Originally Posted by
firstian
As someone suggested above, I tried to "feel the bike beneath" by gently changing the balance back and forth using only my lower body. This is definitely a Aha! moment: if I can train myself to do so consistently, I won't have to rely on my hands to rebalance (which is likely what caused the wobble to begin with).
Cool. I'm glad that worked. This is going to sound weird, but I sometimes think of my bicycle as a horse. (I don't ride horses, by the way. I'm basing this on what I've heard from some horse-riders.) The act of riding is a form of
2-way communication between you and the bicycle. When you do various things, the bicycle will "respond," and you will learn to feel those responses and respond back, etc. more and more.
That's why it's good to keep
playing with the bike, as so many here have recommended. It's how you learn the language.
...By the way, when I was out and about tonight, I kept trying to analyze my own countersteering. I was playing around with turning and swerving in some parking lots just to try to figure out exactly what it is I'm doing.
I still can't quite explain it. The real benefit was just more practice...and having some fun.
