Originally Posted by
daihard
I'm wondering how best to practice good lean-in while turning. Whenever I turn fast, I can't seem to lean my body in far enough compared to my bike, apparently for fear that I may fall if I lean too far in. I want to overcome that fear, but I just can't think of any way to do that.
1st things 1st, Relax.
Understand that "Countersteering is the technique used by single-track vehicle operators, such as cyclists and motorcyclists, to initiate a turn toward a given direction by momentarily steering counter to the desired direction."
Read this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering
Of particular importance to your query: "This process often requires little or no physical effort, because the geometry of the steering system of most bikes is designed in such a way that the front wheel has a strong tendency to steer in the direction of a lean."
Yep, and the bike will follow your eyes. Look where you want to be.
Find a nice big grassy area and gradually increase speed doing L/R turns, shifting weight, applying F&R brakes and generally messing about.
Your position should have bent elbows and a relaxed but firm hand on the controls.
Mild Cyclo-Cross is the best way to improve bike handling skills while the inevitable mis-judgment crash has far less consequence than any pavement sortie.
Look through the turn, relax and let the bike ride itself.
-Bandera