Track Stands at Traffic Lights.

iainmoss

I like to practice track stands whilst waiting at red lights. Its just another personal challenge; an injection of fun to my daily commute.
Am I looked upon by fellow cyclists and non-cyclists as a show off or worse? Its been a long time since I've seen any other cyclist do the same.

I'm not that bothered about other peoples' opinions- I will continue to trackstand regardless but I am interested in your view.

Perhaps the most important thing here is the fact that I am actually waiting at red lights!

redvee

I wish I could balance that long. Can manage some times but as soon as I put my foot down the lights change

lost_in_thought

One day... one day I will be able to do a proper trackstand.. I am currently at about 0.5 of a second before it starts to get embarrassing!

iainmoss

I'm starting to get the idea that I am blessed with better than average balance. If I wasn't an atheist I would praise the Lord.

My tip for a good trackstand is to keep in the highest gear you can.

lost_in_thought

To quote a relatively recent film: 'Gear?!?!?!?'

I only have the one to choose from, which should make it easier, so even greater kudos to you Iain!!

WeeJimmy

I'm with redvee on this; I'll balance as long as I can but you can guarentee that as soon as my foot goes down the lights change (and the driver of the car behind me thinks "Pillock"!) :roll:

ride_whenever

I appear to be able to hold them, practically motionless, indefinately. The Oxford traffic system has helped immeasurably!

karl j

Top man !

i reckon there's some kind of conspiracy going on in Norwich as it seems to be almost a fixie free zone. I've only ever seen two and one of them's mine.

doyler78

Would love to be able to do this but can't but then again I can't even manage to take my hands of the bars and ride so that shows how useless my balance is!!

I roll up to traffic lights really slowly that way I hope not to have to unclip which I hate all the in/out that is associated with them.

Parkey

ride_whenever wrote:

The Oxford traffic system has helped immeasurably!

You mean, practically motionless, indefinately.

Well, unless you're on a bus or bike

downfader

Track stand? Whats that? :shock:

iainmoss

downfader wrote:

Track stand? Whats that? :shock:

The art of balancing, motionless waiting for the green light/starting pistol. Feet on pedals & ready to burn rubber.

robmanic1

iainmoss wrote:

downfader wrote:

Track stand? Whats that? :shock:

The art of balancing, motionless waiting for the green light/starting pistol. Feet on pedals & ready to burn rubber.

,,,or eat tarmac because you can't unclip quickly enough!

girv73

I with you

I do it too. I'm rubbish at them, but I don't much care what the drivers think as it's just a bit of harmless fun. What else are you going to do?

Tobiwan

I think it's great fun, can't do it to myself but I do try to go as slow as I can before I topple off! Having clips rather than spds means it's easier to get my feet out in time. Having a pannier on one side only doesn't help though (well hey, that's my excuse!).

I only bother when it's quiet though as I'm too worried about falling into someone else otherwise, or just generally looking like a prat. And yes, the lights invariable change just as I lose balance.. why is that!?

snooks

But why do the peeps that track stand have to push their way to the front of the queue?? May be I'm just being british and whingy about this...but every ones else is waiting patiently, why the donald duck can't the pushing in track standers do the same??? eh? eh?

If you arrive at a gaggle late, your rightful place is at the back....Why do the majority go to the front, squeeze past the other cyclists, and sit in front of a car at an odd angle...then they are slow to get away?

What's the hurry?...you're only going to spend longer at werk

lost_in_thought

I have to say that I've done this a couple of times, always try to stay out of people's way and apologise too... but due to my lack of ability to track stand and my wish to practice, I always seem to find myself creeping forward...

Also, as a fixed, I have to stop with my pedal at the right place for pulling off again or I'm hopeless, so i do occasionally go through the gaggle as a result of that. I apologise, I used to try to explain myself but only ever got evil stares as a reward. And if I've crept forward I try to make damn sure I've disappeared into the distance at speed when the lights change...

2wheelzgood

I've been practising lately and at lights I do usually slow to get the run or trackstand if possible.
I used to run pedestrian crossing if there was no one crossing and no other cars or junctions where I'm facing up hill and I wouldn't be crossing up any cars, but I've found these excellent places to refine trackstanding.

I have fallen over a couple of times as unclipping on the side I'm falling to feels very unnerving.. if you lean more that way or swivel that foot, my brain goes "no no you don't, that'll make us fall even quicker". So I end up clipped in clenching the bars (not by the ends and WHACK side-plant into the tarmac. Big bar ends are ace at saving me hands. shoulders hurt a bit.

