Whether you’re a professional cyclist or just learning to ride – you need to know how to handle corners. A mere corner is still an obstacle that could inevitably slow you down. It’s an essential skill to be able to tackle them safely without having to lose any speed.
Here are few ways to handle corners on your bike:
1. Don’t hard brake while cornering, unless you want to see yourself thrown out on the tarmac.
Wash off speed before the corner by braking lightly with both brakes (this is called feathering) and don’t brake while you are going around the actual corner.
2. Mind the Terrain
Slow down around corners when the road is wet or there is debris like leaves or gravel. It is also important not to turn on any white road markings particularly when it’s wet because they become very slippery.
3. Take advantage of your body weight when cornering
Sure the handlebars are there to make turns, but that’s not the right way to handle corners.
If you want to corner without losing any speed, you need to lean. You should reposition your center of gravity so that your bike remains balanced when cornering.
If you’re cornering with higher speeds, you’ll have to lean further to get your center of gravity lower. It’s the only way if you want to maintain your grip and balance.
4. Stop pedalling
It’s good to stop pedalling once you lean the bike to pass through the bend. Keep the inside pedal up, so that it doesn’t touch the ground.
Apply pressure to the outer pedal – this will help you retain your balance as you lean into the corner.
As you approach the corner your inside pedal should be up and your outside one down. You should also put your weight on your outside foot which is down.
5. Always look up and ahead
Look ahead to where you want to go rather than at the road or the bike immediately in front of you. You will automatically head in the direction where you are looking.
6. Practice, practice
I’m going to say this again and again, proper cornering takes practice. Turn with your hips/pelvis and head/neck – the bike will follow! Practice it sitting on a chair – tuck your feet under the chair a bit and weight your feet as if you were going to stand up. But don’t stand up! Rotate your butt/hips as far as you can to one side (yaw) while keeping your shoulders/arms pointed straight ahead. Repeat back and forth on either side to get the hang of it.