Originally Posted by
dglevy
Thanks, everyone, for your comments! Thus far, though, the impression I'm getting is that riding no hands, if the bike won't ride straight or is too unstable--that tells you there's a problem, bent frame or other problem. But what if the bike rides straight and is not unstable. Does that tell you the frame is not bent? Let me put it a better way: Has anyone had the experience of riding a bent frame that did ride straight?
...the only thing you can determine from riding no hands is that if it does not happen, with your weight centered on the saddle, either the wheels are out of alignment (for any one of multiple reasons). Or possible that it is a very steeply angled frame, designed that way to allow for quick lane changes with minimum effort on the bar. Even then, it can be possible to ride no hands on a frame that is misaligned, iff you shift your weight to one side or the other, depending on the misalignment.
It's not a good test because it doesn't really tell you much. Compare it with taking your pulse and blood pressure, then trying to diagnose an illness.