Tech Talk Project: Improve Your Cornering

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Varaxis, Jun 21, 2015.


As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?

  1. Varaxis

    Varaxis Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Perris
    Name:
    Dan Vu
    Current Bike:
    Yeti SB5c ('16 Yellow v1)
    Cornering is not as simple to understand as the experts seem to make it, at least to those who are more conscious about their body movements as opposed to those that naturally and instinctively do it. Being in the former group, I've been trying to come up with various cornering strategies for certain corners and have come to understand a few things.

    The primary basics:
    - you need to consider the path of both wheels individually, going around the corner.
    - to reliably point the front wheel where you want it to go, you must have decent weight on the front, typically with your hips in some location in front of the saddle
    - to swing the rear wheel tightly behind the front in a sharp/hard corner, usually after the front has rounded the corner, it is better to shift your hips back and drive force into the outside pedal, preferable with the heel down.
    - it is generally wise to keep your upper body fairly perpendicular to the ground, where the tires meet it, to avoid slipping laterally. This means it's okay to lean the body in a berm, but not okay in a flat turn.
    - your form should be adapted to your frame's geometry, setup, your trails, your current speed, your traction levels, suspension characteristics, etc., implying there's no perfect text book form you can use for everything.
    - brake before the corner, not in the corner, but if you must, use your rear brake only.
    - use your core as the origin of your movements, with lateral hip movement being particularly effective.

    After someone bringing to my attention my relative lack of proficiency at cornering, and putting more attention to remedying it, I've created a general form that seems to be generating some dramatic successful progress. Combining all these basic basic understandings/beliefs, I've put together this sequence of movements to nail some of the flat and off-camber corners in my backyard trails, and come to accept that cornering on berms is much different after riding at Big Bear (Snow Summit, Skyline). Generally, I aim to use the same techniques I learned in car racing games: entering on the outside, braking before, and aiming for the apex (I do this driving to and from Big Bear too, on the 330, which I imagine would scare any passengers who are afraid of speed and finding the limits of traction). I've got sharp 90 degree turns down pretty well, thanks to this, adding a little counter-steer (steer away from the turn, before steering into it with a lean), but anything in between needs a decent sense of speed, camber of the turn, traction, and sharpness of the turn to determine the ideal technique. With this knowledge, turns with inconsistent radius and inconsistent surfaces (ruts, rocks, dirt humps, roots, sand/dust, etc.) don't seem as tricky anymore.

    The basic form/movement for sharp 90 degree turns: for the first half of the turn, focus on pointing the front wheel to follow the line around the turn that hits the ideal apex point (important to hit it not too early and not too late), accepting that your hands can be beating through the bush on the inside by taking such a line. To pull it off, you need sufficient weight on the front, and on a decently balanced bike, all this usually takes is standing on the pedals with your hips forward of the saddle, even with a light touch on the bars. Once the front is past the apex, this is when you start to shift weight back behind the saddle to control the rear of the bike, with your outside foot driving into the pedal, and sort of falling into the turn. Once the rear clears the apex, you can accelerate, and from your behind the saddle position this will result in that cool looking wheelie as you exit the turn, that you sometimes see in shred videos.

    Other types of turns require different strategies and techniques, but generally, the basics apply. Quick twisty 45 degree turns, to bermed hair pins turns, turns coming out of a G-out, turns coming off a fireroad descent, switchbacks with steps, etc. No strategy applies to all, but with an understanding of the basics, you can build up effective techniques that work for your situation and setup, up to the point where you are confident enough that you can comfortably corner with riders side-by-side with you, even passing other riders mid-corner. For example, fast twisty XC corners, especially if you have a steep head angle, can be done in the saddle, sort of loosening your legs (not weighing any pedal down), decoupling them from the rest of the bike to allow it to lean/swing more freely, and just steering with the handlebar to point the wheel, exaggerating a bit with the counter steering to ensure the rear wheel isn't clipping the insides of the turns.

    For those with experience with cornering, what are your tricks? For those who have had a lot of hardships learning how to corner, what harsh lessons have you learn in regards to what to avoid? Does anyone have regularly encountered tricky corners that are their nemesis? Post up pics/videos of corners of riders handling them. I want this to be an on-going project, to inspire and motivate improving the art of cornering, noting success/progress and addressing issues. I will be looking for my own tricky corners to plop a camera on a tripod next to, and drill it to eventual mastery, as I know I was messing up on even the simplest of things, like hitting the apex too early.

    Note: I recommend that bike setup be balanced before trying to practice cornering, getting the front and rear suspension feeling like they are working similarly (no rear susp, no prob), and not having the saddle too far up that you cannot shift your hips freely fore and aft.
     
