I love cycling and as an elite cyclist I have to corner lots at high speeds. I am definitely more nervous about sliding out (the tires slipping causing the bike to slide out from under you) when I hit a turn at full speed but when do I need to be so worried? What is the actual point where a bicycle wheel will slide out?
When a cyclist turns centripetal acceleration wants to push the bike outwards. In order to make a corner, it is also necessary to lean your body and bike. The coefficient of friction from where the bike’s tires meet the ground helps maintain traction. The breaking point for when a cyclist slides out is when the centripetal force overcomes the coefficient of friction. Meaning the force pushing the bike out of the corner is stronger than the force the tires have on the ground.
Extrenal Factors
- Tire size
- Tire pressure
- Weather
All of these factors will change the coefficient of friction making it less or more grippy. Decreasing your tire pressure will increase the grip you have. This is because a slightly deflated tire has more contact points with the ground. Next, increasing tire size with also increase grip because it is larger and thus has more area to grip with. This is why mountain bikes are more stable and can corner better than road bikes.
Finally, weather conditions can greatly change what your bike can handle. Rainy days cause the roads to become slick (meaning there aren’t the usual holes for grip in the pavement) which increases the chances of sliding out because the coefficient of friction is decreased.
The biggest thing to remember is to always be careful when riding on smaller, high-pressure tires on a wet day. Just always make sure that the coefficient of friction is greater than the centripetal force pushing you outwards and you’ll never fall cornering.
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