Don't take your hands off the handlebars of your ebike !

[FlatSix911]

Hey thanks to the poster I actually am very appreciative of this post I have a very high powered 160 NM ebike and when I took my hands off for a moment the wheel started shaking and I assumed that there was something wrong with the bike out of balance or wheel problem etc. so thank you for making me understand the obvious

If you have the self-described wheel shake... you do have a problem and should consult with your LBS.

 

[Bob H]

If you don't ride with no hands, how can you text??????? Had a young fellow coming at me last week on the wrong side of the bike path, earphones in and texting on his phone. I yelled "heads up" as loud as I could which got him to look up. He gave the bike a little juke to the right so he would miss me, (without touching the handlebars), and was back texting as he went by. Very skilled rider but I'm guessing a few misadventures, not to mention serious stitches and scars, are in his future.

 

[Hintrod]

If you have the self-described wheel shake... you do have a problem and should consult with your LBS.

The original poster made it very clear what he was referring to and he mentioned a wobble and that is exactly what I’m repeating and my experience is the same as him and I guess he’s in a very experienced ebike dealer.

 

[J.R.]

There are plenty of bikes sold with questionable geometry and/or weight distribution. Goodness knows we've had people post here that have never gotten it resolved. One of my bikes with a heavy direct drive hub can't be ridden without hands on the bars. Other bikes are fine. A friends Haibike/Yamaha has an issue with it. I believe the issue is the wiring and display. Tires can be a factor too. It happens, probably more often than we know because many never try to ride no hands. I have to say I like a bike that will do it.

 

[GypsyTreker]

Aside from getting parental advise as a senior citizen, something that simply irks me, even if well intended, as it no doubt was, why would anyone want to ride hands free? To what purpose? I can see where wiring could cause stability problems with the front end tracking. I was pretty surprised how much a very minor offset after installing suspension front forks slowed the steering on my fattie, to the point of brushing the trunk of a tree I should have cleared easily. That shoulder "bump" hurt for weeks, no hands? Are you kidding, LOL

 

[TForan]

What I see are a lot are youngsters reading their texts on their phones, while they ride no hands. I guess they haven't experienced road rash yet.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I have not been brave enough to take more then one hand off for a very long time. riding a recumbent really beat that into your head.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Stay tuned for " Don't ride barefoot" and "Look both ways before crossing"

 

[BarryS]

Ok, I'll bite. No one outside of a medical pro donning PPE under supervision thinks that wearing a mask will protect the wearer. But in the herd, as it were, mutual mask wearing protects us from each other's mouth and nasal ejections and exhalations. If you're the only person in the room not wearing a mask, you're the asshole. The mask on your own face doesn't protect you, but everyone around you wearing a mask does protect you.

Back on topic, yes, wear the helmet. Always. Safety of hands free varies with the ebike, no problem with a 4 inch stable fatty for me riding on PAS in mid-teens speed, though I don't try to turn hands free since I have the front fork set kind of soft.

If you were actually right name calling wouldn't be in the equation : Facts would be : I'm assuming You haven't looked at the science or figured out The 200,000 plus deaths in America as a result of Covid is 90% Fraudulent : Testing positive and dying as a result of being Positive are not the same. what sealed the deal for me was when they banned the doctors who came out and made a video with regard to real facts > Were banned off social media and several lost their jobs : Because they exposed things that don't fit the narrative Have a Good day

 

[BarryS]

Stay tuned for " Don't ride barefoot" and "Look both ways before crossing"

LOL Sadly those warnings aren't for our protection : There to prevent lawsuits

 

[arcom]

If you were actually right name calling wouldn't be in the equation : Facts would be : I'm assuming You haven't looked at the science or figured out The 200,000 plus deaths in America as a result of Covid is 90% Fraudulent : Testing positive and dying as a result of being Positive are not the same. what sealed the deal for me was when they banned the doctors who came out and made a video with regard to real facts > Were banned off social media and several lost their jobs : Because they exposed things that don't fit the narrative Have a Good day

Another 15 seconds I’ll never get back.

 

[FlatSix911]

Time to close this thread... before the Nanny State takes over.

 

[GypsyTreker]

I so agree....

 

[PatriciaK]

This thread is hilarious, especially in light of the "Chicago mayor..." thread . I'm sure I can find "over 7000" "experts" worldwide to attest that riding hands-free actually promotes balance and is good practice, and "studies" which "prove" that the majority of accidents happen while hands are ON the handle bars, so, really, it's just fine, and probably safer, based on the "statistics" to ride with hands off !

How dare you try to "mandate" how free people ride their bikes !

 

[FlatSix911]

Some people should just not be riding bikes...

 

[Luto]

I hope the OP was not saying:

"Your e-bike will pull and shimmer if you remove your hands, so don't remove your hands".

Would not this be the same as in a car that pulls to one side because of an alignment issue? Seriously, if your bike does not track straight, or you cannot track straight and coast or peddle, without effort on the bars, then don't do it. Then again, you should be able to do both. That is basic bicycling skills. If it is the bike, that bike is a death trap waiting to spring. It is one thing on flat straight ground to have a bias (bike or body), but once you are at higher speeds, or cutting a curve or have to quickly maneuver and brake, or all of the above, any bias can be the difference between hitting the ground or not.

The fork rake plays a huge part in the handling geometry as does the rest of the geometry, so each bike will be different and a good dealer would put the person on the right bike. Old newbies are not suited for modern fast road bikes probably. Just my 2 cents.

Anyways, Thanks for the safety announcement, but I will continue to work on my handling skills, because it has saved me many more than once. And I am an extremely conservative rider. Likewise, I am teaching the wife those same skills and she really appreciates knowing what can happen and how to handle it when it inevitably does. Her confidence in riding has grown and so has her usage and enjoyment.

 

[FlatSix911]

I hope the OP was not saying:
"Your e-bike will pull and shimmer if you remove your hands, so don't remove your hands".
Would not this be the same as in a car that pulls to one side because of an alignment issue? Seriously, if your bike does not track straight, or you cannot track straight and coast or peddle, without effort on the bars, then don't do it. Then again, you should be able to do both. That is basic bicycling skills. If it is the bike, that bike is a death trap waiting to spring. It is one thing on flat straight ground to have a bias (bike or body), but once you are at higher speeds, or cutting a curve or have to quickly maneuver and brake, or all of the above, any bias can be the difference between hitting the ground or not.

The fork rake plays a huge part in the handling geometry as does the rest of the geometry, so each bike will be different and a good dealer would put the person on the right bike. Old newbies are not suited for modern fast road bikes probably. Just my 2 cents.
Anyways, Thanks for the safety announcement, but I will continue to work on my handling skills, because it has saved me many more than once. And I am an extremely conservative rider. Likewise, I am teaching the wife those same skills and she really appreciates knowing what can happen and how to handle it when it inevitably does. Her confidence in riding has grown and so has her usage and enjoyment.

Exactly... this is spot on.

 

[J.R.]

 

[ruffruff]

I rode off a curb today!

 

[legsofbeer]

why would anyone want to ride hands free? To what purpose?

It lets you unhunch your crickety old back and stand up straight on the seat with your arms and shoulders relaxed dangling loosely at your sides. Nice to do from time to time in relatively safe straight line situations. But of course, I did not do it until I was confident my ebike was straight line true.