    Grassblade23 likes this.
  2. SoCal_Rider

    SoCal_Rider Member

    Location:
    Temecula/Murrieta
    Name:
    Ryan
    Good to read I'm not the only one (over?)analyzing cornering. I've been thinking a lot about my cornering lately (well maybe not as much as you). I know it's one of my weaknesses and have been trying to break things down to make improvements. I'm a decent rider, but cornering fast still doesn't feel natural to me. I blame it on riding ATVs for the last 30 years and biking for only the past 7 years. Cornering an ATV is a very different technique with respect to body placement.

    For last few years I've been buying beefier and beefier front tires to gain trust in the front end staying where I want it to. I lost a lot of confidence in my beginner years running pure XC tires for weight and speed reasons. I don't have the skills/confidence still to let the bike drift. If the front end slips even slightly, it really sketches me out and I tense up, making things even worse. Maxxis HR2/DHR2/DHF have finally given me some trust in my front tire.

    My next area of focus was/is keeping my upper body more upright. I realized I have a tendency to dip my inside shoulder too much in a turn. (I know this comes from ATV background). If the front end slipped, my upper body was too committed making it harder to recover. I think my recent switch to wider bars has also helped with this.

    I've also been focusing lately on pushing down harder with my outside foot. I think this focus helps force my upper body to stay more upright, counteracting my natural desire to want to lean inside more.

    I know I still have more work to do to make cornering fast feel natural. I wish reading and watching videos could alone make me better at cornering. :) Reading/hearing pros talk about improving cornering like it's a simple fix actually kind of frustrates me. I understand the fundamentals of what I need to do. Getting my brain/body to actually do it and feel comfortable about it is so much harder.

    I really hope someday soon I'll get comfortable with cornering fast. But then I'll have to focus next on my jumping and I'm afraid I'm getting too old to do anything about that. :)
     
  3. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Drive your inside hand forward and keep your chest low over the bars. That is all. You're welcome. :thumbup:




    And now to elaborate, which probably isn't necessary.

    The first cornering issue I see with most otherwise-good riders is their tendency to be too upright with their weight too far rearward. Ironically, some riders even tend to get taller and taller as they progress through the turn. That looks cool if you want to exit doing a wheelie like the videos. I have found that if you concentrate on keeping your chest low, elbows out and head forward, your front tire will hook up faster, turn quicker and more precisely and will track better while exiting.

    If you have a berm, keep your body inline with the axis of the bike so you remain perpendicular to the surface. If you have no berm, keep your body upright and lean the bike. Don't get too obsessed about putting your outside foot to the 6 o'clock position. It helps, but you can drive yourself crazy trying to get there when the turns are coming at you quickly.

    Credibility check: I spent far too much money taking DH clinics. What I am passing along comes from clinics, but is also filtered by my own ham-fisted experience until only these few functional tips remain. I do not claim to be the best cornerererer, but I knows what I knows, so try it and see.

    PS - My favorite cornering front tire is my skinny-ass Maxxis Minion DHF 2.35 which measures barely 2.1. It looks funny on the front of my bike with my beefy Marzocchi fork, but the thing is awesome in the corners - and light. And tough.
     
    Grassblade23 likes this.
  4. knucklebuster

    knucklebuster Well-Known Member

    Location:
    34.2295° N, 117.2257° W
    Name:
    Dave
    Current Bike:
    Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail
    Great thread, and good tips and comments already! Like the idea of Varaxis' for this to be a "workshop" and describe the good as well as the stuff we have trouble with. And SoCal Rider's comment fits me to a "T", especially when I get fatigued and tired, I get lazy, and don't do what I know I should.

    Up until a year or so ago I never thought much about cornering technique, but at some point I realized I felt more comfortable on hard fast left turn corners than rights, so wanted to try to figure out what I was doing. Still haven't completely, I think it has to do with which foot I ride forward (normal-left for me) but feet and body position just feel a little less natural on right turns compared to lefts, and that with feet at 3-9 or outside down. :problem: Anyone else have this phenomenon?

    I also have the tendency to lean my body with the bike more than I should (not doing that inside hand forward/down that Herz mentions), causing some washouts. I found that when I put my inside foot down off the pedal mot style, that puts my body and bike in a better position (body more upright while the bike leans harder, inside thigh on the seat as a brace, and lower center of gravity) and I can hit corners much harder. But it's not practical to get a foot off every corner (clippless for me), so I still have to think to use that "lean the bike not you" technique with both feet on. When the corners come at me fast it just seems like a lot of work to go left-right-left-right with both feet on the pedals, and lean the bike side to side at that same rate... back to the laziness, and prob weak core muscles, poor hip movement, and just being old :? I need to practice more :D

    BTW, for those in the OC, the Meadows trail in Aliso is an excellent training ground for cornering technique. There are many of them, mostly nice radiused, some with berms and some not so much, nothing techy at all except speed.

    Cred check, I have none. Just feeling my way, that's why I like the idea of this thread, to see what others are experiencing. Thanks and Cheers! ;)
     
    Grassblade23 likes this.
  5. doublewide

    doublewide iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    Mark
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Tallcan
    I don't need help cornering because I ride soooo slow but I do find a lot good and funny information on this youtube channel.

    <a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/globalmtb" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">https://www.youtube.com/user/globalmtb</a>
     
  6. Varaxis

    Varaxis Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Perris
    Name:
    Dan Vu
    Current Bike:
    Yeti SB5c ('16 Yellow v1)
    I have left hard sharp turns dialed too, but when it comes to quick twisty turns, I seem to be awkward in the lefts and sharper in the rights. A vast majority of my rides generally go counter-clockwise.

    I get less than desirable results putting actual pressure on the handlebars to control the bike. It's what I used before I found dramatic improvement. I will stand by my belief of having movement originating from your core, and resting 95% of your body weight centered onto the BB. Your feet should feel this weight. Using the hips tends to be more reliable when the turn gets uneven, bumpy, loose, etc, as the arms are more free to act as suspension, following the undulations of the terrain.. The idea of "pointing" the bike with your belly button, is something I do by swinging my outside hip outwards, which when combined by driving the outside pedal down (and forward with the heels dropped), helps swing the rear around nice and tight, especially on those hard lefts.
     
  7. UPSed

    UPSed iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Simi Valley
    Name:
    Ed
    Current Bike:
    Niner Jet 9 RDO
    I sure am glad I am a natural! That is way too much to remember! [emoji102]
     
  8. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    Just to throw this out there and completely anecdotal:

    If you have more trouble with right turns are you 1) right handed or 2) current or former motorcyclists?

    On my Yamaha Enduro I always had an easier and more confident left turn than right. Partly because I am right handed but also the rear brake pedal is under your right foot. It's always sketchy putting the right foot down.

    I know we're locked into our pedals on mtb's (mostly ;) ) but long ingrained habits are hard to break and influence us in other activities as well.
     
    Grassblade23 likes this.
  9. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    I can totally relate to this...
    However, I throw with my left hand, write with my right hand, and I can bat left or right handed. My background is Moto-X, and I had to switch my brake levers so I could ride bicycles. I power much easier through left turns and struggle with right hand turns. I have a huge fear of front end wash outs, especially right handers as you might be able to imagine... :shock:

    As well
    I like long walks on the beach, sharing my feelings, hate haters, and mean people suck. My favorite food is Fish and Chips and Fish Taco's... :wtf:
     
  10. Varaxis

    Varaxis Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Perris
    Name:
    Dan Vu
    Current Bike:
    Yeti SB5c ('16 Yellow v1)
    Cornering not coming naturally to some: <a class="postlink" href="http://bcove.me/0gzhsi56" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://bcove.me/0gzhsi56</a>
     
  11. knucklebuster

    knucklebuster Well-Known Member

    Location:
    34.2295° N, 117.2257° W
    Name:
    Dave
    Current Bike:
    Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail
    hmm, could have something to do with it... :think:
     
  12. knucklebuster

    knucklebuster Well-Known Member

    Location:
    34.2295° N, 117.2257° W
    Name:
    Dave
    Current Bike:
    Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail
    Love it! But they need a sequence at 7.5 years, about where I'm at...
     
  13. UPSed

    UPSed iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Simi Valley
    Name:
    Ed
    Current Bike:
    Niner Jet 9 RDO
    I am actually being somewhat serious with this statement. However my experience comes with logging over half a million miles on the street including road racing in '90 and '91. It took me a long time to build up confidence but when I took up mountain biking I was able to apply similar techniques. I actually still have more confidence on the pavement. And I think that's what it really comes down to. Experience and confidence in your abilities and equipment.
     
  14. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    While I write with my left hand, can eat with either hand, and can only bat/bowl/throw/kick right handed/footed, but can shoot a pistol with either; rifles right hand only. I too am strange and do not fit the mold. :)
     
  15. SoCal_Rider

    SoCal_Rider Member

    Location:
    Temecula/Murrieta
    Name:
    Ryan
    I had some positive results today. I got a top 5 on a fast, twisty, downhill (not steep) segment that I've ridden 30+ times. The segment has been ridden by 330 people and has 2,468 attempts. Not OC level numbers, but a relatively popular local trail frequented by some pretty quick guys.

