Duh.

Almost everybody probably knows this already, but just in case there's anybody else out there as dumb as me that needs to hear this...

For the longest time I was frustrated every time I tried to look back and left to check for traffic if I needed to get across the street to make a left turn.

This morning on my commute I accidentally figgered it out, I looked back and left, and had a surprisingly large field of view, and didn't feel unstable on the bike at all. Only mid-look did I realize something was different and better, and when I thought about it, I instantly realized MY HAND IS ON MY KNEE.

All this time I had been straining to look back over my left shoulder, or under my left armpit, with both hands on the bars. No wonder it always pulled me out of a straight line, and I still couldn't really see.

But with right leg/pedal down, and left leg/pedal up, left hand on left knee, right hand on handlebar, I have so much more freedom to turn my whole torso, while my right hand is not forced to pull the bike to the left -- WOW.

So in case you've never tried it, think about this next time you have to look back!

(And yes, I know there are these things called mirrors; I had a take-a-look for a few months, and liked it pretty good, but (a) I recently lost it in a roadside mech. helmet-off situation, and (b) after monitoring oncoming traffic in the mirror for a while and choosing my spot, I would always turn and take a real look before making my move anyways (no different than a car)