Riding stance

[vasuvius]

I was watching the electric games france 2019 on you-tube and noticed that most of the riders were leaning their entire body far forward.

I tend to flex my ankles to get my knees forward and thus my weight forward - more like skiing - and keep my upper body upright / 90º to the ground

What's the best stance for riding ? 

Thanks,V

[Aneta]

I think, the best stance is a "faceplant NOW!" stance - i.e., maximum preparedness for a spill. Low CoG, bent legs, upper body leaning 45 degree forward. But it's hard to maintain this stance on long rides. Standing straight like a stooge is the worst, because it creates the maximum "hammer" effect in case of a faceplant.

[FlyboyEUC]

It all depends on how and where you travel. City riders will swear to crouch and swerve, casual riders will stand straight or sit. Obviously riding off-road needs some bent knees while riding on fresh pavement doesn't require bent knees. When I go fast I resemble down hill skiers that way my drag is less and my head is closer to the wheel to hear beeps. If I'm doing tricks or tight turns I ride with my feet apart and when I ride straight, my feet touch the shell. 

In the end, ride whichever way makes you feel comfortable. If I'm going for a Sunday stroll, I stroll. If I'm riding like a drag racer, I ride like Aneta mentioned. 

I've seen some people ride with one leg "locked" into the wheel and their other leg just barely touches the edge of the pedal with their toes. It's great for carving.

My go to foot position is left heel over back of left pedal, right toe over front of right pedal. This gives me a "gas(left) and brake(right)" stance and if I hit a bump, it's as if I've stepped forward and caught myself. This has saved me many times. 

[winterwheel]

In winter I ride with feet as far forward on the pedals as possible, and as wide apart as possible. I can't stop very fast, but I don't have to do much leaning to punch through little snow drifts and the wheel can bounce around a bit while still keeping forward momentum.

[vasuvius]

55 minutes ago, winterwheel said:

In winter I ride with feet as far forward on the pedals as possible, and as wide apart as possible. I can't stop very fast, but I don't have to do much leaning to punch through little snow drifts and the wheel can bounce around a bit while still keeping forward momentum.

I was riding around today and the wind is howling - somewhere around 15+ mph. I was leaning far forward to be able to balance and not get blown back by the wind. Sudden wind gusts make it hard to retain balance and I start wobbling.

[winterwheel]

In windy conditions you want to make yourself as small as possible; I keep my hands across my waist and might even crouch down a bit to reduce the surface area exposed to the wind.