Login required to started new threads

Login required to post replies

Prev Next
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [hyr00] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
No one said it yet?


Be the bike Danny!

Quote Reply
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [hyr00] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Step 1. get better in a safe controlled environment. Things like riding in smaller and smaller circles. Practice riding circles until you can ride comfortably in 2 car park spaces. Ride shoulder to shoulder with another rider, in a straight line, then in circles or figure 8's. Ride along and pick up a drink bottle from the ground. Get good at riding up and down curbs. Practice riding really slowly, then practice track stands. Get that sorted, then move on to step 2

Step 2. Practice in real life. Assuming you're riding a road bike, ride on the hoods, with at least 2 fingers on the brakes. When coming across a gap you want to make, look 2 seconds ahead (this happens almost naturally). Remember to look at the gap, not the obstacles. You will go where you look, so look at the gap. Be prepared to stop, meaning be ready which side you're going to unclip with. If you're going really slowly, unclip and put the middle of your foot on the pedal for faster response time. Be ready (ie balanced, and ready for the change in balance when you unclip. put your foot down ore lean a hand on a car, truck or bus.

TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"
Quote Reply
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [Alaric83] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Look well down the road at where you want to go. focusing further away improves balance as well. Also focus on steering the bike by leaning or shifting weight and weighting the pedals, not using the bars. A good way to control a bike at very low speeds is standing on the pedals.

Also learn that if you bump something, to stay relaxed and not overcompensate.


TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com
Quote Reply
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [Rumpled] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Rumpled wrote:
Riding through tight traffic makes me think of that line from the Dyer Straist song Skateaway "let a big truck grease here hip"

Graze her hip.

And she tortures taxis just for fun ...
Quote Reply
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [hyr00] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
hyr00 wrote:
most of whom are better than me and can get through that narrow space.


I wouldn't grade yourself based on how the other cyclists in London ride, a lot of them are lunatics. I'm a pretty experienced and confident cyclist, and I can dodge and bunny hop with the best of them, but a lot of cycling behaviour I see in London is frankly stupid.

Don't move up the inside of a lorry. Because..


Quote Reply
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [Scheherazade] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
worked for sonny bono!!

Anne Barnes
ABBikefit, Ltd
FIST/SICI/FIST DOWN DEEP
X/Y Coordinator
abbikefit@gmail.com
Quote Reply
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [hyr00] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Plenty of good advice on bike handling above, I won't add to it other than to say that I find my bike control at low speeds to be better when I'm clipped in than when I have flat pedals. For commuting I recommend MTB pedals that are easy to clip into from both sides, and MTB shoes with recessed cleats so that you get good traction on the pedal even when not clipped in (and they're easy to walk in).

What I would say, as a fellow London cycle commuter, is that if a gap is narrow enough that you're worried about hitting something, you need to be taking it pretty carefully anyway regardless of your handling skills. I'm a good enough handler that I can avoid anything I know about, but I'm not psychic and you never know when a vehicle is going to turn without indicating, or a pedestrian will be wandering through the traffic because they think it's stationary, or a motorbike is about to cut into the bike lane, or any one of the hundreds of other things that could really ruin your day. I'm delighted to hear that you think London drivers are considerate (I think they're terrible - maybe I'm lucky not to have experienced North America!), but they're far from perfect. And a fair few London cyclists are idiots who take far too many risks, so don't feel bad about occasionally holding somebody up. If it's a small enough gap that you don't want to go through it at all, then just stop a little short so that there's room for others to go if they want to, but if you're making progress - even slowly - then it's their problem to get past you, not yours.

Also consider your route - the nice thing about London is that there are normally a lot of different ways of getting from A to B, so you can normally find a route that fits your handling and risk appetite without necessarily having to go any further. And an extra mile or 2 here and there doesn't necessarily increase your journey time anyway if it involves more bike-friendly roads so that you're stopping and slowing down less.
Quote Reply
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [hyr00] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I'm a big proponent of "Planning your descent" basically defensive driving. What I mean when I say "plan your descent" look 20 steps ahead of you, see how the cars are behaving and how the cars in-front of them are behaving. By watching two cars in-front of you, you can determine what the car immediately in front of you is going to do.

I ride a single speed in Chicago, I do exactly what you're asking about, I feel unsafe sitting behind cars at stoplights. I split the cars and get in front of them when they are stopped, often times it becomes a game of leap frog for awhile until the cars or I break away. By watching cars beyond your immediate danger zone you can typically pick the best line to split the traffic.

Timing is a huge key to success. Try to roll up to the intersection exactly when the light turns green so you don't loose momentum, or time the red to green so you get a jump on the gun. You want to be confident with your abilities, the worst place to get stuck when the light changes to green is next to a car.

Get quality brake pads and Ride your brakes. I set my brakes up to really lock down when I pull the lever. I want to be able to stop on a dime. I often times find myself riding my brakes at a stoplight but pedaling at the same time to maintain minimal forward movement and my feet on the pedals, if I time it right - I simply let go of the brakes and sprint through the intersection.

Look into the whites of drivers eyes. Might be my best advise, stare down your fellow drivers. This is best demonstrated with turning vehicles. You find a car in a turn lane and don't think they can see you, look at them directly in their eyes, once they make eye contact they can see you. (Don't forget to watch where you are going also)

Look in mirrors. (parked cars) or if you feel your in a blind spot. If you can see them, they can see you, you don't want to get side swiped by a door of a parked car.

Grow with data: Dynamic Sports Data | eBay store
Quote Reply
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [hyr00] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Practice and learn to “track stand”. This will improve your slow and narrow bike handling skills greatly.
Quote Reply
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [hyr00] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
@ OP - It's not the absolute end-all-be-all, but for sure, for what you're describing, in terms of finding ways to move between small spaces with confidence (I wouldn't recommend squeezing through cars, I was thinking more along elbow-to-elbow pack riding, but same idea), getting good at riding on regular old-school rollers (the ones without the safety features) is VERY helpful for confidence with small movements and maintaining stability on a small patch of road, even if looking back, etc.

Would also likely work well for you if you are living in tight quarters in London; rollers don't take up much room and can be practiced easily in a small room.

I use the cheap TravelTrac rollers if I'm getting back to riding on-road a lot, and it def helps for holding dead solid lines, staying upright even if bumped or veering off the road, etc. In fact, most of those subtle skills you learn on rollers are probably extremely hard to learn just by riding a lot in 'regular' situations - the rollers really force you not only hold a super tight line, but also force you to learn and internalize all the micromotions required to adjust without overadjusting.
Quote Reply
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [hyr00] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
fixie london rider.

You just focus on the gaps. Your hands are (should be) the widest part of the bike so a bit like cat's whiskers they give you a feel for what you can fit through.

If you look at the car or the wing mirror you will hit it.

With those two points as the basics the rest is just practice/getting on with it. Next level tips are things (if your bike allows) are things like freewheeling close to the pavement with the inside pedal up so allow you to squeeze through a gap you couldn't pedal through.
Quote Reply
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [Scheherazade] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
This
Quote Reply
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [hyr00] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
I know this may sound weird but I feel the space that I'm going through and try to even it out.
Last edited by: jaretj: Oct 5, 18 5:59
Quote Reply
Re: Bike handling question for the good bike handlers on Slowtwitch [hyr00] [ In reply to ]
Quote | Reply
Steer the bike in the "attack" position like you would when riding trails (standing, cranks level and your weight slightly forward). You can produce more precise movements by slight leaning, shifting your head/shoulders, etc than if you were sitting. Actively turning the handlebars would probably be too coarse of a movement.
Quote Reply

Prev Next