Corner with power: As you enter a corner, lean the bike slightly into the turn without turning the handlebar. Put your outside pedal down in the six o'clock position and use your weight to drive it toward the ground. This improves your traction, so your wheels won't slip as you lean. You can increase the angle of the lean by pressing the inside half of the handlebar down. Decrease the lean (or come out of it) by pushing down on the outside half of the handlebar.

Brake smoothly: Apply both brakes at once for better controlled stopping, with more force on the rear brake initially. Gradually increase pressure on the front brake. If you begin to skid with either wheel, use less force on that brake. Never brake in a corner or when your bike is leaning.

Shift with confidence: Anticipate uphills and downhills so you're not caught pushing uphill in a gear that's too big or spinning too much in one that's too small on the downhills. The idea is to modulate your gears so you always have a smooth, consistent spin. In addition, never shift into the big chainring and biggest cog combination. This puts your chain at an extreme angle that is inefficient, increases wear and can damage the rear derailleur. The same goes for the small chainring and smallest cog combo, which runs the chain so slack it can slap against your frame and is more likely to derail.

Bookmark:

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed