Just Riding Along:Holding Your Line

Just Riding Along:Holding Your Line

Holding Your Line

Holding your line is cycling’s way of saying “Don’t swerve around.” As a good cycling ambassador, you want to be as predictable and in control as possible for the drivers and other cyclists around you.
The same basic principles of balance are put into place here. Make sure you’ve always got your three magic points of contact—handlebars, seat, and pedals. Losing your contact with the seat is like cutting off one of the legs of a three-legged stool. This is the reason why it’s so much harder to hold your line when you’re standing up on the pedals as opposed to in a neutral, seated position on the bike.
Stay as relaxed as possible. Most of the time you should be looking up and ahead, at least 20 feet in front of you. A general rule behind the physics of cycling is that your bike will go where you look. Want to avoid that stick in your path or that pothole? Look past it, and you’ll steer around it instead of at it.
That being said, the ability to look around you—particularly to check over your left shoulder for traffic approaching from behind—without weaving the bike is a critical riding skill. Even if you use a mirror, you can’t depend on it completely to let you know what’s going on behind you. Practice turning your head while continuing to ride in a straight line. Don’t hit the road for your first extended ride until you have thoroughly mastered this technique.
When you think you’ve mastered all these, practice them as slowly as possible. Because momentum keeps you upright and stable, the less speed you have, the harder it will be to ride in a straight line. The most skilled cyclist can look around, take one hand off the bars, stand up on the pedals, and more while holding the line at very low speeds. Practicing this can get you from novice to expert in no time.

Stopping 

Just hit the brakes, right? Well, mostly. Most new riders think brakes keep their bikes in control—and while they do help, like most things in life, too much of a good thing can be bad for you. When you start riding, you might be tempted to either not go too fast (riding the brakes all the time) or, when confronted with a stressful scenario, slam on the brakes. Again, you need momentum for the bike to be balanced, so neither choice is great if you want to stay upright. Using too much of the brakes can actually make you fall. So when it comes to brakes, remember, temperance is your friend.
As you brake, your momentum forces most of your weight over the front wheel, making your front brake the more powerful of the two. However, if you use only the front, it can lock up and flip you over the handlebars. Your rear brake is strong, too, but it will never work very effectively because as you slow and your weight shifts forward, it causes the rear wheel to drag—creating a skid that can make you fishtail all over the road. Fun as a kid, but not so much in traffic.
Since the front brake has about 70 percent of your stopping power, but can send you flying, and the rear brake will make your tire drag and lose traction, the best solution is to use both brakes evenly. Like two best buddies, this technique makes them temper each other, bringing out their most powerful stopping power and your smoothest, safest braking.
As your weight is being thrown forward, it’s good to push your body back a bit on the saddle as you slow down—and even farther in an emergency stop. It will not only keep you from going over the bars, but will also help keep your rear wheel in traction and prevent skidding. Like a fire drill, you want to practice sudden, hard emergency braking so that it will become an automatic response in a high-pressure situation.
When the roads are wet, keep in mind it will take longer to stop. The traction between your pads and rims is greatly decreased because of the water coating them, so if you see a stop coming or are on a descent, apply the brakes lightly early on to clear the water from them, then brake harder. Even grabbing a handful of brake may not be enough to stop in the time you usually would. Plan far in advance for wet stops.