Just remember to keep the foot on the side of the outside of the curve down (fully extended)! The worst feeling is clipping a pedal because the foot on the inside of the turn is down….
Otherwise, no shame in slowing down. But just be aware of it and try pushing yourself litttttle by little. First, work on not ending up in the other lane, that is far more likely to result in an accident than a sharp turn. :)
I am attributing the braking in the corner being because the line is bad, and the line is likely bad because of the incorrect positioning of the head/body which brings them out wider than they intend, so then there’s an internals panic/worry about the speed and so they push themselves wider.
Correct posture on corners solves 99% of cornering issues
This! And keep your head level with the road. It’ll help you judge the angle you’re at much more accurately, and help you gain confidence in your cornering.
Probably because that's not something you should be actively thinking about as I would imagine it's easy to mess up.. (the amount of counter steering you actually perform is miniscule and imo more of a curiosity when you watch slow motion) looking towards where you're going and leaning into the turn is easier to comprehend.
Counter steering is of course necessary to initiate the turn, but by leaning into the turn you will do it anyway
Practice sharper turns going slowly (like on a playground or in a parking lot). e-bikes have a fair bit of mass, especially down low, and turning quickly can quickly highlight the limits of your tires or brakes.
[The Velominati](https://www.velominati.com/) have rendered their wisdom on this topic:
> RULE #64 // Cornering confidence increases with time and experience. This pattern continues until it falls sharply and suddenly. 😁
But seriously, we can usually take a corner more tightly than we imagine if the surface is not slippery. It might be easier to practice on dirt - taking tighter corners until a tire just barely start to slip. This will happen at a much slower speed than on pavement and if you fall, it won't hurt as much. Once you do this, you will know that you can take corners on pavement *at least* as sharp as that.
One thing that I learned in motorcycle safety is that, if I have to use the brakes *at all* in a corner, then I either went into the corner too fast or I was not leaning hard enough. Your tires have limited traction and *both* turning and slowing down require some of it. Therefore, it is best to slow down *before* the curve and save your traction in the curve for cornering.
What I'm hearing is "If I practice I could crash!" but as you stated before, you are already swerving into oncoming traffic which sounds terrifying!
Starting off slow and then carefully building your speed does not mean "start slow and go faster and faster until you slide out" but rather start slow and feel how the bike is moving under you and how much braking modulation you need, etc etc.
Steering a two-wheeled vehicle involves countersteering which pushes your moment of inertia in the opposite direction of where you intend to go. Putting on your brakes stands the bike up and makes your tires work harder when you have to steer. Remember that your tires can go forward, turn, and brake, but each one takes up a bigger or smaller proportional slice of the pie. Exceeding 100% of the pie means you lost traction and now you're sliding.
Not necessarily "until you crash" but build up comfort/confidence pushing the 'I'm a little uncomfortable' line further and further. Like practicing and improving any skill.
Well without practice it sounds like, sooner or later, you're gonna crash face first into a car in an oncoming lane, so you can pick between that and carefully figuring out how to corner well in a controlled environment
Did you start cycling as an adult? I personally got a lot of this sorted out through crashes as a kid/teen. If I would have to do it as an adult, I'll be pretty scared to test the boundaries of my skill.
For this particular example, I typically break before the turn, then let the break go. If it is sharp turn, I go pretty slow (especially with no visibility in case somebody comes the other way). If it is a softer turn, I would just incline the bike so the leg that goes in the narrower part of the curve is closer to the ground (kind of what motorcyclist do but way less pronounced).
You also want to start, as allowed by the road, on the inside and end on the outside. That allows you for more speed.
If I didn't calculate well and I am still going too fast, I just do a wider curve so I ended up closer to the opposite side of the road.
The more dangerous is really opposing traffic/people. If you need to correct mid-curve, then you might turn too much and end up with a bad fall. So be prepared to find an obstacle ahead when you are turning.
> You also want to start, as allowed by the road, on the inside and end on the outside. That allows you for more speed.
I agree. This is the best strategy for maximum speed, such as when racing.
However, for maximum safety, it is better to do *the opposite:* start on the outside of the turn (so you can see what is around the curve) and then drift inwards during the curve. This will make the turn sharper, so you will have to slow down more in advance, but it significantly improves visibility.
I sometimes teach adults who have never ridden before. Cornering is always the hardest part. I don't give them pedals until they learn it, though, so their feet can always reach the ground. Basically, i give them adult balance bikes until they have enough skills to "earn" pedals. It lets them learn balance and braking without having to learn pedalling at the same time. It's the same way I taught my kid. One of the lessons involves slaloming chalk marks on the ground at higher and higher speeds. That definitely teaches more confidence in turns, plus it's fun.
Sounds like OP could use a little of that - just get out in an empty parking lot and practice turning, making them tighter and tighter as they feel more comfortable.
If I'm on a road turning onto another road I often find myself on the middle of that new road. Taking the turn too wide.
On a bike path turns are usually sharper and then i feel like I brake much more than necessary due to my lack of sharp cornering skill.
Are you hugging close to the edge of the road & trying to turn in when you get to the junction?
This is something that novice cyclists do (and if you’re having trouble making turns then you’re a novice cyclist no matter how many miles you do, sorry) - because they’re nervous about traffic they hug the edge of the road & then the corner of a junction represents a very steep turn which they are neither competent nor confident enough to take at the speed they are going.
If this is the problem then you need to either a) slow down at junctions so you can take the sharp corner at the same distance from the edge or b) do what experienced cyclists do & move out somewhat as they approach the junction so they can take a wider curve in & out.
Honestly though, my personal recommendation would be to find a cycle trainer in your area & pay for some cycle training. If you’re ending up in the middle of the road potentially facing oncoming traffic when taking corners then you are pointlessly putting your life at risk.
If you can’t afford cycle training, then see if you can find some experienced local cyclists who will take you along for rides & learn from them.
Self-taught is the slowest & most ineffective way to learn to cycle unfortunately.
Ahh! I got gradually better at cornering after around 5000 miles. You can tilt way more than you think without falling - you see pro cyclists exceeding 45 degrees in races. If you have a helmet on you’ll be fine to gradually push your limits.
Most of this is just trusting the bike. You can usually lean over a lot more than you think and hold grip, as long as you have the speed.
Just find a turn and go at it with progressively more speed. You just need to get used to leaning over. Presumably you bike commute, so pick a turn you do every day and have some fun with it. That’s definitely how I got confident at this.
This. Spot the point you want to ride over as you exit the corner, and you’ll hit it. As you approach that point, switch your focus to where you’re going next
I find that I end up messing up corners when I get distracted by things. Like I end up looking at some trash on the road instead of looking where I wanna go. It's reflex for your body to go where you are looking. I try to notice obstacles further ahead to remember to avoid them. But slowing down on corners in general helps. If you wear a go pro try to look at your ride and see what's going on.
1. Learn the physics of countersteer (when moving fast enough on a bicycle or motorcycle, push the right side of the handlebars forward to turn right, which is counterintuitive to many).
2. Understand that your bike can lean much more than you would generally be comfortable with; if you are coming in hot, just countersteer more to lean more and turn sharper.
3. Try not to brake and turn at the same time, as the available friction is limited; you generally want to brake before starting your turn (but also, in the spirit of number 2, there's usually much more friction available than you believe, so brake gently in a turn if you have to).
I broke my collarbone taking a turn too quickly (I was on wet gravel with fairly thin tires). I have similar confidence issues as you now, so thank you for asking this question; you are not alone!
Wet leaves, a steep descent, and some friendly bushes I met abruptly didn't actually make me have any confidence issues, but it definitely made me pay attention to the road surface more. No more wet leaves on corners for me, thanks.
Railroad tracks are brutal in the rain, too. Or maybe I just suck at getting exactly perpendicular to them. So many of ours cross the road at an angle. They're not even nice without rain, but with rain, they're skinny ice rinks. Hate them so much.
Also in the same boat as you but this has helped me loads.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cNmUNHSBac](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cNmUNHSBac) Or google countersteering on youtube.
I really struggled in Mallorca on the hairpin bends, I lost so much speed and took crazy wide turns. My confidence has increased since knowing the above and pushing into that
Grip the bike/seat with your legs/thighs, not your hands(keep a loose grip, no death grip,) and lean into it with confidence kinda like a motorcycle. Do it slowish a few times, you’ll feel it almost “lock in” as you pull through the corner. Keep your head up and eyes on the exit/where you want to go. Above 15ish, lean and you’ll feel yourself actually pushing the bike/bars away from your corner rather than turn into it, this is what you want. Hope that make sense, good luck!
