Road Cycling - Which turn is most comfortable? (R or L)

We were discussing which direction of turn is most comfortable. Interstingly, all riders amoung our group said that left turns are more natural, or more comfortable. This was regardless of whether they were right or left handed. I'm wondering what your preferences are, and also, some opinions about what makes one direction more comfortable than another.

In traffic... right turns are usually more comfortable. ;)

For me a left turn is more comfortable when making a U-turn, but it is easier and more natural feeling to make right turn when riding hard and fast. Don't know why.

For me a left turn is more comfortable when making a U-turn, but it is easier and more natural feeling to make right turn when riding hard and fast. Don't know why.

Same here.

Either way works for me I honestly don't feel a difference. I'm definatlly right handed for almost everything except hockey and I can bat lefty fairly well too. Mabey the lefty/rightie thing has something to do with it?

The crits I ride are all set up for right hand turns. I think it would feel weird to run the course backwards doing left hand turns.

So far it looks like people vary in their preference, which is what I sort of figured. I guess it's just coincidence that the group I talked to all were left turn lovers.

I just did a crit last Sunday with left and right turns, I thought that was cool.

the group I talked to all were left turn lovers.

I thought the theory is that left turning feels more natural because your heart is slightly to the left of your body, meaning, left turning feels safer because the heart is closer to the ground.

I was told this is why all running tracks and velodromes, etc, turn left.

Urban myth, maybe

For me a left turn is more comfortable when making a U-turn, but it is easier and more natural feeling to make right turn when riding hard and fast. Don't know why.Because if you turn right making a U-turn, you end up running into the curb or off the road. :) Perhaps the fast right hand turn is psychologically easier because if you misjudge your speed you've got more pavement to play with (assuming you don't find traffic going the other way). If you screw up a left-hand turn your off the road and have probably crashed. :( There's probably a bit more margin for error on the right-hand turn than there is for the left.

It'd be interesting to see what the folks in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan think.

SteveE

I gotta say left. Although im right handed, my left turns are way more smooth and precise. I think its because my right arm is stronger than my left so when i turn I misjudge the power or something.

Maybe SteevE has a point there! It's left for me too. I've thought about it too and wondered if it could have anything to do with eye dominance? Or maybe in the back of my mind I know there is a derailleur and hanger on the other side that I really don't want to nail on the pavement!

huh, never thought of it..
but if I think of it, in a car I feel better on left turns i guess because I see better where I am going.. On a bike I like right turns better, maybe because I crashed once on a left turn, and banged my left shoulder really good..

Perhaps a poll? But I imagine the split is 50-50.

If I had to choose, I seem to favor right-hand turns. I feel a slight more controlled for some reason.

Right I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that I'm right handed?

how interesting, was just discussing this!
I feel pretty equal for the most part
but
I prefer the right for more comfortable high speed turns
I decided not to do a crit downtown (that would have been my first) and it turned out having all left turns so I felt better about not making that my first.
the folks I was talking to preferred left (a poll would be interesting)

huh, never thought of it..
but if I think of it, in a car I feel better on left turns i guess because I see better where I am going.. On a bike I like right turns better, maybe because I crashed once on a left turn, and banged my left shoulder really good..

What do you think of this theory:

One friend suggested that auto racers (and drivers) in countries that drive on the right side, prefer LEFT turns because the driver (on the left) travels through a smaller radius during the turn, and thus experiences less centripital force than he/she would in a RIGHT turn. This person felt that the preference was carried over subconciously, to cyclist in these countries.

I'm wondering if the brits have a trend toward a RIGHT turn preference.

If it's a sharper turn, wouldn't it be MORE centrifical force?

I don't have a favorite, their both equal to me.

On the bike I prefer left turns. When driving a car, I do all of my donuts turning left too!

If it's a sharper turn, wouldn't it be MORE centrifical force?

In thinking about it, I think the force would be the same, as C force is proportional to the velocity and inversly proportional to the radius. Maybe a better way to say it would be that the driver's SPEED is less when turning left.

One friend suggested that auto racers (and drivers) in countries that drive on the right side, prefer LEFT turns because the driver (on the left) travels through a smaller radius during the turn, and thus experiences less centripital force than he/she would in a RIGHT turn. This person felt that the preference was carried over subconciously, to cyclist in these countries.
I'm wondering if the brits have a trend toward a RIGHT turn preference.[/QUOTE]


I'm a Scot (definittely NOT a Brit) and I feel better taking a right turn at speed when I'm in a car. This is probably because I've got further to go to hit the pavement if I get it wrong and also because I can see a lot better into the turn, separated from it by only inches, rather than the width of the car. When I was a stupid kid I did a hand-brake turn on a 6% sloped minor road in the wet at 50mph and only survived because I went clockwise. For biking, I prefer long fast downhill lefthanders. I actually feel a bit anxious on a long fast right hander. I'm sure its got a lot to do with the derailleur etc. I play guitar and have over the years developed a tendancy to always walk on the right side of whoever I'm talking to, having got so used to this position when cuddling into an acoustic. My friend told me that when I was playing 6 hours a day, I had a lop-sided stoop from it.

Because if you turn right making a U-turn, you end up running into the curb or off the road. :) Perhaps the fast right hand turn is psychologically easier because if you misjudge your speed you've got more pavement to play with (assuming you don't find traffic going the other way). If you screw up a left-hand turn your off the road and have probably crashed. :( There's probably a bit more margin for error on the right-hand turn than there is for the left.

It'd be interesting to see what the folks in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan think.

SteveE

Good points Steve. I find left turns harder then right turns. It could be for the reasons you mention.

As you mentioned, if you go a bit wide on a right turn, well you just drift out into the pavement. So on right turns, you can turn close into the curb and if you need to drift out a bit, well no problem.

On left turns, if you drift wide, you are off the road.

Right is more comfortable, but I turn left very often.