

I used to do this without thinking. Now that I'm more mature, I look around to check that there aren't any witnesses before I let rip.

Mine is simple, I am always riding the worst lines. If there’s a perfect line, a fast line, a smooth line, I’m 3 feet away riding over a pile of rocks or doing 3 90 degree turns to go round a simple corner, like sonic the hedgehog collecting rings from the most inconvenient places.

Yes I do this but only on trails I know well or when I've got new suspension parts to try out, then I'm like your ****ing avin it, as I stuff the forks into horrible wheel gobblers!

On these I always ride on the ridges not the troughs

Yep, much more satisfying sound!

I like to ride between the 'S' and the 'L' on SLOW road markings.

I like to weave around the central roads marking lines on descents (when its clear obviously).

Off-road I'm perfect 😏

Never, ever, ever say "last run" or "one more run"....not even in my earshot.

that and brake checking into jumps that I really shouldn't be slowing down for.

For much of the time I ride with my left hand on the bars and the right on the hoods.

also hands on top of my grips, so not actually gripping the bars but resting on top enough that it doesn’t hinder reaching the brakes, but that may well be just because it helps my gammy wrist

@donslow you need togs in your life.

I burp every time I drink from my bottle. Every single time. Loudly.

I recite the phonetic alphabet if I'm struggling going uphills.......

If I'm going up a hill that requires effort and/or a slow and steady pace I find myself reciting 'my mate marmite' in my head timed with my cadence.

I have no idea why.

I corner with my outside foot down, core as upright as possible and bike cranked over like on the Aaron Gwin tutorial video, on my brompton, in central London. I make schralping noises if I'm really getting into it.

i like waving and talking to animals as i pass by (not all the time mind i must add). cows sheep  horses alpaca etc in fields  mostly. but tbh i will chat to any animals i pass.

edit @hijodeputa this is for you

weirdos

[tries not to make eye contact]

raceface90, that cracked me up, I clearly need to up my game

I lift my arse of the saddle before I fart.I try not to celebrate it.

Surely it would be unusual not to lift it?

Northwind
Full Member
Mine is simple, I am always riding the worst lines. If there’s a perfect line, a fast line, a smooth line, I’m 3 feet away riding over a pile of rocks or doing 3 90 degree turns to go round a simple corner, like sonic the hedgehog collecting rings from the most inconvenient places. Every I ride with gets warned, don’t follow me, I am mentally defective.

My most used phrase when riding in a group tends to be 'you should know better by now than to follow my lines!'

Revving my grips like a motorbike throttle at traffic lights 😎

It was unrideable because it has a back pedal brake. Until then I wasn’t aware that every time I stop pedalling to coast I back pedal until my right foot is down and my left foot is up.

Had the same issue on a hire bike in Amsterdam. Nearly got killed by a tram trying to get off the line and each time i went to lift the pedal the brake came on 😆

On these I always ride on the ridges not the troughs

After stumbling across some street design guidance years ago, I always notice when the council have incorrectly installed the rounded ridge tactile paving on the pedestrian side, and turned it 90 degrees for the cyclists.  Apparently it's called corduroy and it's meant for hazards such as before a flight of steps.

They should use the wider flat top version for cycleways which is much less likely to catch your wheel and cause you to fall off (I saw a commuter do this year's ago, a few greasy leaves on the ridges and it's like a skating rink).  A bit surprised I've not heard of anyone going to court over their broken arm and the type of paving!

On these I always ride on the ridges not the troughs

Yep, much more satisfying sound!

@anagallis_arvensis Que? Regardless of riding on the ridges or in the troughs, we're riding in the same direction as them so is the sound not the same? Assuming installed in the correct direction in the cycle lane, as pictured on the right. I'm not riding in the pedestrian lane.

Assuming installed in the correct direction in the cycle lane

Big assumption this, either that or the lane for peds and bikes swaps 4 times in less than 1km on my ride to work.

People seem to be missing a trick.

When a fart brews, it makes much more sense to exclaim 'Turbo!' upon release, in your best 'Cinema Announcer' voice.

Your ride is now that much better.

1. Counting pedal strokes up hill

2. Saying "path of least resistance" out loud

3. Singing "we all hate Leeds scum" on the down hills (not a clue why this out of all the songs I have in my 🗣️)