I'm dreading the day where I fall into the car on my right as it starts pulling off! :shock:

the_hundredth_idiot

Trackstanders are the BMW drivers of the bike world. No-one likes you.

A courier on a fixie (white with red rims/tyres, stupidly small handlebars) did the whole track stand thing next to me on Cheapside yesterday lunchtime. I think he was trying to make it clear he was higher in the pecking order than the MTB riding goon (me) next to him.

He wobbled, he went back and forwards, he ended up almost perpendicular to the road. And, then (the Lord be praised), keeled over to the side just getting his foot unclipped in time to save a face plant. At that point, the lights changed.

I casually sat there with one foot on the floor - nice and relaxed and with a big smile watching him. He then cut straight across me to turn left and hide his shame.

fonty1978

Not something i've thought of trying to be honest. Though i would have to be accurate to get the trackstand right as i have SPD's which could be embarrasing as i pick myself off the tarmac.

I tend to adopt a head down in readiness stance, thighs coiled like a spring as tick follows tock and then away we go.

gtvlusso

Being welded to the bike via SPD-SL's does not help - faceplant into tarmac is not my idea of fun. Generally, I put a foot down anyway on a geared bike, it is much easier on my fixie as you can back spin a bit and it is bloody light!

ride_whenever

I use to try and do them clipped in, but would unclip one foot to give me a direction to fall! I've since got a lot better on flats at them and am much happier doing it clipped in!

lost_in_thought

I'm getting better, managed a whole pedestrian crossing today!

Jon8a

I try and do my whole commute without any dabs. I can do it regularly now. Has really helped my balance with all the practice. Ride a SS not a fixie so I can't pedal backwards, just use the breaks and balance my weight on the pedals.

Just gone to spds on my commuter but was on flats for a while which makes it easier mentally.

Surf-Matt

In my ten mile daily cycle I don't pass through a single traffic light 8)
But buses do like to stop in front of me for about two minutes (unpassable) - so I track stand until they get moving. Not sure if it's the bike or me but seem to be able to hold them for as long as needed - and yes, it is showing off a bit... :oops:

karl j

Surf-Matt wrote:

In my ten mile daily cycle I don't pass through a single traffic light 8)

Hi Matt, i thought that r'bout at the end of Malpas Rd / Morlaix Ave had traffic lights on it ? mind you that was a while ago...

redvee

I've tried to do a foot-up commute but having to go through numerous sets of light in Bristol around Newfoundland Circus, I've always failed usually only the once though. Does leaning against cars/vans count as a non-dab?

Littigator

Wathcing people pitch and wobble about desparately at the front of the lights does kind of make me think 'Nob', but when you see one done really well then 'Chapeau' as Biondino would say.

I s'pose noob trackstanders have to start with the wobbly bit to get good.

victor ludorum

The Hundredth Idiot wrote:

Trackstanders are the BMW drivers of the bike world. No-one likes you.

A courier on a fixie (white with red rims/tyres, stupidly small handlebars) did the whole track stand thing next to me on Cheapside yesterday lunchtime. I think he was trying to make it clear he was higher in the pecking order than the MTB riding goon (me) next to him.

He wobbled, he went back and forwards, he ended up almost perpendicular to the road. And, then (the Lord be praised), keeled over to the side just getting his foot unclipped in time to save a face plant. At that point, the lights changed.

I casually sat there with one foot on the floor - nice and relaxed and with a big smile watching him. He then cut straight across me to turn left and hide his shame.

In fairness, that's not doing a trackstand, that's riding around very slowly until the lights change. Since the point of a trackstand is to allow a track start without having to clip in, wandering about until you face the wrong way counts as a loss... I'd struggle not to call out something like 'Dude, you obviously need to practice your track-standing, but do you have to do it on the road?'

The one's who really get in my nerves are the riders who don't even trackstand badly, but just ride around in the ASL and the space in front doing figures-of-eight and circles until the lights change. Then they finish off their little circuit, line themselves up and ride off leaving all of the other traffic standing around (bikes and cars) because no-one can move until they are out of the way.

I saw a guy on a hybrid with full on aero-bars (why?) doing this the other day across a junction from me. He was riding round and round across two lanes of traffic, even though one of them was a left-turn filter lane with its own green light. He kept having to duck out of the way of left turning traffic and then, when the lights changed, he was facing the wrong way... :roll:

secretsam

It's a bit of a show off bloke thing

really a bit silly, especially if some geriatric on a foldie blows you away from the lights...

2wheelzgood

the only way I can get beaten off the line when I'm trackstanding is if I do it statuesque enough to draw breathless onlookers who crowd in and block all other traffic off inadvertently as they have eyes only for me.

:roll: