Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

zill
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Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby zill » Wed Oct 22, 2014 11:03 pm

I just changed to the Shimano ultegra pedals and when cornering that dangerous corner, my pedals scrapped the ground twice causing me to twist but luckily didn't fall over. I then dropped to the back of the pack and treated it as a training ride.

Has other people here also experienced this with the shimano pedals?

What are your tips to not let it happen again but still corner fast?

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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby Mulger bill » Wed Oct 22, 2014 11:34 pm

Stop pedalling?
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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby dalai47 » Wed Oct 22, 2014 11:49 pm

You don't pedal through the apex of that corner at race pace! Watch how the higher grades take that corner next time you are there.

Example http://vimeo.com/80581612" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; around 37 seconds.

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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby Gunlock » Thu Oct 23, 2014 11:21 am

Madness to be pedaling through that corner.

Stop pedaling before you lean and only start again when you're back to vertical.

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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby Uncle Just » Thu Oct 23, 2014 4:08 pm

This vid courtesy of CT shows how to do it. Master class from one of the best.
http://cyclingtips.com.au/2014/02/the-i ... ie-mcewen/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby lock_ » Thu Oct 23, 2014 4:29 pm

^ Robbie's line is the one you'd take in a break or something, keep as much momentum as possible. This is different to wanting to drop the guy on your wheel.

Plenty of A Graders still clip pedals through there.

It's practice/experience. I'd suggest getting out there and hitting that corner outside of a race, that'll give you a good feel for it, of course racing only complicates things. There's the inside line and outside line (hopefully you're not three deep), and the speed through the corner varies significantly from the front (+30km/h) to the back (possibly sub 20km/h) of the bunch. In the higher grades you'll be off the back if you wait till you're vertical to start pedalling again. Also it's not just about hitting the apex, there's different lines some let you get on the power earlier than others.

If you're just starting out there I'd just chill and take it easy, watch and learn.
dalai47 wrote:Example http://vimeo.com/80581612" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; around 37 seconds.
Never mind that, look who's smashing it on the front at 22sec 8) :wink:

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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby zill » Thu Oct 23, 2014 8:52 pm

Seems the most important thing is to have your pedals up on the side you are turning into which means no pedaling when cornering. But this means arriving at the start of the corner at a fast pace.

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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby Mulger bill » Thu Oct 23, 2014 10:01 pm

Sometimes, if you get your entry right, not pedalling is faster. Watch the body positions in the excellent vids posted. Those lads are all about the smoothest possible line and sharpest lean because they don't have to worry about pedal strike. At best you lose time, at worst you lose skin.
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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby il padrone » Thu Oct 23, 2014 11:39 pm

Another point not to be dismissed is the much better steering control in the turn that is developed by the outside pedal down/weight on the pedal stance. Try it both ways for comparison; a couple of points you may notice:
1. Your saddle has a nose for a reason. When cornering your outside leg (extended) lays alongside the nose and controls your lean and hence turning action;
2. When your weight is placed on the outside pedal the bike will turn much more smoothly. I know nothing about the physics of this, but it works really well for steering control on rough gravel descents - don't know so nuch about road race corners.
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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby jules21 » Fri Oct 24, 2014 2:11 pm

it's pretty straightforward - don't pedal when you've got the bike leaned over too far. what you want to do through that corner is carry speed - try and take it on the outside - you aren't leaning as much either, which allows you to start pedalling earlier. also, learn to take the corner at the same speed as those in front of you - it's easy to get into the habit of dropping back for safety, however this means you need to work hard out of the corner and adds to your anxiety of wanting to start pedaling earlier than is safe..

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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby cerb » Thu Oct 30, 2014 1:57 pm

...and if you find you're losing too much ground through the corner, give a few hard pedal strokes before you stop pedalling and lean the bike in. The additional momentum from 1-2 hard pedal strokes will make sure you stay on the wheel.

Sometimes I even drop a wheel length coming into the corner - to make sure I don't have to brake, or get too close the guy in front. I then let my momentum (from the few strokes into the corner) close the gap through the apex, then softpedal the first few strokes out of the corner until the guys in front get the power back on. Saves a lot of energy once you get good at it!

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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby sogood » Thu Oct 30, 2014 2:58 pm

It's less to do with the pedal than pedal position and crank length. With a short crank, it's possible to pedal and even accelerate through some corners. That's a strategic advantage in some races. But if you are poorly skilled and judged poorly and let the pedal hit the ground, then you lose.
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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby zill » Thu Oct 30, 2014 11:36 pm

cerb wrote: Sometimes I even drop a wheel length coming into the corner - to make sure I don't have to brake, or get too close the guy in front.
Do you get that chance when riding in a group? When I see A or B graders going through that corner, they are all very bunched up it seems?

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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby cerb » Mon Nov 03, 2014 9:07 am

Zill - Of course! I don't do much HCC but am in B at St Kilda and regularly do this on all the circuits i've raced with sharp corners.

If you drop 1/2 a length on the straight, someone might try and muscle into the gap, but if you drop it coming into a corner people shouldn't be diving under or changing lines much - so you are allowed a bit of breathing room. Just don't leave so much gap that someone on the line next to you thinks they can move across onto your line! It is quite a balance knowing when and how much gap to leave... i've just got used to it with practice.

However, if you don't do it right and end up dropping the wheel OUT of the corner, then people will get annoyed at having to do extra work every lap. This means they'll make sure they are in front of you next lap... and you'll then find youself on the back very quickly!

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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby zill » Mon Nov 03, 2014 7:33 pm

cerb wrote:Zill - Of course! I don't do much HCC but am in B at St Kilda and regularly do this on all the circuits i've raced with sharp corners.

If you drop 1/2 a length on the straight, someone might try and muscle into the gap, but if you drop it coming into a corner people shouldn't be diving under or changing lines much - so you are allowed a bit of breathing room. Just don't leave so much gap that someone on the line next to you thinks they can move across onto your line! It is quite a balance knowing when and how much gap to leave... i've just got used to it with practice.

However, if you don't do it right and end up dropping the wheel OUT of the corner, then people will get annoyed at having to do extra work every lap. This means they'll make sure they are in front of you next lap... and you'll then find youself on the back very quickly!

mmm... sounds like a fine art. I'll just do D grade for now and get some good practice with that corner for now.

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Re: Scared of riding the Teardrop crit now!

Postby zill » Fri Dec 05, 2014 11:39 pm

I've noticed that a wider 25mm tire reduces the tilt around that corner and unlikely to pedal strike again. Do others notice that as well?

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