Left footed trackstands

mercedism

I have been practising my trackstands and being left footed, i have my left foot forward and my front wheel pointing to this foot. All well in the car parks, but on the roads the camber is the same way i am facing and finding it hard to nail it.

So do the lefties, stick with left foot forward but turn wheel to the right to use the road camber, or practice righty?

Or do i stick with it, just need more practice?

nhoj

I'm right-footed and so track stand with my right foot forward, but I naturally turn the wheel to the left. Camber, where there is much of it, wouldn't make much difference, as the brakes are locked.

mercedism

Will try mixing it up, i thought idea was to use less/no brakes.

nhoj

The idea, for me anyway, is to sit still without having to unclip. I learned to trackstand while mountain biking and riding trials. The rolling back and forth approach didn't occur to us.

Our cycling proficiency test had a slow race, but it was abolished after one or two of us made a mockery of it by sitting stationary at the start.

giropaul

The clue is in the name - track stands are designed for............ the track.
Therefore, the wheel is always turned to the right, i.e. up the banking; right foot forward.
It's a good habit to get into in case you do ever ride the track.

mercedism

Been out today and practised some more. Definitely finding it far easier left foot forward, but can now point the wheel to the right and doesn't feel too bad. So if i can master both left and right wheel facing, then will stick with left foot forward as this feels most comfortable. As its only at junctions that will be fine.

Only thing i am finding at the moment if in a low gear, (which i would expect to be, to be able to pull away from still start) is slightest movement on the pedals and i move too much. In a higher gear i have more control.

Am i right in thinking i should be in low gear, say no. 1.

itsnotarace

mercedism wrote:

Am i right in thinking i should be in low gear, say no. 1.

No, somewhere around the middle but it depends on the gradient. Not too hard that you can't pedal to pull away without toppling over sideways and not too light that you are spinning 140 rpm to get going again

pbt150

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a proper trackstand impossible on a freewheel bike without at least a very small uphill slope at the point your front wheel touches the ground? Ie the rocking back-and-forth type, where you use no breaks?

In the UK the roads camber such that at 99% of the time at junctions and in traffic you achieve this by pointing the bars to the right, ie up the camber of the road.

Right foot forward, wheels to the right I can track stand for as long as I want until I get bored, and can indicate with either hand too. Left foot forward just doesn't work - it comes down to what you practise.

mercedism

itsnotarace wrote:

mercedism wrote:

Am i right in thinking i should be in low gear, say no. 1.

No, somewhere around the middle but it depends on the gradient. Not too hard that you can't pedal to pull away without toppling over sideways and not too light that you are spinning 140 rpm to get going again

Thats makes more sense, why i am finding it easier in higher gears. Will leave out the 140's and practice in higher gears.

Trackstandable

pbt150 wrote:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't a proper trackstand impossible on a freewheel bike without at least a very small uphill slope at the point your front wheel touches the ground? Ie the rocking back-and-forth type, where you use no breaks?

No, it's hard but possible. I uploaded a video 2 years ago in which i do some trackstand-variations on flat ground using my breaks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr93adCjeHc

By now i can do them much longer, with less movement and downhill, too. But his might give you a general impression.

Trackstandable