Maneuvering and balance

[Pedal Wench]

Hi!

I'm brand new to this forum, and I'm already addicted.

One question - I'm a fairly new rider and I've got a terrible problem with maneuvering around obstacles and corners. My boyfriend commutes on bicycle, so he rides like the bike is an extension of his body. I've crashed trying to get around a fire hydrant on the side of a bikepath. Trees are another nightmare. I'm not sure why I'm so unstable - is a balance problem? If we're on a bike path that makes a sharp turn, I freak out too. I have a fear of falling (I'm a hiker too, and have a hard time descending with steep drop-offs) and I wonder if this is part of it. There is a great bike path here in Atlanta, but I'm afraid that it might be crowded and I'll have to weave in and out of joggers.

Help!

[Irulan]

the first rule is to look where you want to go, not at what you want to avoid. You will hit it!! That is called target acquisituion. Also, look ahead of you, not at your front wheel or just in front of your wheel. If you look out ahead of you.. same thing, you will go where you look.

hth

Irulan

[Pedal Wench]

That's a great idea. I do see an obstacle, obsess, then freak. In my last crash, I saw the fire hydrant, got scared, over-corrected and decided it would be safer to crash into the hedge on the other side of the path.

How about tips on tight cornering? I'm a total dork - hopping off and walking them. There's an area that I ride in a marina where we ride out on a dock for just a short distance and I'm terrified. The thing is probably 10 feet wide, and I'm still convinced I'll fall into the water.

Irulan, I've read a bunch of your other posts - you have a wealth of great information, and as a newbie, it's greatly appreciated!

[JanT]

Welcome to cycling! One thing that will help you with maneuvering, cornering, etc. is to relax. When I first started mountain biking, I was really tense at times, to the point where I actually overshot the trail with too wide turns. So how do you relax when you're new and nervous? Well, the main thing is to just get out and ride. The more you ride, the more confident you will be, and just like your teacher always said, "Practice makes perfect!" That being said, I find that certain things still make me tense up, and I have to remind myself to relax my muscles. And for some reason, hard right turns (but not left) on single track challenge me. Maybe you could try getting out for rides when there are fewer people around? That's what worked for me.

[jobob]

When I first started riding my road bike I was really nervous on it because I wasn't yet accustomed to the position. My arms and shoulders would literally lock up, and oh yeah, what Irulan said, that was me ! With time and practice I relaxed. Trust me, it will happen for you too. Just get out there and ride.

[caligurl]

OHMIGOSH! thanx for asking this question! i do the same thing.. i see potholes or glass and i have the hardest time getting around them! UGH! i'm going to practice NOT looking at it tonight! (along with scraping gum and keeping my cadence up!) who knew biking was so hard!!!

[Irulan]

tight corners... practice going as slow as you can in circles, make them smaller and smaller. You can control your speed also by racheting back 1/4 turns. Look where you want to go. At least this is how mountain bikers do it.

Irulan

[caligurl]

Originally posted by Irulan
tight corners... practice going as slow as you can in circles, make them smaller and smaller. You can control your speed also by racheting back 1/4 turns. Look where you want to go. At least this is how mountain bikers do it.

Irulan

what do you mean racheting back 1/4 turns?

hmmmmm slow circles... now that just makes me think i'll fall off my bike! lol!

[bounceswoosh]

If you have trouble keeping your balance when going really slow, you might try something my hubby taught me. It sounds weird, but it works. If you need to go slow, keep pedalling but use your brakes at the same time. You have better balance this way than if you try to go slowly just by braking.

[maryellen]

AudioA--thx for starting this thread. I am a newish rider and although I'm strong, maneuvering and balance remain major challenges. Looking where you want to go is crucial.

Gotta admit though, as I live in NYC, I've given myself permission to get off the bike and walk whenever I need to. I rarely do it, but I know I can if I have to. I like a challenge but don't want to be terrified especially around cars and pedestrians. I need to practice the ever tighter circles, thx for the reminder, whoever suggested this one.

[pedalfaster]

Some more thoughts on going were you look:

Zen thoughts: be like water. flow. look for the path of least resistance.

And for the artists (this works especially well in tree-lined singletrack) : look for the negative spaces.

[Pedal Wench]

Thanks everyone!
One thing that I might be doing is slowing down too much, and of course, it's harder to control when you're barely moving.

What did you mean about ratcheting back 1/4?

Also, I've noticed that I can turn much tighter turns on my mtb, so it might just be that the position on my road bike makes me feel unstable.

Keep the advice coming! I need it!

[magrat22]

I'm exactly the same Audio A. Last week I was on a narrow path I was so afraid I was going to go onto the road I ended up in a hedge..and I mean in it!! My big problem is when I want to turn into a road I keep overshooting it and always end up on the wrong side, luckily so far I haven't met an oncoming car but it's something I really nervous about so it's probably why I keep doing it...d'oh!!

[Dogmama]

Tight turns - find an empty parking lot & do figure 8's. This gives you practice turning in both directions.

Missing obstacles, like Irulan said, look where you want to go, NOT at the obstacle.

Also, realize that shifting your body weight will move the bike as well as turning the front tire. I'll usually just lean a bit one way or the other to miss stuff in the street.

[pedalfaster]

I'm better at "doing" than explaining, but I'll try.

Ratcheting is a technique used by mtbers to get through and around obstacles when one doesn't have room to make full pedal-strokes. It can also be used for water short water crossings when you don't want to get your feet wet

On the road riders will sometimes ratchet while in doing a trackstand

Coast with your pedals at 9 and 3. Now press the "3" foot back, then almost immediately press the "9" foot forward. It's kind of a rocking motion that can be used to ever-so-gently propel the bike forward slowly.

Hope that helps; perhaps someone else can explain it more clearly.