Grip....and my descent into nervous commuter land.....

[runner]

I have become a rather nervous commuter.....i'ts prob due to two recent slips on my bike..but I managed to keep the bike upright Add to this on Sunday whilst running the Bristol Half Marathon (yes I know it's a cycling forum!) I was tripped on the third mile...lost my grip on my running shoes and fell heavily to the ground...spending 20mins with St Johns before finishing the half marathon...in a much slower time than I would have wished and covered in bandages So back to work the next day and as always I commute with my trusty racing bike....but boy did I feel nervous. There is a lot of rain about, many leaves and given the fact that I am now covered in some scratches/bruises I am commuting very slowly and hoping that I don't fall but this nervousness is making me a bad cyclist....I am using gatorskin hardshell great for puncture protection but you need to be careful they do not always grip and I am not 100% comfortable with them...is there any tyre that will stop slippage?....poss only the marathon+ but it's a heavy beast. One of my work colleagues also slipped on leaves this week and fell to the ground...he was riding a specialized tricross and they have a better anti slip tyre....or so they say but he managed to fall off.....
perhaps I have just lost my confidence and faith in my bike and my cycling ability....I hope it returns

 

[r80]

I've been using Land Cruiser's over a cycle path that is invisible due to leaves. Apart from the odd moment of wheelspin it is fine. I find steering with the handlebars and leaning less help keep the contact patch at its largest.

 

[sabian92]

To avoid slip you need to lean less, take less speed into corners and generally ride like you have first got on a bike. You can't barrel round stuff in the wet or on leaves so much, it can cause a nasty accident. No tyre will prevent you falling off (unless it was massively wide), but you can reduce the risk by being a bit gentler (but be confident - freeze up and stop being loose and you risk falling over)

 

[Pat "5mph"]

You will be OK in a couple of days

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

A bad cyclist? Slower and more cautious doesn't make you a bad rider. Coming off on wet leaves certainly won't make you a better rider either. Just do what you can do and do it well and soon your confidence gained from doing the basics well and from accurately assessing risk will allow you to build up your speed.

 

[jonny jeez]

I am commuting very slowly and hoping that I don't fall but this nervousness is making me a bad cyclist

It takes a good cyclist to realise this.

You'll be just fine. Take your time

 

[gaz]

I slipped twice this year in january and February, lost the front end on corners both times. For the rest of the year I have been extremely cautious on any kind of a bend where I need a lean to get around it.

 

[MrJamie]

I go through cycles from being nervous and cautious to being progressively more adventurous, until I have a little scare.

Most recently I went back for a Strava segment id narrowly missed the previous day, a narrow trail ends with a kind of chicane on grass around a fence before joining a path and this time the grass was wet so I locked up braking as late as possible and skidded towards the fence at 20mph+, luckily drifted in the right direction and just made it, but it's calmed me down for a while now You'll get it back.

Different tyres can make a world of difference though, even if its maybe just a placebo effect.

 

[Drago]

Except on ice ive never had grip issues on Tarmac. I'm finding the current Cityjets very grippy and confidence inspiring in the wet.

 

[runner]

Thanks for the reply guys..it's great to be able to chat with fellow cyclists who share my concerns and can help with their good and experienced advice to overcome anxieties...(sounds like an agony aunt column)

 

[Pat "5mph"]

I go through cycles from being nervous and cautious to being progressively more adventurous, until I have a little scare.
.

Good, I am not the only one then?

 

[Nebulous]

I'm confident, bordering on reckless and a bit of an adrenaline junkie. At my old job I commuted just under 2 miles.

Last year I had two bad near misses on the commute within a few days and really became quite worried. I'd sit in the house putting off going to work as long as I could. I'd agonise about the best time to leave to be 'safe.'

It only lasted 2-3 weeks before I got my confidence back, but I guess what I'm saying is it could happen to anyone. It can be a cumulative effect, one incident doesn't do too much, but add in another, and then another, and your mind can begin to try to find any way possible to escape from something it doesn't like.