Track Stand

Track Stand
iStaying balanced on your bike while not moving is incredibly useful, not to mention cool.
By Lee McCormack

Small occurrences--a traffic light turning red, or someone falling on the trail in front of you--set into motion the most annoying series of events in cycling: the unclip, the dismount and the fumble to remount. Forget it. The track stand, named for the ability of velodrome racers to balance their fixed-gear bikes on the track, can help you stay upright without unclipping, and it lets you take off quickly. Beyond smooth starts and stops, practicing this move will also help you improve your overall balance on the bike. Much as when you first learned to ride a bike, your first track stands will be wobbly and uncertain, but after your sense of equilibrium clicks, you'll stand perfectly and turn heads wherever you stop.

THE THEORY When you ride, your wheels hold you up by constantly weaving side to side below you as you pedal. At high speed your wheels track fairly, but never perfectly, straight. In a track stand, you create this balancing motion by turning your front wheel on purpose.


THE SETTING In an area free of cars and hecklers, find a spot with a slight grade, which will give you some resistance and speed up your learning curve. Most roadways slope about two degrees at the shoulder, and that's perfect, but if the road has regular traffic, find a yard or driveway with equal slope.

Because of their upright position and wide tires, mountain bikes are easiest to learn on. Unless you can unclip in an instant, use flat pedals. Choose a gear you can turn easily, but that won't launch you forward if you happen to sneeze. The perfect gear is one you'd use to cruise on flat ground.


THE PRACTICE Good general bike balancing technique is key: Keep your grip light, your body weight centered, and look ahead. Clenching the handlebar tightly tenses your entire upper body. Having too much body weight forward, over your handlebar, throws off your center of gravity; concentrate on keeping your weight over the bottom bracket of your bike. Also, looking down at your front wheel--which is especially tempting at slow speeds or when practicing your track stand--disrupts your equilibrium.

Approach your balancing point perpendicular to the slope, with the rise going upward to your left. Stand on the pedals, legs slightly bent, with your left, or uphill, foot in front so that it won't hit the back of your front tire.

Come to a gradual stop at your spot. As your momentum ebbs, gently but sharply turn your front wheel into the slope. Press your front pedal just hard enough to hold your position. It may be tempting to grab the brakes to still yourself, but resist anything more than an occasional light feathering; let the slope do the work.

At first, don't try to be perfectly still. Gently ratchet your left pedal back a few degrees to release pressure and let your bike roll back about a foot, and then push down again so your bike rolls up to the left. Try one back-and-forth, and dismount. Then try the move with more back-and-forths before stepping off. As you gain confidence, you'll be able to swing your bike like a pendulum.


THE NEXT LEVEL Now that you can balance with some movement, try to minimize it. Staying relaxed is key. Apply light pressure to your front pedal to keep yourself still. If you feel like you're falling to the left, push harder. If you feel like you're falling to the right, ease the pressure. At some point you'll feel perfect, motionless equilibrium.

For a how-to video, visit [url]bicycling.com/trackstand[/url].