An article I read yesterday in the Nov/Dec edition of Australian Cyclist talked about how we steer our bikes when we ride them. Is it about moving the handlebars? Is it about leaning the bike? Or is it a mixture of the two? If it is a mixture, which comes first the movement of the bars or the lean? The article suggests that pushing the right handlebar forward would actually make you turn right, not left as you would think – seemed unlikely to me. Anyway, on my ride this morning I was trying to think about how I steered, what I did, and all it did to me was make me ride badly. Thinking back to when I taught the kids to ride their bikes, I can recall how difficult it was to explain how to steer properly. I think it is just a sort of instinctive thing, innate – I don’t ever really remember being taught. What about you – what do you think?
A 40km ride this morning before breakfast was really great – so nice to be out early on a nice day. After breakfast Adrienne and I took the dog for a walk then had a coffee and muffin at the Westmeadows Bakery – very nice.
This afternoon a trip to Bunnings and a couple of little handyman jobs (I can only handle little ones!).
After that I spent an hour or so on some bike maintenance (clean and lube), then took the bike for another short 12km spin, just getting home before the rain started.
This blogosphere really is a great place isn’t it. I got a wonderful comment yesterday from someone called canute1. Go read it, it is so spot on and well thought out – and I don’t think I even know canute1 (if I do, I apologise). He (assuming that) left another really long comment on my blog during the Tassie trip. I think I’ve worked out that canute1 comes from the UK – have I got that right canute1? canute1, if you have a blog or anything – give me a link – I’d love to read! I love the fact that there are so many of us, from all over this planet, who are caring and sharing enough to be thinking about each other and trying to positively influence each others lives through the internet. Who would have thought it a few years ago?
November 2, 2008 at 8:14 pm |
hey
yeah i love the blog-o-sphere
with steering, i think youre right-its kind of an innate-and practice thing. im with you though.you push the right handlebar forward it turns the wheel left-therefore your bike turns left
November 2, 2008 at 8:53 pm |
When I started back riding, I used to use the “grip of death”. Gradually I was encouraged to hold on less tightly and “let the handlebars do their job”. I know that I’m a lot less scared when I ride over bumps etc, as the handlebars seem to know what to do. I guess I’m voting with the “it’s instinctive” camp.
November 3, 2008 at 1:38 am |
Andrew,
I am pleased that you found my recent comment interesting. You do not know me but I have been an intermittent reader of you blog for some time and have really enjoyed it. Yes, I live in the UK, though I was born in Adelaide and moved to the UK in my mid-twenties (in 1971). I was a runner before I left Australia, and actually represented SA in the Australian marathon championships in Melbourne in the late 60’s, in the days when Australia’s best (and the world’s best) was Derek Clayton. In my youth, running always took second place to walking and climbing, and as the years went by, first running and then climbing and finally walking, were increasingly displaced by life’s other commitments.
I am now in my sixties and took up running again fairly recently. I have been delighted by the fact that so many runners now record their experiences on blogs. I do have a blog of my own at http://canute1.wordpress.com . However, if you want to read about the advantage of low intensity training you might find Jason’s blog at http://gohard.blogspot.com more informative. He posted a really good discussion of low intensity training last week
November 3, 2008 at 4:52 am |
I remember when my dad taught me to ride a bike he explained if feel you are falling to one side just lean the other way. I guess that is instinctive?
November 3, 2008 at 11:38 am |
The blog-o-sphere is amazing, agreed. An underestimated support network. Somewhere you feel you can really be heard.
Also, I’m curious, how much effort do you put into looking after your bike? I’m still umming and ahhing about biking but the more I read about your blog the more I realise a lot of effort takes into looking after it!
November 3, 2008 at 12:47 pm |
Thanks for your gracious response to my comments on your blog. I did respond to your invitation to send you more details but apparently my response has been held up awaiting moderation by you. This might be because I had included some web site addresses within the body of the comment. Maybe the response got trapped in your spam filter.
November 3, 2008 at 3:11 pm |
Riding & steering??? Not on the bike in the gym, just peddle….
November 4, 2008 at 4:10 am |
I love the blogosphere as well.
As to the bike…I just steer. If I think about it I’ll fall off.
November 4, 2008 at 7:15 pm |
The blogosphere is a way of meeting kindred spirits, I think. I don’t know much about steering bikes, my new mountain bike is sitting in the garage unused, but I do now have a helmet so hope to get it out this week.