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Learning to ride
STEERING
Unlike a bicycle where you steer directly to where you want to go, steering the Micro-Cycle requires a coordinated effort between handlebars
and foot pegs.
The unique way the Micro-Cycle turns is by rolling the tire on its side. The farther the tire rolls over, the tighter the turn. The important thing
to remember is that while you’re rolling the tire on its side, the rider’s weight must stay above the point where the tire touches the ground.
In other words, you must keep your hips over the center of the Micro-Cycle while turning – you do not lean into corners like you would on a
traditional bicycle or motorcycle.
It is always surprising to new riders how effortlessly it is to steer to Micro-Cycle once they relax. As the rider improves, steering becomes a
totally intuitive process.
The following sections describe three ways of steering your Micro-Cycle.
1. Standing up on the foot pegs and steering
When standing on the foot pegs and holding the handlebars, the rider’s center of gravity must stay above the point where the tire touches
the ground. Unlike leaning into a turn on a bike, riding a Micro-Cycle requires a focus of staying straight up. Steering is done by rolling the
tire on its side. To go left, put more weight on the left foot peg. To stay in balance left to right the handlebars will extend up to the right. The
rider’s center of gravity falls between the handlebars and the feet. Focusing on where your hips are will assist in this process.
As the rider is steering, it is also important to keep leaning forward to assure the Micro-Cycle will continue to power through the turns. It
doesn’t take much effort at all, try small moves first before throwing too much weight around.
2. Handlebar Steering
New riders typically over-think handlebar steering by forcing the Micro-Cycle into a turn using shoulder strength. Handlebar steering
requires almost no energy. It’s all in your hips, feet and your sense of where the tire meets the road (intuition that comes with practice).
Here’s how to master handlebar steering.
1. Practice with your helper by using the handlebars to turn in wide arcs. As with riding a bicycle, you may find that touching your foot to
the ground or even dragging your foot a bit helps to turn the Micro-Cycle. If you feel unsure or out of control, pull the stop-assist lever
and put both feet on the ground.
2. The better you become, the tighter the turns you can make. Advanced riders can learn to make very tight turns by rocking the tire on
its side while shifting their hips in the opposite direction.
3. Remember to keep your body over the center of the wheel. Shift your hips, not your upper body.
4. Testing the edges of the steering range is good. Try shifting the handlebars left to right while at the same time standing on alternating
foot pegs. This will give you the feeling of how the Cycle steers. There is a lot of room to throw the bike left to right, so get comfortable
with it. As you get better the steering will become effortless and smooth while staying perfectly relaxed.
3. Seated Foot-peg steering
When riding the Micro-Cycle over a variety of terrains sometimes the bike will want to drift off of your straight line path in a certain direction
if the ground is sloping. To counter this effect a small amount of force can be applied to the uphill foot peg to impart a twist on the tire. This
will help the bike stay on track. As the rider gets more advanced this trick will become second nature.
Here’s how to steer using the foot pegs.
1. Put extra pressure on one foot peg to counteract the tendency to drift in the opposite direction. For example, if you’re riding on a road
that is sloped down to the right, putting extra pressure on the left foot platform counters the tendency of the Micro-Cycle to drift to
the right.
2. If the terrain is steep, stand on the foot peg to apply more pressure than when sitting.
