why are left turns/U-turns so hard (for me?!)

[rij73]

I can u-turn and ride in circles to the left, but I'm hopeless going to the right. I have no idea why! There's definitely something to it...

[bmccasland]

Does it corrolate with be left handed or right handed? Just a thought.

[kfergos]

Does it correlate with be left handed or right handed? Just a thought.

I was just going to say this! I've noticed that people definitely mount their bikes based on handedness: By and large, right-handers mount from the left, and left-handers mount from the right. Why should turning be any different?

PS - I continue to be an awful turner, so llb - thanks for asking. And everybody else, thanks for the useful advice.

[rij73]

I'm right handed but turn best to the left. To mount the bike, I stand on its left and swing the right leg over. I clip in the right foot first and clip in the left as I get underway... Trying to go against these instincts is definitely harder.

[bmccasland]

Some of the mounting left (as in your left foot stays on the ground the longest, and you swing your right leg over) comes from horse calvary days. Most soldiers were trained right handed, so your sword hangs on the left. Which means when you're mounting a horse with your sword banging around on the left, it is FAR easier to swing your right leg up and over.

(ahhh the fun trivia one learns when one's other hobby involves medieval history)

[maillotpois]

Can someone explain what "weighting the outside pedal" means?
Say I am coming down a long hill, with a big right curve. I lean into my right, right pedal up. If I am leaning in, how can I weight the outside pedal at the same time?

It's "like" standing on one foot and leaning to the opposite side. If you turn right, you are standing on your left pedal and leaning to the right.

[RoadRaven]

One of the cycling disciplines I enjoy most is time-trialling. The courses are usually "out and back" along a straightish piece of road. This means they almost always will involve a u-turn.

Initially I wasn't confident, but we have a kilometre of flattish straight road from our gate, so one of my regular rides is to ride this back and forth along this.

So to do a 10km ride, I have to do 9 turns... a 20 km ride (verrry boring, but I do that sometimes) involves 19 turns.

This is what has made me good and relatively quick - but definately confident doing tight u-turns.

Practice, practice, practice... thats all I can say.
It is about getting to know how you and your bike feel and realising its ok... it takes time, but you get there.

Do it slowly in a car park, get a cone or some obstacle you can bike around, and over time - hours, days or weeks - turn closer and tighter to the cone.

[RolliePollie]

I seem to lose the ability to make good turns when I have to fit my turn into a specific space. If I'm out in the open, like in a big parking lot, I can do nice u-turns and tight right and left turns. But put me someplace where there's a curb or a road edge or bushes or anything else in the way, and I can't seem to turn well at all. I think practice makes perfect in this situation...at least I am hoping that will be the case for me!

And is there anyone else out there who is not flexible enough to swing a leg over the bike? I have to lean my bike towards me, bend my leg, and lift it over the top tube. I absolutely cannot swing it over the saddle. I also can't touch my toes, which kind of gives you an idea of how unflexible I am.

[latelatebloomer]

Sara, as I've been doing my bike "rodeo" (psyclepath, it's just not graceful enough for me to call it "dancing" yet) I find the same thing! I can do some very tight turns zig-zagging around the big parking lot, and when I start to do them within the parameters of the 2-lane road, sometimes I do fine, a lot of times I "clutch." What a silly headgame, eh? I reckon the only answer is tons of practice, review the basics, practice more. When I look where I WANT to go, lead with my chin, and don't brake in the turn, I do great. Then the next attempt, I might do every single thing wrong and wind up pedaling in grass.

I don't really care how many times I have to go the park and do my loopdeloops, by next spring I will execute a u-turn as smooth and easy as my racer friends do. I will, I will, I will. I don't care how many people at the park laugh at the big lady going around in circles. I know this practice is going to make me a safer rider in lots of situations and will have me positioning properly when I have more speed.

yet another reason I feel I should soon change my handle to relentless.

[Torrilin]

Does it corrolate with be left handed or right handed? Just a thought.

I'd guess the answer is "some". I'm cross dominant (right eyed, left handed, right legged), and I can mount from either side. And I do! This despite a 17 degree rotation inward on my right hip. I tend to prefer mounting from a curb, just because it's easier on me if my hip is giving trouble, but if that's not an option, it'll be whatever side I'm standing on.

I haven't noticed one direction of turn or another being notably easier. I'm more ambidextrous than normal, so that might be it. Or it might be learning to ride in a cul-de-sac as a small child. All that time doing tight circles, in both directions...

[Tuckervill]

(My son is an "ambidextrous freak", too, Torrilin. You should read The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket, if you don't mind kids books.)

I was going to say, about doing u-turns...it helps to pedal out of the turn, too. Just after you've made the hook, push that outside pedal down. Something about counteracting the torque, in terms of physics, but is more easily understood when driving a car. On hairpin turns, accelerate out and it makes the turn easier.

Karen

[lisascenic]

Maybe you're like Derek Zoolander.

Zoolander: I'm not an ambi-turner. It's a problem I had since I was a baby. I can't turn left.

[elk]

(My son is an "ambidextrous freak", too, Torrilin. You should read The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket, if you don't mind kids books.)

I was going to say, about doing u-turns...it helps to pedal out of the turn, too. Just after you've made the hook, push that outside pedal down. Something about counteracting the torque, in terms of physics, but is more easily understood when driving a car. On hairpin turns, accelerate out and it makes the turn easier.

Karen

I was going to say the same thing...I make lots of Uturns on my narrow street and yes...I'm better at left Uturns...but I have found that pedaling just as you're about to come out of the turn makes it easy. We have more control over the bike while we're moving faster....

[Crankin]

I have problems with right turns; I am all over the place! I've tried to work on it this year, but it definitely is not natural. Most of it comes from my fear of descending at great speed! It seems like most of the turns on the hills I descend are right ones. I freak out, put the brakes on and end up somewhere on the other side of the road half of the time. My solution is to slow down before the turn, but i have to slow to about 15 before I feel comfortable executing the right turn correctly on a descent. I also have very poor depth perception and mixed laterality. I'm right handed, but i am left eyed and footed. I get on my bike from the left, clip in right and go. I always clip out on the left. I feel like I just can't do it on the right, even though I know I should be able to do both.

I have improved right turns on flat roads by looking ahead and keeping the outside leg really pressed down. Speed is the thing that messes me up.