Riding with Margin…
Jul 15th, 2010 by Leo
What’s a “safe” speed to ride? Good question. I want to make the case that a safe speed is not so much about an actual number, but about riding with a certain amount of margin… So some people might endanger themselves riding a particular street at 30 mph, especially one with lots of blind driveways and cars turning onto the road from stop signs…whereas another might safely navigate the same road closer to 50…
So here’s the basic idea: just the way when you’re planning your finances you factor in a margin, just in case certain things wind up costing a bit more. And just the way when you schedule your time you factor in a “margin” in case things take a little longer than expected. We need to leave margins when we ride so that we’re not using 100% of our ability at a given time. Even MotoGp racers don’t use 100% of their speed and ability most of the time – we see this is true when front runners of a race put their head down to really give it their all toward the end of a close race (often setting record times on worn tires). Why? Because they don’t race at a 100% all the way through, the margin for error would be too small, and there would be no room to improvise and hone lines while they battle for position. Instead of riding at 100%, they hone their skills in practice so that their 70% is faster than anything regular people like you and me could dream of reaching…
In the same way, I think safe riding on the street means riding at 50-70% of our ability… So that when those emergency situations occur, we have enough space and technique in reserve to handle it. 50% margin means entering turns with a line and speed that if there was gravel or an oil slick right around the bend I’d be able to handle it. 50% margin means even if the car ahead of me slams on the brakes for no reason, I’ll be able to stop without hitting him. 50% margin means I am in total control of my vehicle, and even if a pedestrian comes out of nowhere, I’d be able to handle it.
For some people riding at 50% can be quite slow. For more experienced riders with better braking and cornering skills, 50% margin could still be a brisk pace. But the point is to ride well within the limits of your abilities so that you have enough in reserve for unexpected occurrences. Valentino Rossi’s 50% on the street would probably still be way faster than my 110%, so I have to ride my own margins, not someone else’s.
Newer riders are often tempted to ride at their limit as they struggle to keep up with traffic or other riders. My advice is to stay away from those roads where you won’t be able to comfortably keep pace with traffic until you can handle them easily. You should be 100% in control of your bike, and your position in traffic at all times… because even when you’re completely in control unexpected things can happen.
What about on the track? Most people say “save the fast stuff for the track,” but even on the track, the instructors at CSS recommend riding at 75% of your pace. When you ride at 100% you survival reactions kick in, and it makes it difficult to learn anything… So instead of going at 100% and (maybe) crashing out, why not ride at 75% and use that energy to get better corner speed, find a better line, get a better roll-on through the corner – so that your 75% can be faster than your old 100%?
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