Did you realize what mistakes you've done today? (Part 4)

The first step to becoming a better rider is to recognise the mistakes. This is 15 of the most common ones and how you can avoid them.

MISTAKE: RIDING AS IF ALL ROAD SURFACES ARE THE SAME TWO things keep us on the road. One is our tyres, the other is the road surface. If we haven't got a good bond between them we're going to struggle to ride fast. Watch the road surface and learn how your bike feels when it's on different surfaces. We know what happens if we hit a drain cover or metal studs while cranked over, but some roads, where you see black lines in the bitumen where cars have started to wear out the road, can be just as slippery. Reading the surface can also give you advance warning of what is around the next bend. See horse manure and it ain't an all-girl marching band you can expect to find on the next straight. Lots of skidmarks from heavy braking could suggest the next corner is tighter than it initially looks. Remember the rubber part of the story, too. We all know someone who crashed on new tyres - cold tyres can be just a dangerous. Be patient, take the time to warm them, then enjoy.