Nohands riding and starting.

[jond]

OK you balance addicts, you think this girl on the bamboo bike has some serious balance skills, check out this routine!
You need to be sitting down with one free hand to hold your jaw when it drops.

Larry amazing my jaw is back up.

Nicole's husband used to be a cyclist. Now he is merely a seat post of his former self.
Just traded the panda for balance girl. Nice handlebars. !

 

[bladderhead]

I dislocated my jaw.

why keep banging my head against the wall

Wear a helmet.

 

[ak-tux]

Fast No hands Silvio-1.0 at 1:32

 

[Bentas]

OK you balance addicts, you think this girl on the bamboo bike has some serious balance skills, check out this routine!
You need to be sitting down with one free hand to hold your jaw when it drops.

More proof of how hard it is to get comfortable on a dang upright!

 

[Seth Cooper]

After about 800 miles on the vendetta, I'm starting to feel like one day I will be able to ride no-handed and pedal. I think it is largely a matter of intentional practice, ratz is right, just try it for a few minutes on every ride. Someone else (dsteng?) mentioned pushing outward a little with your foot as you push to reduce the pedal steer and that also seems to help.

I can ride no-hands and pedal for 10 sec or so right now, including catching a minor wobble or two, but eventually I get too-big a wobble and I have to grab the bars. It is enough that I can see the point coming where I will be able to catch all wobbles without going to my hands.

Fun stuff.

 

[Balor]

After about 800 miles on the vendetta, I'm starting to feel like one day I will be able to ride no-handed and pedal. I think it is largely a matter of intentional practice, ratz is right, just try it for a few minutes on every ride. Someone else (dsteng?) mentioned pushing outward a little with your foot as you push to reduce the pedal steer and that also seems to help.

I can ride no-hands and pedal for 10 sec or so right now, including catching a minor wobble or two, but eventually I get too-big a wobble and I have to grab the bars. It is enough that I can see the point coming where I will be able to catch all wobbles without going to my hands.

Fun stuff.

Well, it took me a few thousand miles to get somewhat comfortable riding one-handed on my first MBB bent (65 deg steering angle, short trail), and the prototype I've been mentioning was not *that* much different due to not enough trail and huge bars that threw weight distribution out of whack (it nearly self steers OUT of the lean instead, like most non-MBB recumbents with tiller steering - reason why most of them, while quite stable, are nearly impossible to ride no-handed).

On my last prototype, however, (90 deg steering angle, 6cm trail) I've managed to 'coast no-handed' on my second ride, and it took me only a few more rides to pedal no-handed - still a bit wobbly like you said, but otherwise quite doable (it actually took me longer to learn to ride no-handed on DF!).
Geometry matters a LOT... especially if your kineasthetics suck

 

[bladderhead]

I can ride no-hands and pedal for 10 sec or so

I went through that stage on my Silvio. It feels as if the wobbles are amplifying, like some sort of positive feedback. Soon you will be able to go for ages. A bumpy road can disrupt you. Sometimes the bumps have a steering effect.

I never got anywhere near no-hands on my Grasshopper, but if you take your hands off a Cruzbike you are still steering with your feet. Real no-hands on a Cruzbike is when you take your hands and feet off.

 

[Balor]

Real no-hands on a Cruzbike is when you take your hands and feet off.

Good point, but then you'll have no means of propulsion... but worth a test doing it downhill. Would likely be even easier in my case - my 'leg steering' skills are negative if you ask me...

 

[bladderhead]

You need a long, almost flat hill. Too steep and you will have to brake. And you want a smooth road.