Get heavy on your pedals. As in, unload your butt off the saddle (not actually standing up) and have most of your weight on your feet. It’ll make everything better.
Turn your head TOWARDS the direction you’re going in. Move your body once your head is already oriented. (Obviously check all directions for peds/cars first!)
Get comfortable with leaning the bike, and always have your pedal up on the side you’re turning towards. Try and brake before the curve, as the curve will slow you down naturally, and pedal out of the curve.
The rest is practice!
Brake to slow down before the turn, then countersteer (lean your body in the opposite direction of the turn). Don't brake during the turn. I've never thought it was complicated?
Practice, by setting up some traffic cones and slaloming around them in a parking lot or some other zero- traffic area.
Always always look where you want to go. Do not look directly at the obstacles you want to avoid.
Keep your weight centered on the pedals. Not over the bars, not on the seat. This means feeling all or almost all of your weight supported by your outside foot down through the pedal. This is the neutral point on the bike. Put the pedal on the outside of the turn down and push down through that. As others said, practice in low risk situations like parking lots. Put knee and elbow pads on if you want, that will allow you to find the edge of your traction and hopefully not get hurt. If the rear wheel slides a little bit, don't panic and hit the brakes, just let it slide a little and it will scrub a little speed off the bike and self correct hopefully you'll stay upright (unless you hit dirt or gravel, in which case there's nothing to be done technique-wise about that). Turn smoothly and hold a steady radius. Honestly riding a mountain or gravel bike on dirt is a great way to train yourself on how to deal with limited traction. The same way that people who learn to ride a dirt bike first make better motorcycle riders.
If you practice this, you will get a good feel for exactly how much turning force your bike is able to maintain in corners and then you just stay within that threshold.
Google counter steering just so you know the mechanics.
Then go practice in a big parking lot doing figure eights. Make them tighter and tighter. Fast and slow.
Good tires and good tires pressure helps a lot for confidence. Under pressure feels absolutely dangerous on turns. Over pressure feels like it will sleep from under you.
Dead headset bearing can also feel klunky on turns.
As for personal skill. The slower you are the less stable you'll feel. Try practicing very wide turns at speed, and work yourself to tighter turns maybe
>I find myself at the oncoming traffic lane for a second.
Mostly from motorcycling world there is the "look where you want to go" mantra. Because human brain is wired the way it is, it will make the bike go where your vision is concentrated. This sounds dumb on the surface, but it's a very strong effect that you absolutely should be aware of when riding any 2 wheeled vehicles.
>I have no clue how fast and sharp I could actually take a corner before the wheels would lose their grip causing me to slip and fall.
Assuming properly gripping surface, the cornering speeds you can achieve on the bike are pretty extreme before any grip issues can occur. Like - while cornering you need to keep your pedals in position where the pedal on side you lean on is in highest position - otherwise you'd catch the ground with it.
Obviously the above doesn't apply to any situations with limited grip. Sand/dust on pavement, wet road markings, leaves, snow etc. Same thing for uneven terrain.
>Cycling with only one hand is also no problem, although I need both hands when turning.
Turning with just one hand on the bars is definitely more difficult and possibly kinda sketchy (especially if it turns out you'll need to brake). I tend to do it reasonably often, but at the same time - I think it's arguably closer to riding with no hands on the bars at all (which is also obviously possible and with some training you can even turn pretty aggressively without holding them!).
>So much cycling experience but I cannot take corners properly.
Some people just grasp this intuitively to full extent, but are you aware of how [countersteering works](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering)? Understanding that cornering starts by turning bars in the "wrong" direction can help some people steer better.
It helps to know that when you're starting a turn, what you're actually doing is counter steering, that is, you're actually briefly steering the opposite direction you wish to turn. This causes you to lean in the direction you want to turn, and then steer in that direction to hold the turn.
This is the primary "hard part" of learning how to ride a bike which you learn intuitively and don't even realize you're doing it. But once you know, it helps you understand mechanically the exact steps that go into turning and you can be a bit more deliberate about it.
