Originally Posted by
Robert A
Please explain why the rider's weight should be on the outside pedal and not the inside one. Is there a benefit to shifting one's weight to the outside of the turn?
You never want to have your inside pedal down because it will clip the road. So this means either you’re gonna be horizontal, or have your outside foot down. Horizontal is not a stable system. You need to have equal weight on your left and right foot, or your pedals will move. Putting your body weight on your lower aka outside pedal is a stable system. Your foot is not moving from there.
The reason you would put weight on the pedal instead of your saddle and bars is because that is where your center of mass is. By putting all of your weight near your center of mass, your bike can buck underneath you in response to bumps etc. You’ve probably heard that you should keep your arms loose.
Weight on outside pedal, arms loose, and light on the saddle means less of a chance for a bump to upset you and your bike.