When can you pedal out of a corner?
The pedal is rarely the problem, but in the tightest corners it can become one. Here is when. With the Krengo defaults the inside pedal clears the road up to 36.2° of lean at every crank position, and a higher crank gives much more room.
About the numbers. Every angle is a model value from the calculator and the pedal formula (g = 9.81 m/s²; Krengo defaults 270/170/17/125 mm). Your bike and line differ, so read them as a guide. Krengo shows your lean angle in a corner.
Where the pedal can touch
With the bike leaned over, the inside pedal at the bottom of its stroke is the first thing to reach the road. With the Krengo defaults that happens at 36.2° of lean; the pedal touch-down angle page has the formula, the calculator and how to find your own number, so it is not repeated here.
Coaches describe the same geometry in words. Mat Brett on road.cc: “If you stop pedalling for a corner, position your inside pedal in the 12 o’clock position and your outside pedal in the 6 o’clock position to give yourself the maximum clearance when you lean.”1 Roadman Cycling says dropping the outside foot “prevents your inside pedal from striking the ground on tighter bends”.2 Both agree with the model: where the inside pedal sits decides how much room you have.
The crank position counts
The 36.2° limit applies when the inside pedal is straight down. Turn the crank and the lowest point of the pedal rises. In the model that point sits at height BB − crank · cos φ − pedal / 2, where φ is the crank’s angle from straight down, and the limit is atan(height / reach). At φ = 0° this is the 36.2° from the pedal page. It is a 2D model of ours: no pedal rotation and no shoe sole.
| Crank angle from straight down | Lowest pedal point above the road | Touch-down angle |
|---|---|---|
| 0° (6 o’clock) | 91.5 mm | 36.2° |
| 15° | 97.3 mm | 37.9° |
| 30° | 114.3 mm | 42.4° |
| 45° | 141.3 mm | 48.5° |
| 60° | 176.5 mm | 54.7° |
| 90° (level, 3 or 9 o’clock) | 261.5 mm | 64.5° |
A level crank, with the pedal at 3 or 9 o’clock, lifts the limit to 64.5°. Already at 45° the limit is 48.5°. Flip it around: above 36.2° only part of a pedal turn is “near” the road, and the more lean, the larger that part. The second table shows how large.
| Lean | The pedal can touch only if the crank is within … of the bottom |
|---|---|
| ≤ 36.2° (incl. warning 33.2°) | No crank position touches: the lowest point is clear even with the crank straight down |
| 38° | 15.5° |
| 40° | 22.9° |
| 45° | 36.6° |
| 50° | 48.6° |
This explains the road.cc advice in numbers: the 12 and 6 o’clock positions are the ones that put the inside pedal where it is highest. The tables are an explanation, not a recommendation to pedal in deep corners.
A simple rule from the model
Below the warning angle of 33.2° the pedal is clear at every crank position in the model: even with the crank straight down the touch-down angle is 36.2°, 3° further away. Above it, the crank position decides, as in the tables. That is the model’s advice, and it is Krengo’s own: none of the sources above gives a lean angle for when pedalling is fine, so this rule is not backed by them.
Krengo shows your lean angle, so you can see how a corner compares with 33.2°. The pedal page shows how to find your own limit, since your bike differs from the defaults.
Speed and lean go together
Lean follows speed and radius: θ = atan(v² / (g · r)). The table shows which speed gives 33.2° and 36.2° on each radius. The pedal becomes a topic only on tight radii at higher speed: on 30 m it takes 50.0 km/h to reach 33.2°. Most bends ask for far less; see road bend radius and lean and roundabouts and hairpins.
| Radius | Speed at 33.2° (warning) | Speed at 36.2° (touch-down) |
|---|---|---|
| 10 m | ≈ 28.8 km/h | ≈ 30.5 km/h |
| 15 m | ≈ 35.3 km/h | ≈ 37.4 km/h |
| 20 m | ≈ 40.8 km/h | ≈ 43.1 km/h |
| 30 m | ≈ 50.0 km/h | ≈ 52.8 km/h |
| 40 m | ≈ 57.7 km/h | ≈ 61.0 km/h |
| 60 m | ≈ 70.7 km/h | ≈ 74.7 km/h |
Speeding up on the exit raises the lean when the radius stays the same, because speed enters squared. The next table shows four cases. On a 15 m radius each extra km/h between 30 and 35 km/h adds about 1.5°.
| Radius | Speed | Lean before → after | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 m | 30 → 35 km/h | ≈ 25.3° → 32.7° | +7.4° |
| 20 m | 30 → 35 km/h | ≈ 19.5° → 25.7° | +6.2° |
| 30 m | 40 → 45 km/h | ≈ 22.8° → 28.0° | +5.2° |
| 40 m | 45 → 50 km/h | ≈ 21.7° → 26.2° | +4.5° |
The good news is that the same arithmetic works the other way. At 35 km/h the lean is 32.7° on 15 m, 25.7° on 20 m and 17.8° on 30 m. Opening the arc while you speed up brings the lean down instead of up. Line choice is covered in road bike cornering technique and descending technique.
On the ride
Krengo shows your lean angle, so you can compare a corner with the tables above. The timing advice from road.cc is to accelerate once there is enough clearance.1 Liv Cycling adds a practical step for the approach: “On the approach, before you stop pedaling, shift into an easier gear so you are prepared to accelerate out of the corner.”3 The lean angle glossary explains the terms, and the Garmin data field page describes the field.
Try it yourself
Put your own numbers into the pedal calculator and the lean angle calculator and compare with the tables. Learn new speeds on a quiet road with permission to ride there.
Frequently asked questions
When can I start pedalling out of a corner?
In the model the pedal is clear at every crank position below the warning angle of 33.2° (3° under the 36.2° touch-down angle). Above that it depends on where the crank is (second table). This is Krengo’s model rule; road.cc describes the clearance idea as accelerating once there is enough of it.
How much does crank position change pedal clearance?
In the model the limit is 36.2° with the crank straight down, 48.5° at 45° and 64.5° with a level crank.
Does speeding up on the exit increase lean?
Yes, when the radius stays the same: on 15 m, going from 30 to 35 km/h takes the lean from 25.3° to 32.7°. Opening the arc brings it down.
Sources
- Mat Brett, “11 tips for better cornering”, road.cc, 30 July 2020. Used for the 12 and 6 o’clock quote and the clearance timing. Read on 5 October 2026.
- Anthony Walsh, cornering technique guide, Roadman Cycling, 9 July 2026. Used for the outside-foot sentence. Read on 5 October 2026.
- Liv Cycling, “How to Corner on a Road Bike”. Used for the gear quote. Read on 5 October 2026.
The lean formula θ = atan(v² / (g · r)) and the pedal formula are Krengo’s model, rounded to 0.1°; the crank-angle extension, the speed cases and the 33.2° rule are scenarios of ours and not taken from the sources. The sources give no lean angle for when you can pedal.