How To Ride a Bicycle With No Hands: Safety Tips & Techniques

Written By: Jonathan
Fact Checked By: Caroline Dezendorf
Reviewed By: Matt Tanner

Lot of people do think like that: riding a bicycle with no hands because it looks cool trick, but it isn’t about just showing off: as it actually improves your overall riding ability.

When you learn How To Ride a Bicycle With No Hands, you become more in tune with the balance of your bicycle and your body movements.

So, don’t attempt this right away, as you need to have good control over your bicycle and a proper understanding of how your centre of gravity actually works, plus you also need to know how the bicycle actually reacts at different speeds.

Yes, it’s important to know safety standards first, as around 40% of bicycle accidents involve loss of control and letting go of the handlebars too early also increases this risk.

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Is It Safe to Ride a Bike with No Hands?

Let us first understand when it is safe to drive without hands and when you should avoid it and also keep in mind the safety standards.

When It Is Safe to Ride with No Hands

You should travel only under right conditions such as: the place should be quiet, empty and the road should be flat, not bumpy.

For example: It could be a wide sidewalk, an empty parking lot, or even a smooth bike path.

Usually at these places there is no traffic, no bumps and you also don’t have to worry about sudden turns.

This will help you focus more on your balance, and you should also make sure the weather is clear.

The main thing: dry roads and calm wind are ideal.

Your bike may be difficult to control if you practice in windy weather or on wet ground.

Not only this, you should also check whether your bicycle is working properly, such as: brakes should be good, straight handlebars are required and properly inflated tires are ideal and all these things are important for safe riding.

To control the center of mass you need to maintain balance, which involves keeping the combined center of mass of rider and bicycle over the fulcrum of the support, so riders can actually achieve this by subtle body movements and steering adjustments.[¹]

When You Should Avoid It

Never attempt this skill during traffic or near a moving vehicle, as it is downright dangerous to attempt on a busy road, when it is raining outside or when the road is rough or full of potholes.

Moreover, you can easily lose control on slippery surfaces, so you should avoid driving there without hands.

Also, if you want to ride on hills, sharp turns, or gravel roads then you should avoid going there as these places really require full control over your handlebars.

Emotions really matter too: if you can’t fill up properly or are tired, distracted or unsure about your balance just wait and try another time, but don’t compromise your safety at all.

In fact, you should avoid distractions while driving, such as using your phone or listening to music, as this significantly increases the risk of an accident. Also, a study found that 31.2% of cyclists were distracted, and the most common distractions were auditory at 17.7% and visual/tactile at 13.5%, so you should also avoid using a smartphone and listening to music.[²]

Use Safety Gears

Yes, cycling without hands is fun, but safety is more important and should be your first priority.

Plus, according to several safety studies, wearing a helmet can reduce your risk of serious head injury by up to 85%.

Also, it’s a good idea to wear gloves, knee pads, and elbow pads, and these are especially necessary when you’re just learning this stuff.

Even if you lose your balance or fall while learning this technique, these safety gears ensure that you will not suffer any fatal injuries.

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Basic Needs to Start Learning Bicycle With No Hands

Yes, there are some basic requirements that you need to fulfill first in order to learn how to ride a bicycle without hands, as these basics will really help you to stay safe and also make it really easy to learn this skill.

1. Basic Bike Handline and Balance Skills

When you ride a bicycle in general you need to have good control over your bicycle, meaning you should be able to ride in a straight line, be able to take turns easily and also be able to maintain your balance even at moderate or slow speeds.

Also, these are known as basic bike handling skills, and they are the basis for virtually any advanced trick.

If you get nervous or often stumble while driving or taking turns, the best thing to do is to improve these skills first, because balance is the main thing and without good balance you cannot learn anything.

2. Proper Bike Setup

Just make sure that your bicycle is in good condition and properly adjusted, as you will need to check the tire pressure and properly inflate the tires with the ideal PSI value.

The handlebars and front wheel should always be perfectly straight and aligned with the frame.

The bicycle seat should also be adjusted to the correct height, so that your leg is slightly bent when you pedal at the lowest point.

3. Practice Riding with One Hand

Firstly you should get completely comfortable with one hand on the handlebar, as this will help you understand how your bike actually reacts when there is less weight on the front, So try riding with only your right hand and then you can do the same riding exercise with only your left hand on the handlebar.

You should always practice this sort of thing on a safe, flat road, and practice with one hand first until it feels natural to you.

This is the same move that helps you learn to shift your body weight slightly to maintain balance while riding, and that’s exactly what you need to learn when you ride without hands.

Read More:

How To Ride A Bicycle Uphill

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How To Ride a Bicycle With No Hands: Step-By-Step Guide

This is a skill that requires a lot of balance, proper body control, and confidence, and to do it safely and correctly you’ll need to go through practice sessions and follow each step in order.

1. Find the Right Place to Practice

You first need to choose a safe and quiet location, and the best places are wide, traffic-free roads and empty parking lots or a smooth and open paved path can be the ideal location.

You should always avoid areas with cars, obstacles or people walking around.

Just make sure the surface is flat, dry, and clean, and also make sure you don’t go into windy conditions, as this can make it harder to maintain balance.

2. Get Up to a Comfortable Speed

Now, you have to first start cycling at a moderate and steady speed, because at a very slow speed the cycle will start to wobble and it will become very difficult to balance it, especially when your hands are not on the handlebars.

So, at moderate speeds, the gyroscopic effect of the wheels actually keeps the bike upright and always stable.

This literally means that when the wheels are spinning fast they naturally resist falling.

So, aim for a speed that feels really comfortable and gives you enough momentum to stay balanced, which is usually around 10 to 15 km/h, which is 6 to 9 mph for most beginners.

