Road Cycling - Newbie Question No. 7: Cornering

Okay, how do you do it? I've quickly discovered that just turning the handlebars is not going to be very successful. It seems to require manoeuvring the frame of the bike with the thighs and hips, getting a lean in the direction of the turn, and then using the handlebars to finesse the turn. So far so good? Is it better to sit in the seat, or raise off the seat so the centre of gravity is closer to the pedals? Keep pedalling or freewheel? Forward or backward in the seat? Any other tips?

Ross

I'm too lazy to type, so I'll point you to a couple of good resources. Some of the best bike-handling advice, including cornering, I've found was in a book by Davis Phinney and Connie Carpenter named Training for Cycling: The Ultimate Guide. If you subscribe to the RoadBikeRider.com Newsletter (http://www.roadbikerider.com/), there's a section in the "29 Pro Cycling Secrets" e-book about countersteering by Phinney.

You steer with balance and balance with steering.
Counter-steering is a hard thing to explain, but most kids pick up the concept by playing around.
People who have tried nose-less saddles comment on how much you need to use your thigh against the saddle nose to control the bke.
Depending on your bottom bracket height, you may want to keep your inside pedal in the up position to avoid grounding.

After riding motocycles for a long time it all is automatic so i have no idea,i just turn.

Sorry, I can't help you. I learned how to ride about 35 years ago, and it's just something I do now, without any thought. Similar to how I post to Internet forums, post first, think later, if at all.. :D

A sort of swing with your hips... which works fine seated, but I can't explain exactly how to do it either :)

i have a question!
how much do you bank to the side in a turn? what is the most?

There are 2 basic techniques.

One is to turn by leaning over (the bike leans) in the direction of the turn. In this method, the front wheel doesn't really turn or not much. This is like banking an airplane. This method is used most of the time by most people and is the most intuitive.

The second method is to turn the front wheel (it doesn't take much). You have to put your weight against the outside of the handlebar (the side away from the way you are turning, it is kinda hard to explain and if my explanation isn't good one could crash so be really really really careful). The idea is to keep the bike upright and steer through the turn. You don't see this technique used as often. But it works fine also.

The bike is steared with your eyeballs. You look it follows. It is diffucult to look to the side at senery and not drive through it.

It seems to me that at low speed the wheel turns into the turn, at high speed the bike leans more and the wheel turns away from the turn. But don't think to much just let your eyeballs do the work.

Joe
:beer: