Thanks for starting a fascinating thread, Catz. Countersteering and contact patchs! And I thought steering a bike was something I learned 40 years ago.

Now for a new term, the Sticky Edge - the attraction I've felt for the edge of the road when I've come close to going over. I'm there thinking: I'm going to go, one wrong move and I'm going to go. I remember that I didn't want to steer away too quickly because I could 'feel' that if I tried that then the bike would definitely go into the dirt. It just felt unsafe to try that. And I didn't dare steer towards the dirt, because then (I thought) that's where I'll end up if I do. That was my thinking anyway, not knowing anything about countersteering.

So, to get away from the edge I would try to steer perfectly straight while leaning away from the dirt. And it really was confusing, because to keep the bike upright I'd have to steer slightly towards the dirt. And I didn't want to do that but I had to. So I'd be trying to lean one way, steering the other and wondering why I was going in a straight line and not able to get away from the edge. I can remember the 'sticky' feeling (sometimes it lasted for several seconds): how come I'm staying so close to the edge and not going one way or the other? Until a small perturbation decided for me and I'd be clear of the edge, either in the gravel or on the road. Phew! Anything but that sticky edge.

I'm off to check out the physics of the thing.