Originally Posted by
meanwhile25
First off this is my first post and I am very new to the world of biking, so bear with me. =)
Just today I was riding to the store in my town. I signaled a right turn and I totally lost control and lost balance and skid myself across the pavement. Besides having my wind knocked out and a couple nasty brush burns on my arms, I am alright. Thankfully there were 3 guys on motorcycles behind me who stopped and made sure i was alright.
It was on a very busy street and I try to keep up with the flow of traffic as much as possible. How can I take my hand off under high speeds and not lose control? Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
I have a Schwinn Racer with 700 x 28c tires
Bet your were doing the "car" right turn signal
You don't have to use this signal...you should use
some signal...and I'd posit that the signal is plain dangerous to use on a bike that is leaning over into a turn. Your balance is all off. Your hand is off the bar and you are trying to steer with the hand on the inside of the curve. That's not a good thing.
For bicycles, just point to the right for right turns and to the left for left turns. People behind you will get it, your balance is better and your hand is on the correct side of the bike for control. Plus you don't need to signal all the way through the turn.