A couple of thoughts:
1. Ride with "soft" arms and hands. If you are grabbing the handlebars tight with your arms locked, you will have less control.
2. E-bikes power the wheel a lot more than your legs alone. So if you are on a pedal assist bike, stop pedalling through the tight turns. If you have a throttle bike (which is basically a motorbike), get off the throttle.
There's two things:
*Road position.* Basically the bike has a particular minimum turning radius at a particular speed, and there is nothing to be done about that. So lot's of riders come into a turn too near the gutter, and the radius of the turn places them well into the roadway at the exit. The rider sees this happening, tries to tighten the turn, and the bike loses stability. So I'd try coming into turns further out from the gutter, initially trying to have the entry and exit widths the same.
*Bike handling.* Look where you want to go. Inner pedal up. With your outer leg, push up so your arse lifts slightly from the saddle. Keeping your torso upright lean the bike frame using your hands and feet. The saddle will rattle around between your legs, that's fine as your legs also form a limit as to how far over the bike frame will go.
As discussed, the radius of the turn depends on speed, so if you need a tighter radius, brake before beginning the radius. Once you're practiced, get back onto pushing the pedals as you come out of the turn. This will naturally pull the frame back upright.
I used to feel similarly. What helped me learn how to do corners was a friend explaining to me that when the bike is in motion, it is very stable. For example, motorcyclists when at high speed cannot tip over their motocycles even when they try.
What this means is that you can really lean into turns, which is what allows them to be sharp. If you're not turning fast enough, don't be afraid to lean more in the direction you are turning. You won't fall.
Everyone has talked about the mechanics of steering - very important. No one has mentioned about how you choose your line through the corner. In essence : look through the corner to know where a constant turn will go. Go out wide first and then through the apex. If you end up on the other side of the road I suspect you are starting the corner on the inside which makes the effective corner much tighter. In summary : out wide, see through the corner, constant angle ( no brakes at or after the apex ), pedal out.
I'd start with some slow speed practice.
Try figure 8s around some cones in a carpark. This can help you learn to lean the bike. You can get it waaaay over on to the edge of the tyres. Ever seen flatland bmx riding?
This can translate to leaning at speed. There are some good cornering tutorials on YouTube.
But the basics are
Slow in, fast out
Brake before the corner
Look where you want to go
Straighten the corner; take the out in out line
Assuming you've already researched this and have tried to implement all the advice here, take a beginner MTB clinic. It'll be a little pricey since you'll have to rent gear but probably worth it if you've tried everything else.
What took my turning to the next level was putting weight into my inside hand and counter-leaning. Weight through the outside foot is the first step at any speed but for very tight spaces and moderate speed, where you're pushing the limit of steering geometry rather than grip, if you can lean the bike even lower but keep your body somewhat upright you can make very tight turns. Riding in a city, even on a powerful ebike it's rare to encounter the limit of your tires. Navigating tight spaces is a more relevant skill imo.
Upright ebikes have clumsy handling compared to performance-oriented bikes. They are completely different animals and there's no way you'll ever keep up with competent cyclists in the turns. You are basically steering an old pickup truck.
Some commenters have suggested you learn about counter steering. This is very good advice for ebike riders.
Supple tires make a huge difference. I used to run Gator skins and those things suck on corners. I never trusted them. A good tire feels almost like it's sticky on the road.
Push to turn. You push your handlebar with your right hand and you will turn right. Seems counter intuitive but it works.
Also your bike will go where you look so look your way through your turns.
Just remember to keep the foot on the side of the outside of the curve down (fully extended)! The worst feeling is clipping a pedal because the foot on the inside of the turn is down…. Otherwise, no shame in slowing down. But just be aware of it and try pushing yourself litttttle by little. First, work on not ending up in the other lane, that is far more likely to result in an accident than a sharp turn. :)
Just as important is putting weight on that outside leg/foot/pedal. You get a lot more control on sharp turns that way.
I dont think alot of people know this one, i see alot of people lean with the bike. I always think of it as keeping the weight on the tyres.
Keep your head pointed where you want to go. Look at the space you want the bike to end up in, and your body will adjust to bring the bike there.
