A yearly self-check that tells you if your riding has slipped

Some riders quit after one scare they could have trained through. Others carry on after their skills have slipped, because nobody checked. In a new video, MCrider says age is a poor test. A measured check, repeated every year, is a better one.

Signs that repeat

A wide U-turn, a stall at the lights or rusty first rides in spring happen to riders of every age, and most improve with practice. The signs that matter keep coming back.

On the physical side, the video lists a bike that feels heavy at every stop even on level ground, a head that will not turn far enough for a blind-spot check, and hands worn out by the clutch before the ride is half over. On the mental side, it lists cars that appear in your mirror without you seeing them come, traffic that surprises you more often, missed turns on roads you have ridden for years, and losing focus earlier in a ride.

Ask two questions: does it keep happening, and does practice fix it?

The car park check

Find an empty car park, take a few cones and run the same checks every year, early in spring or at the end of the season. Write the results down and compare them with last year's.

1. Slow speed: mark a box as wide as your best U-turn on a good day and keep that size every year. Turn inside it in both directions and note any foot down or running wide.
2. Quick stop: pick a speed you can hold safely in the car park, about 25 mph in the video, and use it every year. Put a cone where you start braking and measure where you stop.
3. Head and neck: sit in your normal riding position and look over each shoulder. Check whether you can see the lane beside and behind you without moving the bars or twisting your torso much.
4. Stamina: run all the checks back to back and note how long you last before your hands, arms and legs need a break.

For the mental side, ride on the street and call out loud anything that could turn into a problem. If cars keep appearing that you never called out, write that down too. MCrider calls a yearly training class probably the best check, because an instructor sees things you cannot see from the seat.

If a number slips, practise for a few weeks and test again. If practice fixes it, it was a rough patch.

Changes before stopping

When a skill keeps slipping, there is room between riding as before and selling the bike. A lighter bike or a lower seat helps if stops feel heavy. A lighter clutch, or a bike that shifts itself, helps tired hands. Mirrors set to show more of the next lane, a small convex blind-spot mirror and earlier head checks make up for a stiff neck. Shorter rides and more stops help stamina. Riding in daylight and on familiar roads gives your road strategy less to handle.

Write your line down

MCrider recommends deciding your line now, while nothing pushes you either way: a self-check result plus what you will do when you reach it. The first lines should be about changes and the last one about stopping. Add your doctor and eye exams to the list, and tell a spouse or riding friend where your line is so they can say something when you get close. He suggests reviewing the line every spring when you run the check.