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A few words on balance tricks and an introduction to scuffing...

There is a natural ability that some riders have to scuff and it gets combined with a natural ability for balance. Don't think for a moment that because your friend can scuff in 5 minutes that you CAN'T scuff or learn balance. Practice is the number one rule for flatland riding. If you aren't having fun then don't worry about practicing- it's all supposed to be fun. But, if you love to ride, and can ride 3+ hours every day then you have a chance to become an expert at scuffing and balance.

The following trick is a track stand- it has a hundred variations of the same trick. If you are going to a contest and entering the beginner class NOBODY will laugh at you for doing this. It is, in the most simple form, a 'beginner' trick. Whiplashes used to be a trick that was only done by pros. A beginner hitting multiple whiplashes is in the wrong class. Spend lots of time learning how to scuff, squeak, and coast a track stand. This is the building block for tricks like Funky Chickens, Gerators, Dump Trucks, Squeakers, and Hang 5's. This is your introduction to the next level...

Prerequisites: NONE!!! Make sure when your handlebars are sideways that you can grab both the seat and the grip at the same time with one hand.

• Begin by rolling at a VERY slow speed with your right foot on the left pedal and your left foot just kind of floating out to the side not doing anything.
• Grab your front brakes to bring the bike to a complete stop and immediately turn the handlebars 90 degrees to the right (clockwise) and use your right hand to grab both the end of the right grip and the front of your seat. Grab underhand- Rotate your right hand to the right (clockwise) 180 degrees so your palm is up, otherwise it makes it difficult to do the next step...
• As you are turning the handlebars 90 degrees put your left foot on the front left peg. As soon as you have grabbed the seat stand up on your left foot. Put your right foot out to the side for balance.
• Make sure you weight is out over your left peg. Since you are on one foot you will actually have to lean a little bit to the LEFT of your left grip (over then END of the bike) to get your proper balance on your left foot.
• NOW: There are a hundred different ways to balance in this position. The following are a few ideas and hints...

1. While holding the brakes just balance without moving or touching the tire or anything. Just stand with your right foot out to the side. Your left hip should be near the left grip and your body should have its weight centered over the left peg of the bike. Lean the bike away from you to counter balance your body. You don't need to lean far.
2. Put your right foot on the tire lean back (so you are falling backwards) and release the brakes and pull down on the tire. You will pull the bike and the tire underneath of you so you will now be falling forward. Grab the brakes (which will throw you backwards) and repeat the process all over again. LEARN THIS WELL!!! This is called Squeaking and is the basis for Squeakers. Many tricks that can be done with Scuffing can be done with enough control just by Squeaking.
3. While holding the brakes and the seat put your right foot over the handlebars and onto the front of the front tire. Release the brakes and use the center of your right foot to balance the bike. Specifically: Push down on the front tire with the center of your right foot and then drag your foot along the tire so that it slows down and you maintain your balance. Then push down again. You should be able to get the bike to travel in as many circles as you would like without ever lifting your right foot or using your brakes. This is Scuffing and is possibly the most important thing you will learn on a freestyle bike.
4. To make add a third challenge, try putting your right foot on the front tire like you did in variation number 2 (above) and instead of using your brakes pull down HARD and coast in a circle. Don't use your brakes at all. Just coast. This is similar to how rolling tricks like Hang-5's are done.

• To ride out of all of these get your balance while holding the front brakes with your left hand and with your right hand holding the seat and right grip. Quickly straighten your handlebars and put your right foot on the top tube of the bike near the seat post. Grab your back brakes as your are straightening out the handlebars.
• When your right foot hits the platform shift all of your body weight to that foot and try to get the bike to rock slightly up onto the rear wheel (release your front brakes). Take your left foot off the peg to help get your weight to shift backwards. When the front tire hits the ground you will be travelling slowly forwards. Just step down to the pedals quickly and ride away.

There are hundreds of other variations of the Track Stand including the Nourie Stand which is described in another how-to here. Please remember that while just balancing this trick is not very difficult, all the different variations including Squeaking and Scuffing and Coasting will NOT be as easy to learn. Don't expect them to be easy until you have done them a thousand times. If you are wondering how it is possible to do a trick like a time machine and make it look easy... it is because it is. Almost every trick becomes easy once you know how to do it consistently. This one is no easier or harder than a time machine will be when you begin to learn them. It just requires that you know how to balance on a bike in certain ways that you may not know how to yet.