Bike Skills Balance | Riding With No Hands

This bike skill is something that you may need so that you can put on a jacket at the same time, drink some water, or eat a full meal, or maybe you just think it looks cool and it’s been on your bucket list of things to do for a while. In any case, learn how to balance with no hands while riding your bike. 

I can't believe it's been a year of posting videos to YouTube. It's not like I have been consistently posting the same types of content, obviously. When I felt like sharing how to make Thai tea, I did. When Austin and I went to Arkansas to hike his trail that he visited every year with his family, we did. In the YouTube world, niching down is the best way to grow a channel more quickly, or so it's said. But I'm having fun learning about the video editing process, graphic design that is inherent in creating thumbnails, what it's like to have a social media presence, and my attempt at being more confident in front of the camera. I'm not sure that I'll ever be completely comfortable in front of the camera, but it is a skill that can only be improved by practicing it. Maybe eventually I'll find it in myself to niche down, but in the meantime I'm having fun. 

Definitely even the quality from my first video has been improved upon. I think I exported it incorrectly, with the dimensions not for YouTube, a few times before giving up and just uploading what I had because ”it was time”. Austin told me to be prepared with a few videos so that it looks like my channel wasn't completely bare when I finally started this journey, but I was ready to upload what I had. The following weeks, and months (and current times) have been a hectic time. I didn't really know what I wanted to create a video about, and I didn't know how long it would take. Although it's taken a lot time, where a lot of it was learning the editing process, learning how to use Canva in order to create my thumbnails, making sure my camera has the right settings, or doing my hair and makeup to do the talking head portion of part of the video, a lot of it now is preparation. In addition to all of this I'm also working a full-time job, 40 hours a week. I'm not really quite sure how I'm getting all this done, but it's working so far. And I know other YouTubers are in similar situations where they also need to work in addition to the desire of maintaining a channel and marketing it. 

A HUGE blocker has been thinking of myself as not a creative person. I always thought that the idea of a creative person was exactly the opposite of that of an analytical person. I grew up excelling in math and science, not really appreciating any of the artwork that I did manage to produce. Once in middle school, we created an object out of clay that was to be hardened in an oven. I made a sphere with a small pebble inside so that when it shook, it jingled. On the outside of the sphere were engravings of words of memories. One of those memories was the initials of my grandma, my favorite of all of my grandparents. Supposedly I was her favorite as well. I think about this object, from time to time, that I created. Maybe it is creative, inherently, because I created it from nothing. Maybe that's all creativity is, and I don't need to look any further about how well it was made, the quality of the products used to create it, or if it has any deeper meaning. The intention was there to create something and it was successfully executed. 

So it's been a year of creativity for me. A year of creating videos, that hopefully somebody finds value in, It is, more or less, at least documenting what I've gone through over this time. I think that's an important part of vlogging. I have always been a fan of taking pictures as much as possible, when I go on any kind of adventure. It doesn't have to be traveling across the world kind of adventure either. It can simply be enjoying some time with a loved one, going to eat at a new restaurant, or thinking about something in a new way. Because I have had the opportunity to capture these moments on video, I have been less inclined to capture them with still images. It's not that I value one over the other, it's that one is taking priority and I forget to do the other. I wish I had time for both.

This cycling with no hands though was way more difficult than it appeared. I watched so many videos on YouTube about how to ride a bike with no hands. Little kids managed to do this, so why couldn't I? It might have been the way my seat was tilted a little bit more forward, or it might have been a road bike instead of a mountain bike or a cruiser, but I couldn't release the handlebars for more than 3 seconds because I was scared of falling. I suppose that three seconds is an accomplishment in itself though, but I kind of feel like I'm starting all over again. I'm in my thirties and am learning how to ride a bike. When I finally get to visit Amsterdam, I look forward to showing off my skills, But in the meantime I'll continue practicing so that I'll have skills to show off.

I practiced for two and a half hours, or rather I was in the parking lot for that long, meaning to practice. But in that time, in some random parking lot, I managed to make a friend. Brian was doing his daily walk around the neighborhood, and saw me playing with my drone. When he came near, I gave him a friendly smile, and we started chatting because he was also interested in purchasing a drone. He said he was thinking about getting a drone for his videos on YouTube. What a coincidence. He produces electronic music. We had a great conversation about drones, business, relationships, and life. We both admitted to being introverts, and typically not used to talking with strangers. I always find an exception in my introverted nature when I get to chat with someone one-on-one. I really want to get to know that person and learn about their life and experiences, and one-on-one is just the best way to do that. So I made a friend. 

I'm looking forward to another year of capturing these small moments, and hope that they can bring some kind of entertainment or educational value to others. I have a few trips lined up, and countless more things to learn about. I'm looking forward to it, and I hope you join me. 

”Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving” - Albert Einstein

Can you ride a bike with no hands?