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To
turn a cycle at speed, you don’t turn the bars but lean
the cycle inward towards the direction of the turn.
The faster
you are going, and the sharper the turn, the more you lean. You
have no choice in this matter.
For a given speed and turn radius,
the centre of gravity of the rider must be moved sideways or
the cycle won't balance. The only thing you have control
over is
whether you lean the cycle more than, less than, or the same
as your body.
Lean the cycle - keep your upper body more upright
This approach is popular with beginners who are scared to lean
over sideways.
This technique is recommended by some racing cyclists and coaches
as offering the possibility of recovering from a skid.
Lean the upper body - keep the cycle more upright
This approach is popular with riders afraid of hitting a pedal
on the road. This is a particular concern for riders of fixed wheel
cycles, since they cannot coast through corners.
Lean the upper body and cycle together
This technique has the advantage of keeping the steering axis,
tyre contact and centre of gravity all in the same plane. This
preserves the proper handling characteristics of the cycle, and
makes a skid less likely.
Some riders believe that sticking out their knee or leaning their
body away from the cycle, improves cornering. Sticking out a knee
is what riders without cleats do when they stick out a foot in
dirt track motorcycle fashion. It is a useless but reassuring gesture
that, on uneven roads, actually works against you as any body weight
that is not centered over the cycle applies a side load and side
loads cause steering motions if the road is not smooth.
To verify this, ride down a straight but rough road standing
on one pedal with the bike slanted. Note how the bike follows
an erratic
line. In contrast, if you ride centered on the bike you can ride
no-hands perfectly straight over rough road. When
you lean off the bike you cannot ride a smooth line over road irregularities,
especially in curves. For best control, stay centered
over your bike.
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