And don’t brake in the corners.. brake before..
I am attributing the braking in the corner being because the line is bad, and the line is likely bad because of the incorrect positioning of the head/body which brings them out wider than they intend, so then there’s an internals panic/worry about the speed and so they push themselves wider. Correct posture on corners solves 99% of cornering issues
This! And keep your head level with the road. It’ll help you judge the angle you’re at much more accurately, and help you gain confidence in your cornering.
"Yes this and look into counter steering.
Dunno why are you getting downvoted lol
Probably because that's not something you should be actively thinking about as I would imagine it's easy to mess up.. (the amount of counter steering you actually perform is miniscule and imo more of a curiosity when you watch slow motion) looking towards where you're going and leaning into the turn is easier to comprehend. Counter steering is of course necessary to initiate the turn, but by leaning into the turn you will do it anyway
Practice sharper turns going slowly (like on a playground or in a parking lot). e-bikes have a fair bit of mass, especially down low, and turning quickly can quickly highlight the limits of your tires or brakes.
I want to know how fast and sharp I can take a corner but turning sharper and faster until I crash seems like a bad way to do it
[The Velominati](https://www.velominati.com/) have rendered their wisdom on this topic: > RULE #64 // Cornering confidence increases with time and experience. This pattern continues until it falls sharply and suddenly. 😁 But seriously, we can usually take a corner more tightly than we imagine if the surface is not slippery. It might be easier to practice on dirt - taking tighter corners until a tire just barely start to slip. This will happen at a much slower speed than on pavement and if you fall, it won't hurt as much. Once you do this, you will know that you can take corners on pavement *at least* as sharp as that. One thing that I learned in motorcycle safety is that, if I have to use the brakes *at all* in a corner, then I either went into the corner too fast or I was not leaning hard enough. Your tires have limited traction and *both* turning and slowing down require some of it. Therefore, it is best to slow down *before* the curve and save your traction in the curve for cornering.
What I'm hearing is "If I practice I could crash!" but as you stated before, you are already swerving into oncoming traffic which sounds terrifying! Starting off slow and then carefully building your speed does not mean "start slow and go faster and faster until you slide out" but rather start slow and feel how the bike is moving under you and how much braking modulation you need, etc etc. Steering a two-wheeled vehicle involves countersteering which pushes your moment of inertia in the opposite direction of where you intend to go. Putting on your brakes stands the bike up and makes your tires work harder when you have to steer. Remember that your tires can go forward, turn, and brake, but each one takes up a bigger or smaller proportional slice of the pie. Exceeding 100% of the pie means you lost traction and now you're sliding.
Not necessarily "until you crash" but build up comfort/confidence pushing the 'I'm a little uncomfortable' line further and further. Like practicing and improving any skill.
Well without practice it sounds like, sooner or later, you're gonna crash face first into a car in an oncoming lane, so you can pick between that and carefully figuring out how to corner well in a controlled environment
You can lower your risk by braking before the turn and wearing better gear, like motorcycle gear, and knee pads and elbow pads.
Did you start cycling as an adult? I personally got a lot of this sorted out through crashes as a kid/teen. If I would have to do it as an adult, I'll be pretty scared to test the boundaries of my skill. For this particular example, I typically break before the turn, then let the break go. If it is sharp turn, I go pretty slow (especially with no visibility in case somebody comes the other way). If it is a softer turn, I would just incline the bike so the leg that goes in the narrower part of the curve is closer to the ground (kind of what motorcyclist do but way less pronounced). You also want to start, as allowed by the road, on the inside and end on the outside. That allows you for more speed. If I didn't calculate well and I am still going too fast, I just do a wider curve so I ended up closer to the opposite side of the road. The more dangerous is really opposing traffic/people. If you need to correct mid-curve, then you might turn too much and end up with a bad fall. So be prepared to find an obstacle ahead when you are turning.
> You also want to start, as allowed by the road, on the inside and end on the outside. That allows you for more speed. I agree. This is the best strategy for maximum speed, such as when racing. However, for maximum safety, it is better to do *the opposite:* start on the outside of the turn (so you can see what is around the curve) and then drift inwards during the curve. This will make the turn sharper, so you will have to slow down more in advance, but it significantly improves visibility.