3. Relax Your Body and Loosen Your Grip

When you’re riding at a comfortable speed, loosen your grip on the handlebars, and then you need to keep your eyes focused ahead, not just downward.

If you consciously feel that your body is stiff it will be difficult to maintain balance, so just let the bicycle move in a straight line for a few seconds, “Self-stabilizing” effect: This is a natural effect in which the front wheel makes small corrections to keep the bicycle in an upright position.

Just don’t push too hard: feel the balance of the bicycle before moving on to the next cycle.

IMPORTANT: ‘Trail’ is the distance by which the contact point of the front wheel travels behind the steering axis, which really plays a vital role in stability, meaning a larger path generally increases straight line stability which makes riding without hands much easier.[³]

4. Release One Hand First

Now, you have to remove one hand from the handlebar but you have to do this very carefully and remove only one hand.

This step will definitely help you test your actual balance so that you can get accustomed to riding without full control.

Other than that, you need to keep your free hand at your side and let it move naturally with the flow of your body.

Now, you have to practice this several times, because you have to use both the left and right hands one by one.

If you feel a real jolt, immediately return your hand to the handlebar and try again when you feel more stable while riding.

This step is all about building the confidence that is needed for this skill and actually teaching your body how to stay balanced using core muscles and small physical shifts.

5: Let Go With Both Hands

When you feel like you are now comfortable and fully confident in riding with one hand with ease, it’s time to let go of riding with both hands.

Now, slowly let go of the handlebars and keep your arms in a completely relaxed position and place them at your sides.

You don’t even need to stretch your arms or move them too far apart, as this can literally affect your balance and instead you can use your core muscles which are your abdominals and lower back muscles to help you stand up straight.

If you start leaning too much in one direction you may need to shift your weight slightly to maintain balance.

Just practice looking straight ahead and keep your pedaling smooth, as many bikes will naturally stay in a straight line if your posture is correct and the road is flat.

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Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

It really does take time and dedication when you practice riding a bicycle without hands, and it’s completely normal to make a few mistakes at first.

1. Trying at Slow Speeds

This is the biggest mistake beginners always do that they try to ride the bike without hands at a very slow speed, because they are afraid that at medium speed if they can’t control and fall then they will get hurt more than if they try at a slow speed.

But keep in mind that when the bike moves slowly, it becomes really hard to keep it balanced, and this is due to the gyroscopic effect: It is the rotating motion of the wheels that helps keep the bicycle upright and this effect is weakened when the wheels do not rotate fast.

This is why at slower speeds, the bicycle actually wobbles more and even a small mistake becomes much more difficult to correct.

So, avoid practicing at a slow speed, instead always practice at a moderate and steady speed, which is usually 10 to 15 km/h, which is equivalent to 6 to 9 mph, because it actually gives the bicycle the natural stability it needs and gives you more time to react if you feel unbalanced.

2. Gripping the Handlebars Too Tightly Before Letting Go

This is another mistake that many people don’t notice, as you shouldn’t grip the handlebar too tightly just before letting it go, when you hold on too tightly your body becomes stiff, and that stiffness actually makes it harder for the bicycle to move naturally underneath you.

So, keep in mind that your arms should be completely relaxed and slightly bent so that they can be easily adjusted while cycling.

You can even practice riding with a light grip before removing your hands, literally riding with just your hands on the bars.

This will relax the body and allow you to use your core muscles, namely your abdominals and lower back, which will keep you balanced, which is actually the key to riding without hands.

3. Not Looking Ahead

It has been observed that many people make the mistake of looking at the handlebars or their hands when they try this for the first time, which makes you lose your natural riding posture and thus your balance shifts forward, leading to a stumble or topple.

So, instead you should always look straight ahead, just as you normally would when riding a bicycle.

Also, when you look ahead your eyes will help guide your body, and your body will automatically help guide the bike.

The key is to look ahead, which helps you spot any bumps, cracks, or turns in advance so you can adjust to them easily without panicking.

4. Leaning Too Far in Any Direction

This is also a common mistake when they practice riding a bicycle without hands on the handlebars, because when they feel uncertain, they sometimes lean too much to one side or actually shift their weight unevenly.

So, this can throw off the balance of the bicycle really quickly, especially when your hands are not on the handlebars to correct the movement.

Just remember that your goal is to stay centered over the bike’s frame, and to keep your shoulders level and your body upright at all times.

If you feel like you need to make minor adjustments, do so by gently moving your hips or using your core, but don’t lean too much in any direction.

Because leaning even a little too much can cause your front wheel to turn sharply, causing the bicycle to lose line and possibly fall.

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Conclusion

When you practice and learn that How To Ride a Bicycle With No Hands, you really get better at balancing and controlling it and your confidence will grow.

So, in the end it’s not just about lifting your arms, it’s about understanding your cycle, your body, and how movement and balance really work together.

It is obvious that the more you practice correctly, the safer and more efficient you will become.

At the end of the day, when you actually find that thing it’s really fun and rewarding.

And if you have any questions unsolved please let us know by the comment section.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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References:

[1] Cain, S. (2016). The mysterious biomechanics of riding – and balancing – a bicycle. University of Michigan. https://me.engin.umich.edu/news-events/news/mysterious-biomechanics-riding-and-balancing-bicycle/

[2] Llerena, L. E., et al. (2015). Distracted Biking: An Observational Study. PMC. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4785823/

[3] Cambridge University. (n.d.). Opinion: How does a bike stay upright? Surprisingly, it’s all in the mind. https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/discussion/opinion-how-does-a-bike-stay-upright-surprisingly-its-all-in-the-mind