terrymorse 

Now tell us about all the incidents in which fast braking avoided a crash.

Because that would be relevant.

livedarklions

I can think of several instances in which swerving prevented me from getting hit by cars that suddenly swerved or turned directly in front of me. I'm usually around them before I figured out what I did.

livedarklions

It's Sherlock Holmes' dog that didn't bark!

Koyote

That's a fair point. Even so, I can't recall any instances in which I needed to really lay on the brakes in order to avoid a crash -- nor can I recall any friends being in that circumstance. While I do some urban commuting, I have learned how to avoid giving motorists opportunities to cut me off and force me into emergency braking.

I won't pretend that my experience (n=1) is universal, the way some posters believe that. But I have had the basics down cold for some time now, and so my crashes have been weird, one-off events: an unseen pothole, turning too sharply on gravel, getting blown sideways (welcome to the Great Plains!)...Heck, I've even forgotten to unclip in time as recently as a couple years ago. But none of those crashes involved crashing INTO something, and I can't recall any "near misses" that involved potentially crashing into something. (Damn you all. Now I'll probably crash into something when riding home from the taproom this Friday.)

livedarklions

Sorry, nothing to say in response to the post, just that your sig line keeps cracking me up.

njkayaker

If you can brake at/near the limit, you'll also be able to brake hard (if not actually "really laying on the brakes") confidently.

Most novice cyclists are reluctant to use the front brake as much as they should be. That's where most cyclists start out. Should they just learn to do better on their own?

LarrySellerz

would you mind expanding on what you said, or linking an article or video? I like to think I know how to swerve, but understanding the mechanics might be useful.

Koyote

Me too!

livedarklions

Google countersteering bicycle and you'll find a whole bunch of sources claiming that it's absolutely necessary and an equal number claiming it's total hogwash.

This is one of those perennial arguments on BF.

terrymorse 

Here’s a video of riders practicing the "quick turn maneuver":

genejockey 

That one is definitely a worry here at times. I've been able to determine which of my bikes is most and least susceptible to crosswinds and I avoid the former on windy days.

Koyote

I had foolishly taken both hands off the bar in order to extract something from a jersey pocket -- so it only took one big crosswind gust to pitch me askew, then it was ass-over-teacups right in the middle of the road. Learned my lesson.

LarrySellerz

I stand up without hands on the bars to test the stability of bikes

rumrunn6

that's nice. I'd like to see a version where someone is firing dodgeballs at them

LarrySellerz

None of those turns were quick, they were deliberately trying to counter steer which looked awkward and it wasn't done at speed so like why even bother trying to show it? Also the riders were wearing facemasks, its a clown fiesta all around. Telling someone to "steer right" to "turn left" is silly, people dont think about it when they turn. That being said a few fixed gear riders ive seen corner much better than me I wonder whats up with that.

Ive noticed countersteering when riding on the very far right of the road and being unable to drift left without falling off of the road. Took a little bit for me to figure out what was going on it was a weird feeling. Countersteering is a motorcycling thing, cyclists do it naturally. Our bikes do it naturally for us tbh.

genejockey 

Ride down Polhemus from Ralston to De Anza on a really windy day without braking. You'll find the crosswind-susceptible bikes. Trust me.

tomato coupe

I'm guessing the force of the impact and the grade of the resulting concussion tells you how stable the bike is ...

LarrySellerz

Youd be surprised at how good of a test it is for stability, its like riding without hands but harder. An unstable bike will be very angry while a perfect bike is easy. I saw a kid doing it and thought it was super cool and then realized that I understand how my bikes behave better from doing it

terrymorse 

Once again, this is an emergency turn that needs to be learned. Experienced cyclists do it instinctively. Novice cyclists turn the wrong way when they are startled. That is why the emergency (or "quick") turn is part of a bike skills course.

There is only one way to turn quickly, which is to steer away from the direction you want to go.

cyccommute 

What you talkin’ about, Willis! It’s easy to skid a rear wheel on a single bicycle with any brake. If you want a long skid, just move your weight forward and slide away. It wears tires out rather quickly, however. And, since I’m paying for the tires now and skidding doesn’t impress girls as much as we used to think it did, I don’t do it a lot.

livedarklions

I already addressed this (post 180)--I meant to say "inadvertently" and my word choice was bad.
I honestly don't know what it would take for me to produce a significant skid with rim brakes as I've never actually tried to do it because I'm a grownup. The allure of the skid mark faded pretty much at the same time I graduated from coaster brakes.

cyccommute 

Even inadvertently, I’ve skidded with rim brakes while mountain biking…where skidding is just part of the experience…and on road bikes. That includes both cantilever and linear brakes on mountain bikes as well as side pull (single and dual pivot) as well as cantilevers on road bikes. My go fast road bike is somewhat more prone to skidding because of the much shorter wheelbase than any of my other bikes.