thirtyminbreak

I can't ride with no hands.
anyone else?

BMonei

It's all about commitment.

spry

"cricketts"

making

when I was a kid I rode with no hands a lot. Now I have to think about it, still not easy. Think about control with the seat.

Chromavita

I can ride my bike with no handlebars.

nachomc

no handlebars

EatMyA**

Well, I could, but it wouldn't be a good idea.

thadcombs

When I get back on my road bike after riding my fixed gear, I can't ride without hands anymore.
It's like the constant pedaling of the fixed gear helps me balance.
When I try to pedal no hands on my road bike, all of a sudden I can balance again!
Weird!

kudude

it does matter which bike you're riding. Wheelbase, fork rake, etc, have an effect. some bikes like to be ridden no hands, so don't

Surferbruce

you can do it.

scotch

i learned to do it as a kid so it's easy for me. track standing is much harder i think.

KiddSisko

It's a regular part of my ride when I need to stretch my back, neck and arms.

thirtyminbreak

That's exactly why i wish I could do it. My lower back is going through some physical training due to a car crash...

umd

Very easy

Sirrobinofcoxly

depends on the bike

portabletornado

The other day when I received, read and responded to a text message while biking... I decided maybe I should keep my hands on the bars a little more regularly.

sp00ki

i did it once, on my way back from an 80 mile ride on my fixed. my back hurt, so i said **** it, and rode for like twenty yards. came back down, haven't been able to do it again since.

8(

krazygluon

Flobots FTW

Nachoman

I find it easy too. But one thing I don't like seeing is somebody in front of me in a group ride, riding with no hands. I always think it's a yahoo showing off, whose about to fall flat on his face and cause a pile up.

umd

In a group ride with racers it is very common to see people riding in the pack with no hands, to put on/take off clothes (jacket, warmers, etc.), get food, adjust helmet (e.g. take off/put on). It's really not a big deal.

Fird

wouldn't fork angle (is that "fork rake" i'm a n00b) have the most affect on the ability of a bike to handle "no hands" operation? A bike set up to be more nimble would also be more "jumpy" on the front end and might schedule you an unwanted up-close meeting with the pavement.

Carbon Unit

As a kid I could ride my Raleigh for hours without hands, but not the ride bike I have now. I think the geometry is different. The bike I ride now is very responsive. I get the feeling that if I take my hands off the bars, the bike will go three feet and fall over. I may be wrong but I don't have the confidence to find out.

umd

My tarmac is "twitchier" than my TCR. When I first got it, it took me a few rides to get used to the feeling.

Tunnelrat81

If you're well balanced you can pull your hands off the bars at 50 mph with no adverse effects. It's just generally not a smart thing to do, but you should be able to do it with no problems if you're bike is straight/solid. I have done this around 45+ just to see how the bike handles it, and it was perfect. Bikes, much like motorcycles, can easily be ridden no hands at once up to to a reasonable speed unless you have a nasty crosswind or terribly bumpy/rutty road. The jacket thing can be a little sketchy if the road isn't level and there's that second or two when both hands are unavailable if you hit something that tries to turn your bars.

I'm personally shocked that so many people here have answered no way.

-Jeremy

umd

Let's put it this way. If you jumped off your bike, it would keep going in a straight line without you. If you want to ride without hands, all you have to do is not screw it up. I know I used to do that all the time as a kid... did anyone else try that?