13.        Braking and turning
          

Braking

      The convention in Australia is for the -

       *           left front brake lever to control the rear brake calliper; and

       *           right front brake lever to control the front brake calliper.

      Apply the rear brake slightly harder than the front brake to avoid going over the handle bars.  If you have to pull up quickly, move your bum back to the rear of your saddle as far as you can comfortably retreat, to improve your centre of gravity. This applies whether you are using the front, rear or both brakes.  If you cannot stop quickly, check your brake tension and or spacing.  

      When descending a steep hill, keep the speed down on curves, as -
 (i)         loose gravel or deep holes could be waiting just around the bend; and
 (ii)        a fast acting flat (whilst taking a corner on a steep downhill) on your front wheel
             (usually accompanied by a loud, scary "bang", is a cyclist's worst nightmare, as it
             will render that unfortunate cyclists incapable of controlling his/her bicycle.  So
             respect downhills that have twists and turns.  If you have a straight downhill on a wide
             open road with no noticeable cross wind, then feel a lot more comfortable.

      Keep both hands ready to brake - You may not stop in time if you brake one-handed.  Allow extra distance for stopping in the rain, since breaks are less efficient when wet and tyres lose traction with the road.

Turning

To turn a bicycle, you must lean inward toward the direction of the turn. The faster you are going, and the sharper the turn, the more you must lean as decreed by the laws of physics.  You have no choice about this, for a given speed and turn radius, the centre of gravity of the bike/rider must be moved sideways a particular amount or the bicycle will not balance.

It is your choice whether you lean your bicycle more than, less than, or the same amount that you lean your body, to get your centre of gravity.

1. Leaning the inside knee into the corner (similar to a motor bike racer), while keeping the bicycle more upright, is popular, particular amongst new cyclists who are concerned not to strike the inside pedal on the road.  Some cyclists believe that sticking out their knee or leaning their body inwards (away from the bike) improves cornering which may be a reassuring gesture that, on uneven roads, can work against you, as any body weight that is not centred over the bicycle puts a side load on the bicycle.  It also restricts dropping your body weight further back on the seat.
    

2. Leaning the upper body and the bicycle equally is favoured by most experienced cyclists, keeping body and bicycle in line has the advantage of keeping the steering axis, tyres and centre of gravity in the same plane. This preserves the proper handling characteristics of the bicycle, and makes a skid less likely.

Make sure that the bottom of your pedal doesn't hit the roadway when you lean your bicycle into a sharp corner.  Front cranks which the pedals are attached to are either 170mm, 172.5mm or 175mm for road bikes.  Taller cyclists generally prefer 175mm cranks.  The likelihood of the bottom of the pedal catching the road surface is greater for 175mm front cranks.  Most cyclists break before a sharp corner and not at a sharp corner, and then coast through a sharp corner. 

To avoid the bottom of the outside of your pedal catching the road surface when you are leaning into a sharp corner, make sure when you coast through a sharp corner that the pedal on the side of the corner is a 12 o'clock (ie. your foot is up high), and the other peddle is at 6 o'clock (ie. your foot is down low).