Sharing Biking Tips

**Lord Alster** · 16th November 2005, 19:21

Wondering if anybody's interested in sharing any biking tips they may have picked up during their years of experience. Things like keeping away from the painted markings on the road, they can be slippery as hell especially in the wet. I found this out in my first week on a bike about 23 years ago. I was heading for my nana's house to show her my new bike, Honda CB125. It started to rain lightly so I hurried along and as I came around a sweeping corner my front wheel hit the centre line and next thing I know I'm sliding across the road on my arse. No serious damage other than my pride but a lesson well learnt. Anybody else wanna share?

**James Deuce** · 16th November 2005, 19:27

We have a Survival Skills forum for sharing tips.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=49

**avgas** · 16th November 2005, 19:27

Iridium spark plugs (or equivelent).... i'll never use anything else

**skelstar** · 16th November 2005, 19:28

Im a bit of a noob but the first real lesson I had was about 'target fixation'.

I found out when I got into trouble in a corner and jammed on the brakes that I stared at the one thing I didnt want to hit....the barrier. I was 'target fixated' and since you tend to steer towards the thing you are looking at it I was soon 'barrier fixated'.

So lesson is: if you jam on the brakes and get into trouble, look where you WANT to go, not where you DONT want to go.
2c.

**bugjuice** · 16th November 2005, 19:30

don't eat yellow snow

and always try the search function first..
welcome tho

**Lord Alster** · 16th November 2005, 19:56

How about not riding in the centre of the lane. In my early days of riding my dad pointed out that the dark patch you see down the centre of a lane is created largely by oil dripping from under cars. If you're following someone and have to break suddenly, particularly in the wet your traction on that oily area won't be nearly as good. Also if you are to the left of centre to start with you have more chance of avoiding whatever is happening in the middle of the road. Any comments? Good advice or bad? Sounds logical to me.

**Indiana_Jones** · 16th November 2005, 23:08

I took a 90 corner in the raid, rear wheel went over a manhole cover, the wheel slide out, kicked back in, like it was gonna high side, but didn't.....phew

so watch out forthose f*ckers

-Indy

**Indiana_Jones** · 16th November 2005, 23:10

Originally Posted by Lord Alster

How about not riding in the centre of the lane. In my early days of riding my dad pointed out that the dark patch you see down the centre of a lane is created largely by oil dripping from under cars. If you're following someone and have to break suddenly, particularly in the wet your traction on that oily area won't be nearly as good. Also if you are to the left of centre to start with you have more chance of avoiding whatever is happening in the middle of the road. Any comments? Good advice or bad? Sounds logical to me.

when i look at a lane, i see kinda a rubberness where the car tyres go? is it better to be in the middle or on that tyre tracks?

-Indy

**skidMark** · 16th November 2005, 23:10

watch out for buses they cut corners and write off your bike

wish id known that one before it happened to me

**Indiana_Jones** · 16th November 2005, 23:14

Originally Posted by markauckland

watch out for buses they cut corners and write off your bike

wish id known that one before it happened to me

ochies

Man bus drivers are such dicks sometimes

I nearly got taken out by 2 in line today

-Indy

**Waylander** · 16th November 2005, 23:19

Originally Posted by Indiana_Jones

when i look at a lane, i see kinda a rubberness where the car tyres go? is it better to be in the middle or on that tyre tracks?

-Indy

Yea ride on the tyre tracks but keep as close to the midle as you can on those. That way you are not too close to another lane or oncoming traffic.

**skidMark** · 16th November 2005, 23:24

Originally Posted by Indiana_Jones

ochies

Man bus drivers are such dicks sometimes

I nearly got taken out by 2 in line today

-Indy

ive got a thread on it in general ravings

**DogBreath** · 17th November 2005, 00:06

I was tootling along a country road the other day, and noticed the significant difference between the texture of the road where the auto tyres run and the bit in between where they don't.
So I thought to myself, in the dry, stick to the smoother parts where the car tyres run, more surface for the tyres to bite on, and in the wet, ride in the unworn bit, more teeth in the surface to bite your tyres, less water on the surface etc, if you have to stop in a hurry.
Then I slowed down to look at the road surface a bit closer, mmmmmmm, the bit in the middle was spotted with bloody lichen. Imagine how slippery that shit is when wet.
So I guess I'll just run in the worn tyre tracks and trust to maximum road surface contact until I find a better theory.
As for tips, do your laces up, don't wear long scarves, have a piss before setting out else one solid bump = one burst spleen, thats fatal that is. Take sunnies, sunstrike can kill you.
And it doesn't matter how well you know the road, hitting a sheep at speed can be nasty.

**Karma** · 17th November 2005, 00:16

I tend to ride in the right hand tyre track.

Used to find when riding to the left that cagers took it as a sign to overtake me in dangerous and inventive places.