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I have seen this done, and it probably has a name or another way of describing it that I have not thought of, but I cannot find information about it on the internet.

When stopped at an intersection, some cyclists will turn their front wheel to the side, and it seems to help them stay on the bike while the bike is not moving forward. Unless I'm imagining things.

I'd like to know how to do this, how it works, etc.

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It called a track stand. It originates in track racing on a velodrome, where in the opening stages of the individual sprint event you sometimes need to come to an almost complete halt. Tricky and dangerous to do if not well practiced, it can end in a 'sprawl of shame' if your technique is not perfect.

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  • This is a copy of Batman's answer. – BSO rider Aug 7 '15 at 0:14
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    I didn't see his answer until after I posted mine (which has more detail, and took longer to complete). This info is common knowledge amongst cyclists. – Kim Ryan Aug 7 '15 at 0:16
  • Er, no. Pursuit is where people / teams start on opposite sides of the track and try to catch each other. Track stands originated in sprint racing, but coming to a complete stop is against the rules nowadays. Tricky? No, it's a skill like any other. Dangerous? Well you can fall off ... A rare -1 from me. – andy256 Aug 7 '15 at 0:17
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    @BSOrider Check the times, he would have been typing at the same time as Batman. – andy256 Aug 7 '15 at 0:18
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    Lol. BSO pulls up to the lights next to Kim. BSO: Hey, you're in my spot. Kim: No I'm not, i was here first. BSO: Yeah, but I was clearly about to pull up in that spot. Kim: Mate, just relax. I'm a better rider than you anyway, so i'll make it off the lights earlier. BSO: pushes kim off his bike. – LifeCycle Aug 7 '15 at 1:24
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The technique you're probably thinking of is doing a "track stand".

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    Could you please provide a bit of detail about how track stands work, how one does a track stand, etc? – freiheit♦ Aug 10 '15 at 0:04

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