Skip to main content

Track stand tactics take top honours

Cyclists and vehicle drivers may have their differences on the road but they can, nonetheless, admire each other’s skills. The ability of an articulated truck driver to back up while threading his lengthy vehicle through a narrow passage is often admired by cyclists. Drivers, too, can admire the ability of a cyclist at a stop light to balance his bicycle while stationary, without taking his or her feet off the pedals, a feat called the track stand.
January 5, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
Cyclists and vehicle drivers may have their differences on the road but they can, nonetheless, admire each other’s skills.

The ability of an articulated truck driver to back up while threading his lengthy vehicle through a narrow passage is often admired by cyclists.

Drivers, too, can admire the ability of a cyclist at a stop light to balance his bicycle while stationary, without taking his or her feet off the pedals, a feat called the track stand.

But one Brazilian rider has taken the track stand to a higher level, as the video link below shows. The middle-aged man is no athlete and the bike is not a racing machine. Far from it, as it appears to be an inexpensive commuter machine. And the gas canister on his head is not lightweight.

To perform a track stand, a cyclist holds the pedal cranks in a nearly horizontal position with the front wheel being steered to the left or right as balance dictates. There is, in fact, often a slight forward and rear rocking motion to maintain balance.

For anyone interested in learning how to perform a track stand, the video below, presented by a seemingly professional rider somewhere ‘down under’, is a quick lesson in the art.

However, viewers of the video will notice the demonstration is taking place on a public road and that the cyclist is taking up one entire lane. In a nod in the direction of safety, he first of all says you want to find a quiet road so you don’t get run over. But then a vehicle then whooshes by him in the opposite lane, narrowly missing him. He is not apparently bothered by the incident.

Please %$Linker: 2 External <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-16"?><dictionary /> 0 0 0 oLinkExternal click here Visit Youtube Video page false https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pbeaB3G79vI false false%> to view a video

Related Content

  • New cost-saving Case CE midi-excavators
    April 15, 2013
    CNH Construction marketing director Jean-Patrick Yekpe has highlighted the money-saving potential of Case Construction Equipment’s new midi-excavators, unveiled at bauma 2013. The Tier 4 Final requirements of the CX75C SR and CX80C have been met, says Yekpe, through the use of cooled exhaust gas recirculation (CEGR) combined with a diesel oxidation catalyst system. “When the soot is coming out of the engine as smoke and touches the platinum inside the engine you get an oxidation, and as a consequence of thi
  • CDE to unveil new Evowash sand washing plant
    February 12, 2013
    Following an extensive research and development programme CDE Global unveils its next generation EvoWash sand washing plant, a compact sand washing system integrating a dewatering screen, sump and hydrocyclone configuration which is customised to the specific requirements of the materials washing project on which it is specified. “Our 2013 EvoWash will include some significant design changes which will further enhance its position as the premium compact sand washing plant on the global market,” says Kevin
  • Perlini Equipment for dump trucks
    January 6, 2017
    Perlini Equipment is one of the world's leading manufacturers of dump trucks – having sold over 12,000 of them worldwide since 1957. The firm currently offers machines up to a capacity of 95tonnes. Reliable and easy to drive, and with customised models available on request, the trucks are built with high quality Perlini original components, offering top-tier performance and fuel efficiency.
  • Perlini Equipment for dump trucks
    April 8, 2013
    Perlini Equipment is one of the world's leading manufacturers of dump trucks – having sold over 12,000 of them worldwide since 1957. The firm currently offers machines up to a capacity of 95tonnes. Reliable and easy to drive, and with customised models available on request, the trucks are built with high quality Perlini original components, offering top-tier performance and fuel efficiency.