Unstable out of the saddle

gcwebbyuk · March 2015

I've come from an MTB background, and found cycling out of the saddle quite stable (probably due to the width of the bar).

I now have a road bike (Canyon Endurace), and am finding it a little unstable when I am out of the saddle powering up hills.

Is it just a case of getting more road miles under my belt to get used to the bike more - or is there anything I can work on on/off the bike to aid stability - core exercises maybe?

lostboysaint · March 2015

Get used to it. It's shorter, lighter, narrower, it's going to feel very different.

funkyg · March 2015

I was exactly the same, came from MTB and standing was really unstable on the road bike for me.
Just takes practice - you will get used to it with time.

markhewitt1978 · March 2015

Just to make sure, you're holding the hoods when standing, not the tops?

gcwebbyuk · March 2015

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Just to make sure, you're holding the hoods when standing, not the tops?

No the stem...

Yeah the hoods. I tend to spend 80% of my time there.

markhewitt1978 · March 2015

Just checking! As holding the tops when standing is rather wobbly!

You'll just get used to it, when I first started for example I found the drops horrendously unstable, now I find the opposite!

lostboysaint · March 2015

The other thing is that the geometry is a lot "sharper" and your weight further forward so the bike responds differently (and more quickly) to any changes of input.

kenong · March 2015

Remember to swing the bike lightly left and right... As you learn, you will find yourself swinging it more

larkim · March 2015

If you're clipless, how does the swinging around with the bike fit with not tearing your kness and ankles apart? I'm fine with the swinging around of the frame underneath me, takes me back to being a kid again on my "racer", but now I've started using SPDs (and benefit from it on the flat particularly), I'm conscious that when I'm powering down on the right leg and the bike is swinging down to that side, I'm putting my knees in particular through some odd angles.

gcwebbyuk · March 2015

Going out for a mildly hilly 40 mile ride shortly, so will make a conscious effort to practice the hills out of the saddle.

I've got a trip planned for Easter week to York to go cycling with a mate from the area, need to be used to the hills by then...

markhewitt1978 · March 2015

larkim wrote:

If you're clipless, how does the swinging around with the bike fit with not tearing your kness and ankles apart? I'm fine with the swinging around of the frame underneath me, takes me back to being a kid again on my "racer", but now I've started using SPDs (and benefit from it on the flat particularly), I'm conscious that when I'm powering down on the right leg and the bike is swinging down to that side, I'm putting my knees in particular through some odd angles.

No idea, it just isn't an issue.

John.T · March 2015

larkim wrote:

If you're clipless, how does the swinging around with the bike fit with not tearing your kness and ankles apart? I'm fine with the swinging around of the frame underneath me, takes me back to being a kid again on my "racer", but now I've started using SPDs (and benefit from it on the flat particularly), I'm conscious that when I'm powering down on the right leg and the bike is swinging down to that side, I'm putting my knees in particular through some odd angles.

Sounds like you are doing it all wrong. When the right leg is going down the bike should be moving to the left so the pedal is trying to rise against your foot. Body should remain steady and bike movement should not be excessive.

crikey · March 2015

I watched someone wobbling up a hill the other day on a bike with 'sportive' style geometry; handlebars at or above the level of the saddle. You need to get your weight over the bars to ride standing up and he simply couldn't.

Tim_jones · March 2015

I have this problem as well, but have a different reason. I reckon I'm a stone and a half overweight, smoke and drink too much red wine. Plus I'm near 50. Usually I find its me gasping for breath that causes the unsteadiness

BrandonA · March 2015

I'd question the quality of your forks and your wheels. Also your tyre pressure.

I like a lot of pressure in my tyres, if they are slightly lower than I want I can sometimes feel the tyre squashing down when I stand and throw down the power.

If you forks aren't very good they could be flexing when you push the bike from site to site.

On my winter bike it came with cheap wheels. I used to use the old Garmin speed/cadence sensor on the bike. When I would site down and cycle the sensor would work as you'd expect. When I would stand up and throw down the pressure the cheap wheels would flex and the spoke magnet would hit the Garmin sensor.

rick_chasey · March 2015

Always happens a bit when you moves to a shorter handlebar width.

MTB handlebars are significantly wider than road, so no surprises there.

I had it a bit for the first couple of rides with my upgrade bike with a 38cm handlebar over a 40cm FWIW.

Just practice, you'll be fine.

People on forums have a tendency to spend too much time overthinking the answer. Don't worry about the quality of your bike - they're bloody lovely bikes, canyons.

dj58 · March 2015

I'd be surprised if there was a problem with fork and wheel flex on the OP's Canyon Endurace, vorsprung durch technik and all that.

gcwebbyuk · March 2015

Agreed, nowt wrong with the bike, it's me that needs to practice more.

larkim · March 2015

John.T wrote:

larkim wrote:

If you're clipless, how does the swinging around with the bike fit with not tearing your kness and ankles apart? I'm fine with the swinging around of the frame underneath me, takes me back to being a kid again on my "racer", but now I've started using SPDs (and benefit from it on the flat particularly), I'm conscious that when I'm powering down on the right leg and the bike is swinging down to that side, I'm putting my knees in particular through some odd angles.

Sounds like you are doing it all wrong. When the right leg is going down the bike should be moving to the left so the pedal is trying to rise against your foot. Body should remain steady and bike movement should not be excessive.

Yep, of course you're right, I'd got the mental picture of that wrong in my head.

But the point still stands, accepting that the bike doesn't sway around more than, say, 10-15 degrees off perpendicular - you've got a body which is trying to stay steady, the bike swaying left to right (and therefore the plane of the pedals swaying with similar angles) so your ankle has to match that angle too in order for the foot to stay flat on the pedal. Perhaps I'm swaying too much, or just too sensitive to this, but it does feel like my knees come under some strain in this phase.

kajjal · March 2015

gcwebbyuk wrote:

Agreed, nowt wrong with the bike, it's me that needs to practice more.

I came to road biking from mountain biking and found pedalling while standing much harder on a road bike but after some practice found the balance point of the bike when stood up and it is now fine. I use the hoods as it is much easier for me to balance.

Your right it is just practice

surrey_commuter · March 2015

took the advice on here and leant forwards more... definitely more stable.

Thanks chaps

iron-clover · March 2015

I had the exact same problem- I could stand up easily on my wide bar hybrid, but it took about a year and a half to be fully confident riding out of the saddle on the road bike, as the others have said the handling is much less stable and takes a while to get used to it.

I must admit I've never thought about putting weight over the front makes it more stable (I'd have thought shifting the center of gravity forward would make the front even more twitchy) but that is what you naturally do when out of the saddle so it must help.

Unstable out of the saddle

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