I can only trackstand for about 10 seconds. I almost never have to do a trackstand, though.colorado said:
Trackstand
How long can most of you trackstand?
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I just started practicing trackstands today...I hear they can improve balance for single track
I've done it for about 3 minutes but got bored and broke it off -- once you get in that zone you can stay there indefinitely
colorado said:How long can most of you trackstand?
How long did it take you to learn them that well?...to where you feel you can do it indefinitely?robotkiller said:I've done it for about 3 minutes but got bored and broke it off -- once you get in that zone you can stay there indefinitely
It's not really that difficult -- I'm hardly the most skilled rider. It's all about practice -- I used to commute by bike, so I'd trackstand red lights, etc. It took a couple of months of practice to get really good at it.colorado said:How long did it take you to learn them that well?...to where you feel you can do it indefinitely?
It's best to first try it on a slight incline in a higher gear and stare at *one* spot. Keep your pedals at 9 and 3 and turn your wheel to the left and twist your torso to the right. Feather your brake and use your body weight to gently rock the bike back and forth if needed to maintain balance.
forever working on mine
I'm in awe of the bike messengers who do this like it's nothing. I can sorta kinda do them, but it usually involves a lot of movement, even a pedal stroke to maintain the balance, but that's not the right way.
They do come in handy, when you have to stop suddenly and don't want to dismount or dab so that you can take off again just as quickly.
I'm in awe of the bike messengers who do this like it's nothing. I can sorta kinda do them, but it usually involves a lot of movement, even a pedal stroke to maintain the balance, but that's not the right way.
They do come in handy, when you have to stop suddenly and don't want to dismount or dab so that you can take off again just as quickly.
On a slight incline i did one for 5 minutes and got bored so I stopped. Ususally I loose concentration after 1 minute, so mine aren't usually longer then say 20secs or so.
If on a slight incline, then I can also do No handed trackstands(kinda pointless though, LOL!).
I can't do them aswell as some Roadies though.
They help ALOT when your in really tight techincal sections(Where most people speed through, I take my time, I'm a wuss
)
If on a slight incline, then I can also do No handed trackstands(kinda pointless though, LOL!).
I can't do them aswell as some Roadies though.
They help ALOT when your in really tight techincal sections(Where most people speed through, I take my time, I'm a wuss
)I can maintain a horizontal trackstand indefinitely.colorado said:How long can most of you trackstand?
I haven't tried one in maybe a decade, but I remember we had contests. I was able to hold one for 10 minutes if I recall.colorado said:How long can most of you trackstand?
The trick is to be on a slight sidehill (which is like most streets due to their higher center) and turn your front wheel uphill. The bike will want to roll backwards and downhill, so slight pedal pressure resists that motion. Easy!
Trackstands became kind of pointless after I got clipless pedals. Get to a red light, step out. Green light, step in. Oh yeah, It's easier with a rigid fork rather than a gushy 5" travel freeride fork.
The time spent practicing could be spent actually riding and going somewhere. Life's too short to stand around!colorado said:How long can most of you trackstand?
Not that great at trackstanding, but when I was a kid, I left my bike on the kickstand so long it melted into the driveway.
I say don't use the brakes when still, I let the bike 'roll' back and use the pedal pressure to oppose the rolling. And my technique is the 'steer-to-forward-foot' one.robotkiller said:It's not really that difficult -- I'm hardly the most skilled rider. It's all about practice -- I used to commute by bike, so I'd trackstand red lights, etc. It took a couple of months of practice to get really good at it.
It's best to first try it on a slight incline in a higher gear and stare at *one* spot. Keep your pedals at 9 and 3 and turn your wheel to the left and twist your torso to the right. Feather your brake and use your body weight to gently rock the bike back and forth if needed to maintain balance.
I've being 'practicing' trackstanding for 4 or 5 months, when I say 'practising' I mean 1/2 hour in 2 months. I'm not consistent but the shortest is 3 seconds, longest is 3 minutes but the usual trackstand is 40 seconds.
I am gobsmacked watching messengers that effortlessly trackstand at traffic lights, but that's if they decide to stop at traffic lights in certain stituations eg. cops or just plain good behaviour.
