The art of stationary balancing

The place to discuss your riding techniques.

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cactus jack
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Re: The art of stationary balancing

Postby cactus jack » Sun Apr 25, 2010 1:08 am

Its funny reading this post, because it brings back memory's from when I was a kid. I used to go out into the back yard every night after school and practice my balancing and slow riding techniques. I got to the stage where I could balance ad nauseam. I started out every night riding in the tightest possible figure of 8's at the slowest speed I could without stopping. I would do this for 30 mins. Then I would static balance for 45 mins or so. In the end i was balancing for the entire 45 mins. It is all about practice. I used to use the bars, I would always have the bars turned about 1/2 of full lock. I would use the pegs and body weight only to correct when the bars were past their limit. Then the legs would fly as a last resort. I would also practice sitting down and standing.

Even to this day, 15 or so years later, I still outbalance all my mates and use trials techniques over logs and stuff. I ride over things on my TE510 that all my mates shy away from. It's all thanks to trials. I can't wait to get a new trials bike!!!!

Keep practising and you will get better and better.

No Stop
CJ



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Re: The art of stationary balancing

Postby Neo » Sun Apr 25, 2010 5:16 am

This thread brings back memory's for me too....as it was 5 years ago when I stated it :D

This thread has done quite well but I would have hoped the whole Trials Techniques section would have done better by now.I''m Not sure why that is. :roll:

Best of balance.
Neo


"Nothing more and nothing less than the vision of success"..... Ryan Leech
"TRIALS....It's not life or death....It's much more serious than that!!".....

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BJ
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Re: The art of stationary balancing

Postby BJ » Sun Apr 25, 2010 8:47 am

:D Get some funny looks doing full lock circle work on the Kato I can tell ya!

I wish I was as brave now as I was when I was 18 and could really use the skills I picked up riding trials. It's more than just clutch throttle and brake control. I've got far greater accuracy and ability to let the bike move around over the rough stuff without feeling unsettled.

I did an advanced enduro riding school the other week and the guys were all saying to hang on with my knees.......... I told them it only rubs the paint off the bike and scratched the plastics and they should learn the flow with bike not just ride like they're bolted on it :lol:

It reminds me when Sherco Girl told me I was hanging on with my knees like an enduro rider when I did my first trials school!


BJ
Gone over to the Dark Side for a bit!!!!
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Re: The art of stationary balancing

Postby Stu » Sun Apr 25, 2010 10:51 am

Now I have a road bike, I've used some trials techniques, like using the back brake to help steady it in corners and the balance fun at traffic lights. It actually works! With regard to enduro bikes, the looser the better I've found and the trials stance is more comfortable than cramping up on the bikes too.


Feet up, as always!

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Re: The art of stationary balancing

Postby phoenix75 » Mon Apr 26, 2010 8:34 pm

Hey Guys,

Just before I set out on the day if you start by just sitting down on the bike bring your feet up onto the pegs.... I find it easy just to sit there for awhile, get your mind Clear and stare at eye level. That does it for me.....Because the lower centre of Gravity it is easier to balance... Then go to Standing up.....Hope This Helps


VIVA MONTESA

Frank van Heerden

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Re: The art of stationary balancing

Postby bogdit » Tue Apr 27, 2010 6:07 pm

Dear All,
First things first, if you are an older codger like me, fit bigger footpegs. I can't for the life of me stay up on the old skinny pegs on the Montesa or Yamaha and Honda, but with a wider style peg there certainly is some improvement. (Not bleeding very much, but still a very small improvement).
Secondly, wear your riding boots (bugger those shin and ankle whacks put me on the ground for at least an hour)
You need to ride em when the bikes going, so may as well wear them whilst practising.

The handle bar loading is still something a lot of older riders tend to do (natural fear of falling off and death strangle hold all wrapped up together I reckon). So it looks like more grip with the thighs (possibly later on depending on size of bike) and more effort with the feet and legs ( this is where the wider footpegs can help)

The handle bar grip can probably save you a bit (turning this way and that) once youv'e got your basic balance from your legs.

But thirdly and most importantly You need to learn to relax a lot more and try to enjoy the whole balancing thing. As the stress level goes up the balancing skills get killed for some reason, One of the most difficult things is if you grit your teeth and try harder you go all stiff and unco-ordinated ( you know...just that bit more unco than usual) which makes it a chore.

After all this I still can only get about 10 seconds of balance, but at least I am no longer chewing a hole in my bottom lip whilst practising anymore. Hopefully it improves with time

Hope this helps
Regards Bogdit

P.S. I wonder if blindfolds would make it any easier???



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Re: The art of stationary balancing

Postby phoenix75 » Wed Apr 28, 2010 7:37 pm

When Balancing you don't want to grip the bike with your knees because you want the bike to move in between your legs. (more movemet) so have some room between your knees so the bike can do it's work.


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Re: The art of stationary balancing

Postby guzzi948 » Mon Feb 21, 2011 1:55 pm

Hi all,
I haven't riden trials yet, still looking for a bike to ride, but this thread stood out as I could relate it to my previous competition experience.
I have ridden post classic dirt track (74 Bultaco 360) and pre-modern road racing (78 Guzzi).
When I hadn't done much riding I found I was always a long way 'behind the bike' for the first dozen laps. Then one weekend I was out doing laps of the local dirt track circuit getting back in the groove before a road race meeting, getting that old behind the bike feeling and realised that I waslooking at the track about 5-10 meters in front of me, ie looking down. As soon as I started looking thru to the exit of the turn, it all came together and the lap times came down (I had read it years ago in one of Kieth Code's racking books, but forgotten it like so many other things).
It is a technique I'd also used teaching entry level riders during many defensive riding courses.
Where you look is where you go, look up and you will stay up, look at the ground and that is where you will wind up.
Beyond keeping your head and eyes up level which is the basis of maintaining good balance, I don't doubt that there are many other factors to consider - brakes, clutch, steering, weighting pegs, swinging legs and swaying bums - as has been discussed, I'll leave that alone until I've been on a trials bike and can back any statement with being able to apply it in practice.
Speaking of practice - back to looking for a bike :D

cheers
Thommo
on the Darling Drains, er Downs :QLD:



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Re: The art of stationary balancing

Postby noobmeister » Thu Feb 20, 2014 9:41 am

no posts here for a while but some great info. i'm still a trials noob but starting to put together some basic trials techniques vids for the club. read through this post and got some good ideas for putting into the first vid about balancing. i've also put in it in text format on the WDTC site here: http://www.wdtc.org.au/how-to-ride-trials.htm



interesting stuff about using the bars. the experienced riders i hang around with never use the bars to balance, but just body movements if any correction is needed. they were a bit puzzled i was using the bars and one of the trials dvds told me to do. i guess it's all what suits each rider best....



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Neo
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Re: The art of stationary balancing

Postby Neo » Thu Feb 20, 2014 12:00 pm

This is absolutely awesome.... Makes me want to return to regular riding again.... I'm gonna watch the others on YouTube when I get a moment too.
I want to congratulate the makers of this video.... But curiosity is killing me.... Rob is that you?

Best of balance.
Neo


"Nothing more and nothing less than the vision of success"..... Ryan Leech
"TRIALS....It's not life or death....It's much more serious than that!!".....


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