steering inputs ...

Giles

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About 8 years ago

Met an English girl in Austria on her bike.
We were chatting and she said she found the bike too heavy for her on corners because it was so difficult to get it up and down.
She was going to change it to something lighter.
I asked her did she know what countersteering was.
She did not, and I explained it to her, telling her to, just a Giles suggested, check what happens when you steer by pushing the bars with your thumbs, and how the bike will drop or lift or swerve instantly on minimal input.
Met her next evening at same guest house.
She had a grin from ear to ear. Said it was incredible, and what was more, she had already been doing it unknowingly, but was now doing it intentionally.
All ideas of a lighter bike were now gone. her riding partner/husband had not been aware of this utilaisation of such a technique either.
 
rode back from work this week concentrating on my steering inputs. Found I was definitely using a down angled input as opposed to a lateral one. Also found I needed to focus on the push as opposed to a pull with the opposite hand. Very insightful and useful tip. Lateral (obs) makes it easier, just a case of practise when lockdown eases. Thanks squire
 
. Found I was definitely using a down angled input as opposed to a lateral one.


Some bikes naturally put you in a very 'fore-arms parallel to the ground' position, which is really good for those piston like steering pushes (if that makes sense).

Other bikes (sports in particular) are a bit of a hybrid. At low speeds there's not enough draft to hit our chest and help support us, so we end up propping ourselves up with our arms. Not good for steering. But of course when we get going and maybe adopt that 'tuck in' style, it all makes sense - draft takes some of the weight, and we end up nice and relaxed and with a 90° elbow push / pulling that easy steering.

:thumb2
 
I guess bar risers on certain bikes will also come into play as the built geometry has been deliberately changed. Again for bar width. I guess the difference between pushing and pulling (assuming an upright rider drops their elbows to make it more lateral effort) is one of throttle control. I think of pulling on the throttle hand possibly has / could have undesired acceleration effects!. I guess then again, a 2 handed motion could also allow for this. I get it's a dynamic thing and throttle control is paramount but anything that can be done to minimise this is probably good. I'll focus on pushing. Guess I just answered my own question really...
 
I guess bar risers on certain bikes will also come into play as the built geometry has been deliberately changed. Again for bar width. I guess the difference between pushing and pulling (assuming an upright rider drops their elbows to make it more lateral effort) is one of throttle control. I think of pulling on the throttle hand possibly has / could have undesired acceleration effects!. I guess then again, a 2 handed motion could also allow for this. I get it's a dynamic thing and throttle control is paramount but anything that can be done to minimise this is probably good. I'll focus on pushing. Guess I just answered my own question really...

Bar riser ... yes .. absolutely :thumb2

'A two handed motion could allow for this ... '

Quite often, I get a rider to ride down a nice flowing bendy lane, with his right hand only. Put it in a flexible gear, and ride for ten minutes with yer left hand in yer lap. That is a real way to feel push and pull at work. Steering can be very easy.
But! The real point of this exercise (or at least part ii of this exercise, is) ...... How does the steering feel when we finish and put our left hand back on the bars?
Quite often, riders subconsciously allow their arms to fight one another, and all the good work that one armed steering does can be cancelled out by the addition of the other arm that just ends up interfering or worse still fighting!
Give that one a go too! Steer with one arm, experience how it feels, put the other arm back in play ... does it alter things? Are they working together or are they ever so slightly out of synch and actually becoming little steering dampers ??

:thumb2
 
I guess bar risers on certain bikes will also come into play as the built geometry has been deliberately changed. Again for bar width. I guess the difference between pushing and pulling (assuming an upright rider drops their elbows to make it more lateral effort) is one of throttle control. I think of pulling on the throttle hand possibly has / could have undesired acceleration effects!. I guess then again, a 2 handed motion could also allow for this. I get it's a dynamic thing and throttle control is paramount but anything that can be done to minimise this is probably good. I'll focus on pushing. Guess I just answered my own question really...

After trying a taller screen, I found that chopping the OEM screen down gave great benefits. The wind hit my shoulders instead of my helmet so that held me up off my wrists at normal road speeds and the noise around my helmet reduced. Win, Win.

I look forward to practising the instructions above.
 


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