#1
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downhill turning
I had an unpleasant crash this winter: a wet spot followed by a left
hairpin turn. Once I started leaning into the turn, it felt like I was riding on ice. It's been 6 months and the bruises are still pretty spectacular. But the worst bruise is on my mind. I feel extremely uncomfortable leaning into turns since then, even if the pavemen is totally dry. I just don't know how far I can safely lean w/o going into a skid. Are there special tires that are stickier than others? I crashed on Michelin Carbons (red stripes) which are supposedly designed for wet weather - did not help. I guess I can only feel comfortable once I know exactly what to do if I get into a skid. How does one train for that? Sounds like a tough way to train - either you leave flesh on the pavement, or you don't. There was an article in Velonews by a guy who won a famous descent race in LA. He says he lifts his bike when it strats to skid... By comparison, I think I am good in descending on nordic skis, to a point where some people consider me nuts. I guess, it's because I know exactly what to do if anything goes wrong. But on a bike - I am totally clueless. I am used to going 50+ mph on straight downhills, just by letting it go and hoping that nothing bad happens. But I have no idea what to do in an emergency. |
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#2
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downhill turning
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#3
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downhill turning
A shy person asks anonymously:
I had an unpleasant crash this winter: a wet spot followed by a left hairpin turn. Once I started leaning into the turn, it felt like I was riding on ice. It's been 6 months and the bruises are still pretty spectacular. But the worst bruise is on my mind. I feel extremely uncomfortable leaning into turns since then, even if the pavemen is totally dry. I just don't know how far I can safely lean w/o going into a skid. Are there special tires that are stickier than others? I crashed on Michelin Carbons (red stripes) which are supposedly designed for wet weather - did not help. No colored rubber toire is designed for wet weather. Just ask yourself how many motor vehicle colored tires are on the marklet. I guess I can only feel comfortable once I know exactly what to do if I get into a skid. How does one train for that? Sounds like a tough way to train - either you leave flesh on the pavement, or you don't. You can lean much farther than you believe. It is lubrication by water, loose grit, or oily substances that slide unpredictably. There was an article in Velonews by a guy who won a famous descent race in LA. He says he lifts his bike when it strats to skid... That is giant BS. Watch bicycle racing videaos and you'll see that once the front end slides when banked over, it is irrecoverable. On the other hand, racers are often not great cornering experts as you can see from watching GdI and Tdf videos. By comparison, I think I am good in descending on nordic skis, to a point where some people consider me nuts. I guess, it's because I know exactly what to do if anything goes wrong. But on a bike - I am totally clueless. I am used to going 50+ mph on straight downhills, just by letting it go and hoping that nothing bad happens. But I have no idea what to do in an emergency. That has nothing to do with cornering on a wheeled single track vehicle. Water skiers do even more than snow board descenders do and they far outclass skiers on snow. http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/ http://tinyurl.com/npmog Jobst Brandt |
#4
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downhill turning
Jobst,
Judging from this picture you do know how to turn. That's almost a 45 deg angle: http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/images/tiretest.jpg I can't see myself leaning even half as far. I wear a helmet at all times though |
#5
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downhill turning
(snip) (oops ... didn't mean to whack off OP's info.)
- either you leave flesh on the pavement, or you don't. That's my experience. More to the point, either it dumps or it doesn't. There was an article in Velonews by a guy who won a famous descent race in LA. He says he lifts his bike when it strats to skid... He must have uncanny intuition and near-instantaneous reaction time. There have been instances when I went down so fast that I almost wasn't aware of it before I hit the ground. The last time was this past November. I had just left grass and was barely rolling when I reached concrete ... ice on concrete, that is. I was not in a turn - undoubtedly was off-balance but not turning - when bike went sideways and I went down on left hip and knee, and sanded a big hole through my best pair of chinos. Lift the bike? I didn't have time to move left foot off pedal, much less start man-handling the bike. (snip) -- Michael |
#6
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downhill turning
"Michael" wrote in message ... (snip) (oops ... didn't mean to whack off OP's info.) - either you leave flesh on the pavement, or you don't. That's my experience. More to the point, either it dumps or it doesn't. What if you aren't on pavement? Last weekend I did loop to the north of town. On the way back I had several choices. One, Jones Baseline, is dirt but hard packed and really quite pleasant to ride, especially southward. Another, 6th Sideroad N, is also dirt. As I had never ridden 6th I decided to give it a try. It was an experience. It had a thick gravel/stone surface rather than hard-packed. I don't know why the difference, perhaps the latter was used less and retained it's covering but going down some the hills - even on an mtb - was interesting. the gravel was so thick I was concerned about my front wheel skidding out on the steeper declines. |
#7
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downhill turning
the only lesson I learned is to go as fast as you can, lean as far as
you can, enjoy the moment, and hope it all goes well. |
#8
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downhill turning
the guy is a former BMX rider, if it helps.
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