Look Ma, No Hands!

Even if you aren’t tossing up a victory salute, no-handed riding is a good skill to have: you can more easily remove layers or refuel, and it will improve your bike control in every position since it requires manoeuvring the bike from your hips. To learn it, find a flat and open area of pavement or grass. Then follow these steps from skills instructor Harlan Price of TakeAim Cycling. 1.

Start pedalling and choose a gear that allows you to maintain pressure on the pedals at a comfortable cadence. Move your sit bones to the back of the saddle.

2.

“Maintain a steady, running speed so the gyroscopic effect of the wheels

helps you stay balanced,” says Price. “If you’re going too slowly, your body is doing all the balancing.” As you continue to pedal, start to take pressure off your hands by unhinging from your hips with a straight spine, gradually sitting into an upright position. Experiment with

less pressure on the bar, moving from your palms to your fingertips to hovering your hands as you get more comfortable.

3.

Remember to sit up and back throughout the move. “You want to have a really snooty, upright posture,” says Price. “If you stay

hinged forward and just pull your hands off the bar, you’re not really balanced – you’re just holding yourself up with your core.”

4.

Keep your eyes forward to maintain a smooth line of travel, and steer by gently pivoting your hips in the direction you want to go.