nyc - george washington bridge

[gfbikernyc]

hi
looking for some pointers on how to bike up the ramp of GWB "elegantly"? i always have to put my left foot down and slowly move/hop my bike up to turn at the first corner. could someone please tell me a good way to turn a sharp corner in a narrow path! please help!

[ny biker]

I'm not familiar with that bridge, but there's a ped/bike bridge near here with a sharp hairpin at one end, and I just unclip and put my foot down when I ride there. Maybe some day I'll master it, but I'm more interested in not falling than anything else.

[KnottedYet]

I have to do a sharp hairpin corner (uphill) on a pedestrian/bike overpass bridge near me. (The one over 155th/Aurora/Westminster on the Interurban for you Seattlites)

It is a bear.

It seems to work best if I drop into my absolute lowest gear well before the hairpin, pedal like a demon, and then coast around the corner with my outside foot down and not moving a muscle until I'm through.

Then I pedal like a demon again and start shifting up.

Not an elegant solution, but it seems to be the only way I can get through without walking or scooting. (Which I will also do at times, especially if the person in front of me walks. You really can't pass on this hairpin because of the folks coming down off the bridge.)

[ccnyc]

Ride your front brake a little while pedaling around the hairpin and "aim for the drain". It will be on your right when going up the ramp. If you ride very near or over it as you make the turn you will be able to achieve the elegant turn you're looking for.
The drain is near the rear wheel in this photo (from http://www.newyorkbike.com/).

HTH.