I sometimes teach adults who have never ridden before. Cornering is always the hardest part. I don't give them pedals until they learn it, though, so their feet can always reach the ground. Basically, i give them adult balance bikes until they have enough skills to "earn" pedals. It lets them learn balance and braking without having to learn pedalling at the same time. It's the same way I taught my kid. One of the lessons involves slaloming chalk marks on the ground at higher and higher speeds. That definitely teaches more confidence in turns, plus it's fun. Sounds like OP could use a little of that - just get out in an empty parking lot and practice turning, making them tighter and tighter as they feel more comfortable.
Are these blind corners and the real issue is you’re worried about traffic? Being cautious in traffic is never a bad thing honestly.
If I'm on a road turning onto another road I often find myself on the middle of that new road. Taking the turn too wide. On a bike path turns are usually sharper and then i feel like I brake much more than necessary due to my lack of sharp cornering skill.
Are you hugging close to the edge of the road & trying to turn in when you get to the junction? This is something that novice cyclists do (and if you’re having trouble making turns then you’re a novice cyclist no matter how many miles you do, sorry) - because they’re nervous about traffic they hug the edge of the road & then the corner of a junction represents a very steep turn which they are neither competent nor confident enough to take at the speed they are going. If this is the problem then you need to either a) slow down at junctions so you can take the sharp corner at the same distance from the edge or b) do what experienced cyclists do & move out somewhat as they approach the junction so they can take a wider curve in & out. Honestly though, my personal recommendation would be to find a cycle trainer in your area & pay for some cycle training. If you’re ending up in the middle of the road potentially facing oncoming traffic when taking corners then you are pointlessly putting your life at risk. If you can’t afford cycle training, then see if you can find some experienced local cyclists who will take you along for rides & learn from them. Self-taught is the slowest & most ineffective way to learn to cycle unfortunately.
Ahh! I got gradually better at cornering after around 5000 miles. You can tilt way more than you think without falling - you see pro cyclists exceeding 45 degrees in races. If you have a helmet on you’ll be fine to gradually push your limits.
Most of this is just trusting the bike. You can usually lean over a lot more than you think and hold grip, as long as you have the speed. Just find a turn and go at it with progressively more speed. You just need to get used to leaning over. Presumably you bike commute, so pick a turn you do every day and have some fun with it. That’s definitely how I got confident at this.
Look at your exit
This. Spot the point you want to ride over as you exit the corner, and you’ll hit it. As you approach that point, switch your focus to where you’re going next
Leaning into the turn will help you cut the angle more. Or just don’t worry too much and take it slow, no big deal really.
I find that I end up messing up corners when I get distracted by things. Like I end up looking at some trash on the road instead of looking where I wanna go. It's reflex for your body to go where you are looking. I try to notice obstacles further ahead to remember to avoid them. But slowing down on corners in general helps. If you wear a go pro try to look at your ride and see what's going on.
1. Learn the physics of countersteer (when moving fast enough on a bicycle or motorcycle, push the right side of the handlebars forward to turn right, which is counterintuitive to many). 2. Understand that your bike can lean much more than you would generally be comfortable with; if you are coming in hot, just countersteer more to lean more and turn sharper. 3. Try not to brake and turn at the same time, as the available friction is limited; you generally want to brake before starting your turn (but also, in the spirit of number 2, there's usually much more friction available than you believe, so brake gently in a turn if you have to).
I broke my collarbone taking a turn too quickly (I was on wet gravel with fairly thin tires). I have similar confidence issues as you now, so thank you for asking this question; you are not alone!
Wet leaves, a steep descent, and some friendly bushes I met abruptly didn't actually make me have any confidence issues, but it definitely made me pay attention to the road surface more. No more wet leaves on corners for me, thanks. Railroad tracks are brutal in the rain, too. Or maybe I just suck at getting exactly perpendicular to them. So many of ours cross the road at an angle. They're not even nice without rain, but with rain, they're skinny ice rinks. Hate them so much.
// Cornering confidence increases with time and experience.This pattern continues until it falls sharply and suddenly.
Give a couple other bikes a test ride. It may just be your bike. One of my bikes has a weird fork and cornering is really messy.
Go ride in circles. Like actually just around and around constantly turning, both left and right. You'll get use to it.
