A
alca
Guest
Encouragement
The very first thing to learn is the trackstand. This is where you balance on your bike, trying to move your wheels as little as possible. This is the hardest thing for most people to learn (at least for me it was), so don't get frustrated at yourself when you suck at it. It took me about 2 months, I think, before I could do it decently well. The most important thing is PRACTICE, the more you try to trackstand, the better you're going to get at it. You'll see, I promise...
Instruction
* Find a slight uphill on concrete.
* Figure out which foot is your "good" or "forward" or "chocolate" foot, the foot you are most comfortable having in front
* Get on your bike and roll forward, put your good foot forward
* Roll to a stop (don't use your brakes at all in this excerise)
* Keep your pedals level with level ground (this goes for pretty much all the time in trials)
* (so if you're on a hill, don't keep your pedals level with the hill, keep them level with imaginary level ground)
* Turn your wheel away from your forward foot about 45 degrees (left foot forward, turn the wheel to the right; or right foot forward, turn left)
* Why? - turning your wheel away from your forward foot will be better for your lower back. For example, if your left foot is forward, your hips will point to the right. To keep from twisting your spine (especially in the lower back), your shoulders should be pointing to the right as well, hence the wheel to the right for left foot forward.
* Try to maintain your position on the hill by pushing lightly on your front pedal
* A rocking motion will probably help... Push on the pedal enough to go forward, then let off and roll back a bit. Rinse and repeat. Er, I mean repeat.
* Keep your head way forward, almost over your front axle
* Keep your arms close to locked straight
* Keep your front leg pretty straight
* Keep your back leg bent a little, and use it for balance along with turning your wheel and shifting whatever body mass you can around over the bike (sounds hard because it is, it will get natural after a lot of practice, only now after over a year of riding am I VERY comfortable with balancing on most anything)
* Look about 6 feet forward - it's easier than looking straight down
* And most important: Try to relax. Trying to control the bike is only going to make you sore. When you have learned to balance, trackstanding is nearly effortless.
The very first thing to learn is the trackstand. This is where you balance on your bike, trying to move your wheels as little as possible. This is the hardest thing for most people to learn (at least for me it was), so don't get frustrated at yourself when you suck at it. It took me about 2 months, I think, before I could do it decently well. The most important thing is PRACTICE, the more you try to trackstand, the better you're going to get at it. You'll see, I promise...
Instruction
* Find a slight uphill on concrete.
* Figure out which foot is your "good" or "forward" or "chocolate" foot, the foot you are most comfortable having in front
* Get on your bike and roll forward, put your good foot forward
* Roll to a stop (don't use your brakes at all in this excerise)
* Keep your pedals level with level ground (this goes for pretty much all the time in trials)
* (so if you're on a hill, don't keep your pedals level with the hill, keep them level with imaginary level ground)
* Turn your wheel away from your forward foot about 45 degrees (left foot forward, turn the wheel to the right; or right foot forward, turn left)
* Why? - turning your wheel away from your forward foot will be better for your lower back. For example, if your left foot is forward, your hips will point to the right. To keep from twisting your spine (especially in the lower back), your shoulders should be pointing to the right as well, hence the wheel to the right for left foot forward.
* Try to maintain your position on the hill by pushing lightly on your front pedal
* A rocking motion will probably help... Push on the pedal enough to go forward, then let off and roll back a bit. Rinse and repeat. Er, I mean repeat.
* Keep your head way forward, almost over your front axle
* Keep your arms close to locked straight
* Keep your front leg pretty straight
* Keep your back leg bent a little, and use it for balance along with turning your wheel and shifting whatever body mass you can around over the bike (sounds hard because it is, it will get natural after a lot of practice, only now after over a year of riding am I VERY comfortable with balancing on most anything)
* Look about 6 feet forward - it's easier than looking straight down
* And most important: Try to relax. Trying to control the bike is only going to make you sore. When you have learned to balance, trackstanding is nearly effortless.