Feature

Wed 18 Feb, 2:35 pm GMT

Skills Q&A;: How to trackstand

By Chris Ford, CycleActive

Each week in the lead-up to BikeRadar Live, Chris Ford of bike training and holiday company CycleActive is on hand to answer your questions about mountain bike technique.

Q: A few weeks ago I watched a Martyn Ashton video, and I wondered how he does something which I can’t even imagine. What are the fundamental techniques for trials riding? And how do I do them? I'm 27 now, and I hope I'm not too old to start learning – Reddy

A: The first thing to master if you want to ride trials is the trackstand.  This is the act of remaining completely stationary on your bike, so you can pause between moves. But it’s more than that – this is the skill that gives you the balance and bike control to progress on to everything else. So practise it to perfection.

Start on a gentle uphill slope and ride up it, standing and pedalling, until you’re ready to try to balance. You need just enough speed to let you level out your cranks with equal weight on each foot. Stand tall and straight with most of your weight over your extended arms, pushing down on the bars, and then roll to a stop. As the bike stops, turn the bars a little to one side – whichever feels more comfortable. This gives you a stable platform.

Stand tall and straight with your weight over your arms:

Now see how long you can stay there. Initially it may be just a split second, but try to control any wobbles, not by swinging the bars but by pushing down into them, using weight from your shoulders through your straightened arms. As soon as you feel the balance go, pedal out BEFORE you need to put a foot down. Don’t hold it too long and dab a foot on the ground, as this can become a habit and slow down your progress.

To develop further try to do this while looking ahead, rather than down. Then try it on the flat, a slight downhill with your brakes on or one-handed. But first get the basics right, and without the brakes. This way you learn to control pressure through your feet, rather than push hard against the brakes with your lead foot.

Level out your cranks with equal weight on each foot, and learn to control pressure through your feet:

If you want to go further with trials, try the slightly old but really impressive coaching video that Martyn did for Mountain Biking UK – Dirty Tricks & Cunning Stunts. You can also get Mastering the Art of Trials by Ryan Leech. It’s nowhere near as much fun to watch, and goes quickly to some high level skills, so the MBUK one would be my first choice.

User Comments

There are 10 comments on this post

Showing 1 - 10 of 10 comments

  • I want to practice with her at her snowy castle

  • If you've met any of our team at events or on weekends in the Lakes you will recognise Lisa, who is one of our full time professional instructors and a really impressive skills coach. She worked on this feature with me as she has a great understanding of how proprioception works, and how training it through exercises like this can have a huge impact on the quality of your biking, in all areas of the trail.

    So if you have specific questions on how this kind of training can improve your riding, or are struggling to get to grips with this technique in any way, please just post up your comment and she or I will do our best to help out.

    Chris@cycleactive.co.uk

  • Just got an email about proprioception - here's the quick explanation. Most people recognise the 5 main senses - touch, taste, smell, sight, sound - and proprioception is often described as being the 6th. It is your body's ability to instantly and intuitively react to its environment, be it correcting a stumble, reaching up to grab a ball out of the air, or whatever, without having to use conscious thought.

    Training it is just about the most important thing we do as mountain bikers. The trackstand is one example. We don't have time to think "oh I'm falling left, need to push down on the right bar" we have to be able to just do it. When this starts to work you find yourself correcting slides, skids, off-balance moments or big rock-hits which before might have seen you on the ground. And it all starts from the trackstand.

    Does that make sense? We're working on more detailed training tools for this, other than the trackstand, and intend to build them in to our Merida Marathon, Bontrager 24/12 and Bike Radar Live skills areas, so if you want to know more come and see us at those events.

  • Good advice but here is a link to an article that got me trackstanding in no time - though not quite at no hands as she demonstrates;

    http://www.teamestrogen.com/content.ep?file=asa_trackstand

    The trackstand is not just for trails, it is invaulable out with mates and racing, giving you just a few seconds to review your terrain or help balance on steep ascents or descents, whilst others have to stop. Plus it is one the few skills tricks that is injury free, unlike bunny hops or wheelies.

  • Am i better off getting the flat pedals back on the bike for this? Or just learn clipped up?

    Will you lot be at Builth Wells for Merida this year?

  • you don't need to learn the trackstand on flats if you are used to riding on spd pedals - your natural response to tipping too far sideways should already be to quickly twist the foot and place it on the ground. It might help to just apply a little lube to your cleats to ensure that they do disengage quickly. But stick with what you're used to as you'll then have the exact pedal position that you ride in, and you can practice on every fire road incline for a minute or two in the middle of normal rides.

    As for Builth - yes - we'll be there and we'll work on trackstands, wheelies, manuals, balance beams and some other things in our new 09 skills area. After 3 years of running skills rides off site we're doing things differently this season, with a big focus on core skills and building great bike control.

  • Really useful little peice, with the added bonus of a new word proprioception..a concept my grand-daughter (the family gymnast) described as knowing where the bits of your body should be..all the time without having to think about it!

  • el presidente you legend!

  • that castle that you are practicing at isnt brougham hall in cumbria?

  • @ bryandeady

    can't agree more, I've been able to do the no-handed one for quite some time now.

    http://www.teamestrogen.com/content/asa_trackstand

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