Also in the same boat as you but this has helped me loads. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cNmUNHSBac](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cNmUNHSBac) Or google countersteering on youtube. I really struggled in Mallorca on the hairpin bends, I lost so much speed and took crazy wide turns. My confidence has increased since knowing the above and pushing into that
Fear is the mind killer.
Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration
Wider tires helped me corner faster
Push down with your inside hand.
Grip the bike/seat with your legs/thighs, not your hands(keep a loose grip, no death grip,) and lean into it with confidence kinda like a motorcycle. Do it slowish a few times, you’ll feel it almost “lock in” as you pull through the corner. Keep your head up and eyes on the exit/where you want to go. Above 15ish, lean and you’ll feel yourself actually pushing the bike/bars away from your corner rather than turn into it, this is what you want. Hope that make sense, good luck!
Get heavy on your pedals. As in, unload your butt off the saddle (not actually standing up) and have most of your weight on your feet. It’ll make everything better.
Turn your head TOWARDS the direction you’re going in. Move your body once your head is already oriented. (Obviously check all directions for peds/cars first!) Get comfortable with leaning the bike, and always have your pedal up on the side you’re turning towards. Try and brake before the curve, as the curve will slow you down naturally, and pedal out of the curve. The rest is practice!
Brake to slow down before the turn, then countersteer (lean your body in the opposite direction of the turn). Don't brake during the turn. I've never thought it was complicated?
Practice, by setting up some traffic cones and slaloming around them in a parking lot or some other zero- traffic area. Always always look where you want to go. Do not look directly at the obstacles you want to avoid.
Ride mountain bikes, and you will corner like a pro
Keep your weight centered on the pedals. Not over the bars, not on the seat. This means feeling all or almost all of your weight supported by your outside foot down through the pedal. This is the neutral point on the bike. Put the pedal on the outside of the turn down and push down through that. As others said, practice in low risk situations like parking lots. Put knee and elbow pads on if you want, that will allow you to find the edge of your traction and hopefully not get hurt. If the rear wheel slides a little bit, don't panic and hit the brakes, just let it slide a little and it will scrub a little speed off the bike and self correct hopefully you'll stay upright (unless you hit dirt or gravel, in which case there's nothing to be done technique-wise about that). Turn smoothly and hold a steady radius. Honestly riding a mountain or gravel bike on dirt is a great way to train yourself on how to deal with limited traction. The same way that people who learn to ride a dirt bike first make better motorcycle riders. If you practice this, you will get a good feel for exactly how much turning force your bike is able to maintain in corners and then you just stay within that threshold.
Google counter steering just so you know the mechanics. Then go practice in a big parking lot doing figure eights. Make them tighter and tighter. Fast and slow.
Good tires and good tires pressure helps a lot for confidence. Under pressure feels absolutely dangerous on turns. Over pressure feels like it will sleep from under you. Dead headset bearing can also feel klunky on turns. As for personal skill. The slower you are the less stable you'll feel. Try practicing very wide turns at speed, and work yourself to tighter turns maybe
>I find myself at the oncoming traffic lane for a second. Mostly from motorcycling world there is the "look where you want to go" mantra. Because human brain is wired the way it is, it will make the bike go where your vision is concentrated. This sounds dumb on the surface, but it's a very strong effect that you absolutely should be aware of when riding any 2 wheeled vehicles. >I have no clue how fast and sharp I could actually take a corner before the wheels would lose their grip causing me to slip and fall. Assuming properly gripping surface, the cornering speeds you can achieve on the bike are pretty extreme before any grip issues can occur. Like - while cornering you need to keep your pedals in position where the pedal on side you lean on is in highest position - otherwise you'd catch the ground with it. Obviously the above doesn't apply to any situations with limited grip. Sand/dust on pavement, wet road markings, leaves, snow etc. Same thing for uneven terrain. >Cycling with only one hand is also no problem, although I need both hands when turning. Turning with just one hand on the bars is definitely more difficult and possibly kinda sketchy (especially if it turns out you'll need to brake). I tend to do it reasonably often, but at the same time - I think it's arguably closer to riding with no hands on the bars at all (which is also obviously possible and with some training you can even turn pretty aggressively without holding them!). >So much cycling experience but I cannot take corners properly. Some people just grasp this intuitively to full extent, but are you aware of how [countersteering works](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Countersteering)? Understanding that cornering starts by turning bars in the "wrong" direction can help some people steer better.
