How to wheel/push my bike about?

i find both hands on the grips the best with the right hand covering the brake

HTH

I'm another one who struggles with this. I can't paddle it as I am too short and it doesn't feel stable doing it on tippy toes! I stand on the left and hold the handlebars (and front brake). I then go very slowly and steadily.....

But my husband always goes for the "one hand at the front and one at the rear" technique and always seems a lot more in control than I do (his bikes heavier than my SV) - but as said above I would not be comfortable with that as you can't cover the brake! We have to push the bikes down our sloped drive so I need to be braking..... I just dunno!

I have been told it is more to do with confidence than strength though....

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by gemma1675

I have been told it is more to do with confidence than strength though....

Then you were told correctly

With the same bike I have moved it about effortlessly one day, then thought "this is really heavy" the next.

1st occasion I wasnt even thinking about it, second ocassion I had an audience and was on a slight slope.

PMA is the answer

[Luckypants]

Did they not teach you this on your CBT / DAS course? I'm coming to the conclussion mine was a good course (although have some experience as well)

Hands on bars for walking bike around open spaces, bars / grab rail for tight manouvering, etc

Practice somewhere safe and get confident, it's a vital skill.

I learnt yesterday that if the bike is on even a slightly non-grippy (note: not remotely slippy, just less grip than normal), I can pick the bike up by the grab rail & move it around.

I do similar quite often when putting air in the tyres. I'll pick it up by the rear end & move the back wheel.

Luckypants will tell ya, I'm weedy!

PMA it is.

A lot of these Pre Menstrual Aches going around.....must be catchy

[Luckypants]

PMA - painted on the deck of my creek boat. Will remember that if I ever dust it off.....

Originally Posted by Luckypants

Did they not teach you this on your CBT / DAS course? I'm coming to the conclussion mine was a good course (although have some experience as well)

Hands on bars for walking bike around open spaces, bars / grab rail for tight manouvering, etc

Practice somewhere safe and get confident, it's a vital skill.

I got that on my lessons but it didnt make any difference. I can move the bike myself but make it look realy difficult! When wheeling in and out for an MOT I found a new trick this year, fluttered my eye lids and smiled very nicely at one of my mates! (I know I will go away and hang my head in shame)

I tend to have a few jars first, then I seem much better at pretty much anything.

And if it does go wrong, it'll seem much funnier than it really is.

And you'll have forgotten by the morning.

Not sure if it's one of those 'urban myths' but remember hearing that the reason Japan mainly had smaller and lighter bikes was that part of the Japanese riding test was to lay your bike down on its side and then pick it up again If you couldn't pick it up, you failed

I find the SV dead easy to move around, but then I had years with big heavy bikes (BSA 650, GT750, BM 100s). I'm also lucky to be tallish (although that's a disadvantage in riding the thing ) so can easy scoot it around whilst sitting on it. Best tips for pushing are as others have said, both hands on the bars with right fingers over the brake lever for wheeling around, and one hand on the grab rail and one on the bar for fine manouvering. It's interesting how few bikes have centre stands these days - that was always a real art getting a few hundred pounds of machine up onto the balance point

And as for kickstarting - now there is a forgotten technique Nearly had my bl**d* leg broken before now when some temperamental beast backfired on starting it

This is definitely not a rant about the 'good old days' - far from! Bikes these days are wonderful pieces of affordable engineering that 30 years ago would have been unimaginable