I still think trackstanding still applies to clipless users, useful to get going immediately to not be overrunned by CBD traffic.
did the same thing! just standing there, watching the cars go by, not much fun.robotkiller said:I've done it for about 3 minutes but got bored and broke it off -- once you get in that zone you can stay there indefinitely
for those that are learning, truly the easiest way is to do it on a track bike/fixed gar
I've never timed myself. I just do it at red lights. Of course, I have a fixed gear so its kind of cheating. If you want to practice I would HIGHLY recommend that you do so when not clipped in. I've gotten to the point where I can last fine for most lights but occasionally i have to roll forward a bit. I'm still working on that rock solid trackstand. I only do it at lights though. I don't dedicate actual riding time to it.
I think trackstanding is really useful...I can go for at least a minute, never tried to go longer. But man is it nice to know that when you're up on a skinny, you can just pause, recompose, and keep moving...if nothing else its just improving your sense of balance, which is always helpful anytime you're on a bike
long as I need to
probably a half hour or so is the longest I ever did a trackstand, because that's how long it took the cars in front of me in the bank driveup line on payday to clear out.
I learned as a roadie who ran two Binda Extra toe straps per pedal, pulled tight with deep slotted cleats, and I'd just balance at every light without loosening the straps.
Perfected it as a sprinter on the velodrome, where I could pretty much force anyone to lead if I wanted, though I actually used to do pretty well in front, just methodically winding it up until we were going so fast on the last half-lap that it took a pretty good sprinter to accelerate past me. If we weren't absolutely flying with a lap to go, though, I usually lost, as I had a great top end but a pretty lame short sprint.
Cool track trackstand story. Once at TTown nelson vails and I forget who were doing a 2-up spring and Vails was stopped down low with the other guy up high near the boards. Vails bunnyhopped his bike up the banking until he was like a foot from the other guy and then just stared in the guy's face from a foot away until the other guy freaked out and started rolling. That was cool, huhhuh huh huh.
Also at TTown, during the Nationals or something, or maybe the junior worlds, I forget, a guy did a trackstand on a table in the infield for 24 hours. He was there when we left and still there when we came back the next day. I remember when he finished he sat on the handlebars facing backwards and pedaled his bike around the track a few times. I tried for the longest time after that to do that but never could.
You can practice your trackstands indoors or in the garage this winter and be like a god come spring.
probably a half hour or so is the longest I ever did a trackstand, because that's how long it took the cars in front of me in the bank driveup line on payday to clear out.
I learned as a roadie who ran two Binda Extra toe straps per pedal, pulled tight with deep slotted cleats, and I'd just balance at every light without loosening the straps.
Perfected it as a sprinter on the velodrome, where I could pretty much force anyone to lead if I wanted, though I actually used to do pretty well in front, just methodically winding it up until we were going so fast on the last half-lap that it took a pretty good sprinter to accelerate past me. If we weren't absolutely flying with a lap to go, though, I usually lost, as I had a great top end but a pretty lame short sprint.
Cool track trackstand story. Once at TTown nelson vails and I forget who were doing a 2-up spring and Vails was stopped down low with the other guy up high near the boards. Vails bunnyhopped his bike up the banking until he was like a foot from the other guy and then just stared in the guy's face from a foot away until the other guy freaked out and started rolling. That was cool, huhhuh huh huh.
Also at TTown, during the Nationals or something, or maybe the junior worlds, I forget, a guy did a trackstand on a table in the infield for 24 hours. He was there when we left and still there when we came back the next day. I remember when he finished he sat on the handlebars facing backwards and pedaled his bike around the track a few times. I tried for the longest time after that to do that but never could.
You can practice your trackstands indoors or in the garage this winter and be like a god come spring.
Once you find the balance point in a trackstand, you can pretty much do it as long as you want until you are board and tire.
BulC- You brought back memories of going to velodrome races when I was a child. Always liked the bell races. For someone who has never seen velodrome racing, it is really fun, there is a lot of strategy and mind games that go on.
BulC- You brought back memories of going to velodrome races when I was a child. Always liked the bell races. For someone who has never seen velodrome racing, it is really fun, there is a lot of strategy and mind games that go on.
I don't know if that is something that Vails did regularly, but a friend (who went to TTown occasionally) told me the same exact story. I would have liked to see that.bulC said:Cool track trackstand story. Once at TTown nelson vails and I forget who were doing a 2-up spring and Vails was stopped down low with the other guy up high near the boards. Vails bunnyhopped his bike up the banking until he was like a foot from the other guy and then just stared in the guy's face from a foot away until the other guy freaked out and started rolling. That was cool, huhhuh huh huh.
Just long enough . . .
that it comes as a surprise when I topple over.
that it comes as a surprise when I topple over.
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