Quote:
Originally Posted by jtemple
I have a question for you guys that have access to real twisties. What does the feedback from the bike feel like, when you're coming close to breaking a tire loose? You don't just suddenly lose it and lowside, do you? Is there some kind of warning that you're pushing it too far?
There's no knee-dragging going on in my neck of the woods, is why I ask. You'd have to break triple digits in a turn to get that low.
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Short answer is yes, there is some warning, but that's only if you're riding correctly.
Kinda like trip said, it depends WHY you are losing traction.
If you're hanging off and your arms are nice and loose, you'll be losing traction literally due to the tire's limitations. In that case it is predictable and you'll feel the bike moving around a bit underneath you. That's another benefit of being loose is that you can easily feel what the bike is doing.
If you're putting pressure on the handlebars and the bike hits a little bump/crack and the front starts to move around, the gyroscope (wheel) can't correct itself because you're pressuring the handlebar... and BAM. You're down before you can say "tuck the front".
While dragging knee is a good gauge for lean angle (if you have a repeatable body position) and it just 'feels' right... it is not a good gauge of if you are at YOUR limits. With improper technique you will crash at a lean angle much smaller than that required to drag knee.
That's part of why I crashed in T3 last september... the tires were cold, and my handlebar pressure and tense upper body / arms didn't allow the bike to correct itself.