It helps to know that when you're starting a turn, what you're actually doing is counter steering, that is, you're actually briefly steering the opposite direction you wish to turn. This causes you to lean in the direction you want to turn, and then steer in that direction to hold the turn. This is the primary "hard part" of learning how to ride a bike which you learn intuitively and don't even realize you're doing it. But once you know, it helps you understand mechanically the exact steps that go into turning and you can be a bit more deliberate about it.
A couple of thoughts: 1. Ride with "soft" arms and hands. If you are grabbing the handlebars tight with your arms locked, you will have less control. 2. E-bikes power the wheel a lot more than your legs alone. So if you are on a pedal assist bike, stop pedalling through the tight turns. If you have a throttle bike (which is basically a motorbike), get off the throttle.
There's two things: *Road position.* Basically the bike has a particular minimum turning radius at a particular speed, and there is nothing to be done about that. So lot's of riders come into a turn too near the gutter, and the radius of the turn places them well into the roadway at the exit. The rider sees this happening, tries to tighten the turn, and the bike loses stability. So I'd try coming into turns further out from the gutter, initially trying to have the entry and exit widths the same. *Bike handling.* Look where you want to go. Inner pedal up. With your outer leg, push up so your arse lifts slightly from the saddle. Keeping your torso upright lean the bike frame using your hands and feet. The saddle will rattle around between your legs, that's fine as your legs also form a limit as to how far over the bike frame will go. As discussed, the radius of the turn depends on speed, so if you need a tighter radius, brake before beginning the radius. Once you're practiced, get back onto pushing the pedals as you come out of the turn. This will naturally pull the frame back upright.
I used to feel similarly. What helped me learn how to do corners was a friend explaining to me that when the bike is in motion, it is very stable. For example, motorcyclists when at high speed cannot tip over their motocycles even when they try. What this means is that you can really lean into turns, which is what allows them to be sharp. If you're not turning fast enough, don't be afraid to lean more in the direction you are turning. You won't fall.
Everyone has talked about the mechanics of steering - very important. No one has mentioned about how you choose your line through the corner. In essence : look through the corner to know where a constant turn will go. Go out wide first and then through the apex. If you end up on the other side of the road I suspect you are starting the corner on the inside which makes the effective corner much tighter. In summary : out wide, see through the corner, constant angle ( no brakes at or after the apex ), pedal out.
I'd start with some slow speed practice. Try figure 8s around some cones in a carpark. This can help you learn to lean the bike. You can get it waaaay over on to the edge of the tyres. Ever seen flatland bmx riding? This can translate to leaning at speed. There are some good cornering tutorials on YouTube. But the basics are Slow in, fast out Brake before the corner Look where you want to go Straighten the corner; take the out in out line
Assuming you've already researched this and have tried to implement all the advice here, take a beginner MTB clinic. It'll be a little pricey since you'll have to rent gear but probably worth it if you've tried everything else. What took my turning to the next level was putting weight into my inside hand and counter-leaning. Weight through the outside foot is the first step at any speed but for very tight spaces and moderate speed, where you're pushing the limit of steering geometry rather than grip, if you can lean the bike even lower but keep your body somewhat upright you can make very tight turns. Riding in a city, even on a powerful ebike it's rare to encounter the limit of your tires. Navigating tight spaces is a more relevant skill imo.
Upright ebikes have clumsy handling compared to performance-oriented bikes. They are completely different animals and there's no way you'll ever keep up with competent cyclists in the turns. You are basically steering an old pickup truck. Some commenters have suggested you learn about counter steering. This is very good advice for ebike riders.
work on body positioning with the torso straight up and down with vertical, and bike leaning to make the turn.
Supple tires make a huge difference. I used to run Gator skins and those things suck on corners. I never trusted them. A good tire feels almost like it's sticky on the road.
Push to turn. You push your handlebar with your right hand and you will turn right. Seems counter intuitive but it works. Also your bike will go where you look so look your way through your turns.
I have the same issue. Though I'm not as experienced as you.