I've been riding on and off road since 1966. I'm a competent rider, not the fastest. I keep seeing the term "countersteering" on this site. What is it? At speed when I want to go left, I lean left, same for right. When I'm going slow I use the handlebars more to turn. When I've been offroad there's been times when I'm trying not to screw the pooch and I'll lean the bike one way and my body the other, I consider that using body English. Explanations would be welcome."
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What mean "countersteering"?
- Thread starter BURNROPE
- Start date
xgambit
Post Count +1
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next time you're on the freeway. push on one side of the bars. see which way the bike leans. profits.
oops i forgot to put the steps.
oops i forgot to put the steps.
Vega
loves pastry
Push right= go right
push left= go left
push left= go left
weasel
Eradicator
Push what?
Ron Bullard
New member
Forward on the handgrip.
HappyHighwayman
It's all in the reflexes
It's something you do naturally when bicycling, and when you're a beginner rider if you think too hard about it suddenly you lose the ability to turn, but as noted above:
Push right= go right
push left= go left
Push right= go right
push left= go left
nakedape
Well-known member
Methinks since you asked what ATGATT was last week we need a glossary for new users.
papa911
New member
weasel
Eradicator
Beauregard
Aut Agere Aut Mori
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- elude me.
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- Guess....
"Countersteering" is a term used to make one think too much. It is akin to giving something done naturally a very long name- to make it seem more or less important. Think of the word "masturbation" then think of what it really is. See what I mean. The name means nothing, it is the action that counts. So it is with "countersteering."
So go ride, and don't think too much about what you already do.
So go ride, and don't think too much about what you already do.
BluesCruiser
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Looks like you started just a few years after I did and way back then (when we chipped spear points out of flint) I somehow "learned" to "pull right go left" and it has been a hard habit to overcome. Oddly enough...I think it may actually work better when I do what they say I should be doing...push left go left &c &c &c... Ain't easy to overcome old habits, tho...
russ69
Backside Slider
If you don't actively countersteer or know what it is, then I somewhat doubt your claim. You can not make a road bike go where you want it to go unless you know how to pull hard on the bars. My best advice is to find an "s" curve, and repeatedly ride through it until you can change directions quickly using deliberate force on the bars.
Burnrope
When you want your bike to lean left or right(when you're going above parking lot speeds), you push on the handlebars to steer the bike instead of leaning your body. You should also lean your body in the direction of the corner, but your main steering input should be by pushing the handlebars.
The reason it's called countersteering is because you're turning the handlebar in the opposite direction of the way you want to turn. If you turn your bars left you will go right. But because you don't need a lot of force, instead of trying to turn the handlebar with both hands, you can just push the correct grip forward.
If you want to lean left, you push forward on the left grip, and to lean right you push forward on the right grip.
When you want your bike to lean left or right(when you're going above parking lot speeds), you push on the handlebars to steer the bike instead of leaning your body. You should also lean your body in the direction of the corner, but your main steering input should be by pushing the handlebars.
The reason it's called countersteering is because you're turning the handlebar in the opposite direction of the way you want to turn. If you turn your bars left you will go right. But because you don't need a lot of force, instead of trying to turn the handlebar with both hands, you can just push the correct grip forward.
If you want to lean left, you push forward on the left grip, and to lean right you push forward on the right grip.
orbframe
༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
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he just doesn't know he's doing it
we all learn to countersteer when we learn to ride a bicycle... first we learn slow speed counter leaning, then we learn to countersteer as out speed picks up
ktm_guy
when in doubt gas it
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Counter means that if you turn the bars to the right you will turn left.
To turn the the bars to the right you push forward on the left grip. The way I think of it as I ride is to push on the grip that's on the inside of the turn.
clutchslip
Not as fast as I look.
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It's okay. I was thoroughly confused by this term because of the "counter" part. I thought people were trying to pull on the inside bar to go that direction. I was going WTF??!! That doesn't work. Riding was too natural and ingrained at that point to realize people think backwards about motorcycles (and other things). Countersteer = Normalsteer.
