Can you push your bike by the saddle?

[jack]

I never used to. When I didn't ride a bike, I tried it once and discovered it was harder to balance than wheeling the centre of the handlebars, and never thought about it again.

After all, I rarely pushed my bike very far, and only if I was juggling awkward things or lacking hand insulation would it matter. It's only slightly more convenient, so why try?

At some recent point (about a month ago) I discovered I could do it. I figure it's possible that:

(1) I could do it the second time I tried, whenever that had been.
(2) I'd subconsciously been honing my balance from riding (and trying to ride <1 handed)
(3) I'd been practising pushing my bike without remembering that
(4) The first time I tried, the front wheel lurched sideways, and you can counteract that, but it looks like the bike is going to fall over so you might not.

Or probably some combination thereof. I still can't quite ride no handed though; that actually does require practice (afaik).

Comments

[numberland.livejournal.com]

Was it the same bike? I've had two types, one which are very stable in the straight ahead position so require significant sideways force to leave it and one where the steering was completely free. The former you could do this with, the later not.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Oh, good point. No, I guess that *would* explain it. Though it wasn't automatic; I'm sure I found pushing a friend's bike harder than he did before I had a bike.

[numberland.livejournal.com]

But that could just be practice/skill at balancing in general. People pick these things up at different speeds.

[mair_in_grenderich]

yup, I was going to say: depends on both the bike and the state of the tyres. well, I dunno about pushing by the saddle, but riding no handed on the brompton is easier with the tyres not so pumped up - it's less skittish :)

I don't really like pushing a bike left-handed, though I've had to do it occasionally.

Bikicon!

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Hmm, left handed seems ok. It's tricky with equilibrium destabalisers (shopping) hanging on the handlebars, especially if not quite symmetrical; I remember amusing myself trying to readjust the torque while chatting to mum on my mobile.

Re: Bikicon!

[mair_in_grenderich]

I thought this was going to be about some kind of bikini convention...

Re: Bikicon!

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

LOL. I tried "Bikon" and "Bicon" but bicon actually is a convention for bi people :)

[yrieithydd.livejournal.com]

Mine is a lot easier to control when it's got no basket. It's also easier to ride nohanded without the basket. Not that I can do that for any length as I lose confidence (see post about strange dream over a year ago!)

[drswirly.livejournal.com]

I've been able to wheel my bike by the saddle for as long as I can remember having a bike. A useful skill is to be able to do so with the bike fully in front of you, as you can then use busy pavements without taking up twice the width.

I went out with someone several years ago who used to leave her bike parked someone in town, then end up walking or getting the bus home. The result was that I got good at wheeling two bikes along that way. Her saddle was much lower down and I found it a bit more difficult. So you might think that I'd have her bike in my better (right) hand. Instead, I had my bike on the right, going entirely on autopilot, and her bike on the left, so that everything I had to concentrate on was in the same place.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Some people *cycle* pushing another bike; that must be a useful skill.

[mair_in_grenderich]

I fold the other bike up and put it on the luggage rack :p

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Or fold that bike up and put it on the other's luggage rack, depending which was the brompton :)

[mair_in_grenderich]

aren't they both bromptons?

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

Well, then you could do it either way round. How many bromptons DO you have?

[mair_in_grenderich]

one, and a spare one.

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

That's a whole lotta bike.

[calamarain.livejournal.com]

It's something I never really thought about. I started pushing my bike by the saddle one day, and found it straightforward. It depends where I am, if I need fine control I hold the handlebar.