i dropped my bike...

[t_bonee]

well i was about to park so yeah, i was using the brakes to slow down. plus it's downhill.

When you are on gravel, make sure you use only the rear brake.

[9000white]

from the showroom to canyon carving.the results were predictable and inevitable.

[dieziege]

I'd bet half the people here have done something similar.

I haven't.... but that doesn't mean I can't or won't...

I was once a passenger in a car that pulled off onto a shoulder... only to discover that the shoulder was slicker than _______ ________ ____... it fishtailed and rolled twice... quite fun actually but then again I was maybe 7... if it can happen in a car, it can happen on a bike too.

Just get a bigger sticker to cover the scratches!

[VermilionX]

What I was saying is that based on your lean there it is not necessary to shift your body weight and doing so without the proper lean angle imbalances you.

You have to learn to lean over first, then learn to shift your body so that you can take the corners faster. Otherwise you're just shifting around the weight of the bike and changing its characteristics in the turn, making it more difficult to lean over correctly and potentially falling off/crashing. Someone more experienced might want to comment.

Anyway, aren't there twisty roads you could do that don't have cliffs so you can be open to making mistakes?

PS: I'm very jealous that you live so close to such beautiful roads!

err... i don't think im lacking lean angle on that pic. sure it's not extremely low but it's enough.

you can only upset the bike if you counter lean. but of course, counter-leaning has it's purpose when you wanna do fancy moves like a tight small circle turn.

either way... i got a couple of compliments regarding my form so im happy.

but still, i should bend my elbows more.

and i dunno any twisty roads here that isn't on a hill or mountain.

i love it though... that pic looks like something you see from a TT race.

and i love TT races more than regular track racing.

[Mr_Salad]

Even though I am not an experienced rider, the lean angle debate can be explained with simple physics. The bike gets traction from friction between the tires and the road. The amount of friction(And consequently traction) that you have can be directly related to how much normal force (force perpendicular (orthoganal) to the road surface) is being applied. If you're body is above the bike, you are pushing harder down on it (the normal force). If you are leaning off of it, there is less normal force, and you are more likely to have the bike lowside. The reason the pros can lean off so far is when they do so, they are pulling some serious G's in the turn, which puts more of a normal force on the asphalt. If your lean angle isn't large enough to warrant a "butt lean" then you lack the necesary centripetal force (which is caused by such a tight turn) to keep your tires from slipping.

[Sev]

I'd bet half the people here have done something similar.

I haven't.... but that doesn't mean I can't or won't...

I was once a passenger in a car that pulled off onto a shoulder... only to discover that the shoulder was slicker than _______ ________ ____... it fishtailed and rolled twice... quite fun actually but then again I was maybe 7... if it can happen in a car, it can happen on a bike too.

I did that on my bike last time we went into the mountains.

[VermilionX]

Even though I am not an experienced rider, the lean angle debate can be explained with simple physics. The bike gets traction from friction between the tires and the road. The amount of friction(And consequently traction) that you have can be directly related to how much normal force (force perpendicular (orthoganal) to the road surface) is being applied. If you're body is above the bike, you are pushing harder down on it (the normal force). If you are leaning off of it, there is less normal force, and you are more likely to have the bike lowside. The reason the pros can lean off so far is when they do so, they are pulling some serious G's in the turn, which puts more of a normal force on the asphalt. If your lean angle isn't large enough to warrant a "butt lean" then you lack the necesary centripetal force (which is caused by such a tight turn) to keep your tires from slipping.

i dunno about that.

most of the stuff i do is from the book "sport riding techniques"

it never mentioned anything bad regarding hanging off and leaning on the tank except it might attract negative attention from the popo.

whatever works for you i guess.

hanging off works just fine to me. i never used to do it and i got much better at cornering bec of hanging off.

and like i said, i got some complimentary comments regarding my form.

my form improved compared to my previous sig pic.

[dieziege]

I'd bet half the people here have done something similar.

I haven't.... but that doesn't mean I can't or won't...

I was once a passenger in a car that pulled off onto a shoulder... only to discover that the shoulder was slicker than _______ ________ ____... it fishtailed and rolled twice... quite fun actually but then again I was maybe 7... if it can happen in a car, it can happen on a bike too.

I did that on my bike last time we went into the mountains.

Did you have your seatbelt fastened?

[-Holiday]

catching up on threads here as i've been away for a few days.

glad to here you're ok Verm. Try not to die before I make it back out there so I can at least see it when it happens...

one of the thoughts that came to mind for me, was that you mentioned that you only ride weekends anymore since the other bike was stolen. I think that if you really want to become a good rider, and maximize efficiency time wise, you should get on the bike as much as possible, including perhaps commuting. I know roads seems boring, but situations arise that you either handle or dont, and that gives you the experience to deal with it even better next time. I dont know if this scenario would have helped you in this case, but the point is, the more saddle time you have, reguardless of what road you're riding, the better rider you can become. Just doing the technical stuff on the weekends IMO isnt the best way to become a good rider.

EIther way, stay safe, you stupid f()cker

[VermilionX]

catching up on threads here as i've been away for a few days.

glad to here you're ok Verm. Try not to die before I make it back out there so I can at least see it when it happens...

one of the thoughts that came to mind for me, was that you mentioned that you only ride weekends anymore since the other bike was stolen. I think that if you really want to become a good rider, and maximize efficiency time wise, you should get on the bike as much as possible, including perhaps commuting. I know roads seems boring, but situations arise that you either handle or dont, and that gives you the experience to deal with it even better next time. I dont know if this scenario would have helped you in this case, but the point is, the more saddle time you have, reguardless of what road you're riding, the better rider you can become. Just doing the technical stuff on the weekends IMO isnt the best way to become a good rider.

EIther way, stay safe, you stupid f()cker

it's just carelessness. there was no time to react since i totally lost the front, instantly.

like i said, i was expecting it to slide a little... but nope, totally lost the front in an instant.

only solution is that i should have never rode over it. i had some other space to park.

i think even if i power walked over it, i could have slipped my boots instead.

oh well, this is something i will never forget. i will avoid moving along gravel especially on downhill slopes.

i don't think commuting is gonna help me improve a lot. there's only so much i can do on straight roads.

trackdays is really what i need and i will do it once i find a new job.

and yeah, i will try to stay alive for until the next time you visit SoCal.