Why when you are riding a bicycle do you need to first turn/lean right to make make a left turn, and vice versa?

Question

Why when you are riding a bicycle do you need to first turn/lean right to make make a left turn, and vice versa?

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Answer 1

Bicycles REALLY like continuing to go straight. Ever try pushing a bike off by the seat? It will remain upright and straight until it loses its momentum. To turn a bike, you have to break the bikes tendency to want to go forward. You accomplish this by preparing yourself and the bike to lean into the turn you want to take.

If you just turn the handlebars in the direction you want to go, you will have only turned that front wheel into a barrier for your bike to keep going forward. By turning the opposite direction a little bit first then turning back, you’ve created an opportunity for the lean you need to occur so that the forward momentum can be directed into the turn.