Skills ...

[XmisterIS]

Going through Winchester yesterday, a chap on a road bike came flying past very very fast towards the roundabout by the king alfred statue ... did he slow down for it? No chance! He got his knee down, motorbike-style and hooned it round the roundabout with one pedal literally kicking up sparks, then flicked it over to exit the RAB and pedalled off as fast as pos! Brave man, very brave ... I will sometimes go round corners like that on a motorbike, with all the protective gear on and phat tyres, but not on a bicycle! Too chicken ...

 

[downfader]

Going through Winchester yesterday, a chap on a road bike came flying past very very fast towards the roundabout by the king alfred statue ... did he slow down for it? No chance! He got his knee down, motorbike-style and hooned it round the roundabout with one pedal literally kicking up sparks, then flicked it over to exit the RAB and pedalled off as fast as pos! Brave man, very brave ... I will sometimes go round corners like that on a motorbike, with all the protective gear on and phat tyres, but not on a bicycle! Too chicken ...

I've over egged a few bends in my youth but nothing quite like that.

 

[yello]

I will sometimes go round corners like that on a motorbike

I won't. I don't think it necessary... but I'd be too scared to try it anyway!

He must have been fair cranked over to get sparks off a pedal. Surprised he stayed upright!

 

[david1701]

EPICNESS

I want to have skills, but I lack them

 

[ferret fur]

Have you considered that his brakes may have failed...

 

[david1701]

but the boy still stayed up

 

[Headgardener]

Have you considered that his brakes may have failed...

On the flat? As I recollect KAS is at the end of Winchester's main street which is quite flat.




Edit: Just been to Google Earth to confirm.

 

[XmisterIS]

I won't. I don't think it necessary... but I'd be too scared to try it anyway!

He must have been fair cranked over to get sparks off a pedal. Surprised he stayed upright!

Of course it's not necessary ... but when you get the right line, cranking it into a bend with your knee down at 60+ mph is fun! So long as you can see round the bend that is ... some guys out there on the Fazer Thou's and 1300 'blades and the like are just nutcases ...

Yes, he was cranked over far beyond the point where I would expect a pair of skinny tyres to lose grip!

The other thing is the weight - a motorbike is a big, heavy, well-planted thing - get the right position and it feels lovely and stable into a bend, because all the weight is underneath you ... but on a bicycle you are all the weight ... I've high-sided on my mountain bike at only a few mph before, having mis-judged a corner!

 

[BrumJim]

Help! Pedal hitting tarmac is usually a recipe for an instant off, or an underwear changing wobble, for me.

I think I am a particularly cautious cornerer. On every Audax and Sportive that I have been on (well, three) the riders who go at my pace always pull away when going round corners. I just have to hope that an uphill bit follows to give me a chance to catch up.

 

[GrasB]

XmisterIS, what was the pedal position? Inside pedal down is far less impressive than level cranks or inside pedal up.

 

[fossyant]

Outer pedal down, transfer weight onto that leg - lowers centre of gravity - done. Takes balls though.

 

[zigzag]

some things don't tally up in this story..

 

[hotmetal]

Of course it's not necessary ... but when you get the right line, cranking it into a bend with your knee down at 60+ mph is fun! So long as you can see round the bend that is ... some guys out there on the Fazer Thou's and 1300 'blades and the like are just nutcases ...

Yes, he was cranked over far beyond the point where I would expect a pair of skinny tyres to lose grip!

The other thing is the weight - a motorbike is a big, heavy, well-planted thing - get the right position and it feels lovely and stable into a bend, because all the weight is underneath you ... but on a bicycle you are all the weight ... I've high-sided on my mountain bike at only a few mph before, having mis-judged a corner!

Er, I agree. It is fun, that's the point of sportsbikes, so long as you don't overcook it! Myself and Norm were out with the Fazer Thou club boys once, when one of the guys took a roundabout with sufficient right hand to spin up the back and slide round sideways. I don't think he intended to, but he stayed on. Me, I like a good corner or two, and my chicken strips are only a couple of mm, but I don't push it that hard! Never even scraped a footpeg - I like my bikes undented. On a bicycle the dynamics are all different, and feeding in more power to pull you round isn't an option. Even if you had the theoretical leg power, the inside pedal would clout the ground and game over. I find fast cornering more scary on my pedal bikes for sure. I somehow can't get enough confidence in the tyres or available grip to get pedal-scraping lean angles. That applies to all my bikes with or without engines. That guy the OP saw must have cojones grandes.

 

[DrSquirrel]

Skills...

The other day I saw an old man on a vintage bike with old style dynamo halogen lighting, panniers doing a track stand...

 

[fimm]

What is even more scary is that I guess the guy the OP saw could pull a pretty similar manouver while surrounded by a bunch of other cyclists doing the same thing...