moto-rama
Well-known member
This morning I recalled a riding philosophy I developed years ago when even the best bikes had wretched suspension components and scary tires.
That philosophy was to "roll with" the road and let the bike and the road work out their differences with just enough input to get the job done.
So instead of trying too hard , or horsing the bike around, to just let the bike flow with the contours of the road, and allowing your body to relax as much as possible and be in harmony with the rhythms and timing of the road itself.
I know this sounds a bit zen like or something, but sometimes I find that I am pushing the bike through turns and not at all in synch with the tempo of things as they develop.
If I stay mindful of where the next turning point will be and am adjusting my speed to make a smooth transition and basically taking care of the basic business of steering and using the gas, I often am unaware of those other elements that make riding so much more natural.
Compare riding to skiing or skateboarding and you see there are many things in common.
Back to this AM...
I started out a little awkward in the saddle and felt like I wasn't really riding all that well, at first I was blaming the road, my tires, my setup...
But it was me that wasn't in harmony with the bike, the road, the setup, all of it. And when I stopped arguing with myself, the bike and the road, it all felt just right.
That philosophy was to "roll with" the road and let the bike and the road work out their differences with just enough input to get the job done.
So instead of trying too hard , or horsing the bike around, to just let the bike flow with the contours of the road, and allowing your body to relax as much as possible and be in harmony with the rhythms and timing of the road itself.
I know this sounds a bit zen like or something, but sometimes I find that I am pushing the bike through turns and not at all in synch with the tempo of things as they develop.
If I stay mindful of where the next turning point will be and am adjusting my speed to make a smooth transition and basically taking care of the basic business of steering and using the gas, I often am unaware of those other elements that make riding so much more natural.
Compare riding to skiing or skateboarding and you see there are many things in common.
Back to this AM...
I started out a little awkward in the saddle and felt like I wasn't really riding all that well, at first I was blaming the road, my tires, my setup...
But it was me that wasn't in harmony with the bike, the road, the setup, all of it. And when I stopped arguing with myself, the bike and the road, it all felt just right.