    In addition to the things I've been trying lately that I mentioned above, I took herzalot's "drive your inside hand forward" comment to heart. Seemed to help. I also moved my cleats as far back on the shoe as they would go. Not for cornering necessarily, it was just something I've been meaning to try, and I happened to remember to do it before my ride today.

    I am hoping for more improvements on a super-techy trail I'm riding tomorrow. I've been trying find 3 secs to crack the 2:00 mark. That won't get me even in the top 25, but it'll feel good to crack that time.
     
  16. Daddy Dirtbag

    Daddy Dirtbag Member

    Location:
    Castaic
    Name:
    Jeff Johansen
    Current Bike:
    2016 Trek Stache 9 29+
    My input today has not so much to do with actual technique as it does to how you teach yourself to do something, especially something that has as many subtle nuances as cornering does.

    I coached soccer for well over 20 years, and then was taught how to teach others to coach soccer, and a teaching teaching technique we used was to start slow, and gradually increase the speed, decrease the space, and ratchet up the opposition. This is where I was introduced to the notion that practice doesn't necessarily turn into perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect. Practicing something imperfectly only makes you more likely to repeat it that way when you are faced with doing something at 'match speed'.

    At first, you just want to go relatively slow, but get good at proper technique. Then, as it becomes more natural for you, you can increase the variables until the point that technique starts to break down. At that time, you need to get your technique back in shape before increasing/introducing any more of the variables.

    In mountain biking, I would relate speed, space and opposition like this:

    Speed = speed: That one is relatively simple.

    Space: In the case of cornering, would be how sharp the corner is, how soon the next thing comes at you as you exit, and trail side obstacles like rocks, bushes and trees, and exposure.

    Opposition: This would relate to things like the trail surface itself (rocks, roots, sand, mud, as well as pitch (up/down), and camber. I imagine there are other components that fall into the opposition category as well.

    If you're going to practice leaning the bike in flat corners, find a relatively open, long corner with little to 'freak you out' as you just work on the technique of getting your bike leaned over as you enter the corner, and then getting upright again as you exit. If you don't have such an area, try going noticeably slower in corners that already have a higher degree of degree of difficulty with regard to space and opposition.

    If you try to introduce too many new techniques, it is likely to get confusing. I would recommend working one or two technique improvements at a time until you are able to do them consistently at close to 'match speed' before introducing new techniques.

    Q: How do you eat an elephant?

    A: One bite at a time.
     
  17. CarlS

    CarlS Member

    Location:
    Temecula, CA
    Name:
    Carl
    Current Bike:
    Walmart $50 special
    I must belong to the later group because I tried thinking about it today and tried various things, but that screwed me all up big time. I find I do best when I use the force and let go of my thinking. I also have found that bike type and set up plays a big part. The Niner I am on now sure has a corning penalty that is a trade off for it's ability to climb and get up and over stuff. Higher BB maybe? There were a few times on the 26" stumpjumper FSR I used to ride that I actually did two wheel sliding drifts with my feet clipped in and pulled it off without going down. That bike definitely corned better but sucked climbing. yea, yea i know thats why people love their 26" bikes. but still I have my "on" days and my "off" days. Sometimes it just "clicks" and I can rail around a corner. other times I have trouble staying on the trail.

    :? Wouldn't that make you steer the bike the wrong way (to the outside of the turn) if you push your inside hand forward? :?
     
  18. UPSed

    UPSed iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Simi Valley
    Name:
    Ed
    Current Bike:
    Niner Jet 9 RDO
    Pushing your hand towards the inside of a turn is countersteering. That is basically how you turn a two wheeled vehicle. I use the phrase push right to turn right and vice versa.
     
  19. CarlS

    CarlS Member

    Location:
    Temecula, CA
    Name:
    Carl
    Current Bike:
    Walmart $50 special
    No[/quote]


    [youtube]6LR6eS2NWf4[/youtube]
     
  20. UPSed

    UPSed iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Simi Valley
    Name:
    Ed
    Current Bike:
    Niner Jet 9 RDO

    [youtube]6LR6eS2NWf4[/youtube][/quote]
    Sorry. Didn't grab the proper quote. I fixed it. And that hits the nail on the head. A lot of people can't grasp countersteering.
     
  21. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    Nope. Try it. Not a huge push, just a steady drive.

    After years of being coached in individual sports (14 years of ski race coaching where all we talked about was efficient turning technique), and then coaching the same, I know all too well the phenomenon of overthink. A person can only really think of one thing at a time. So pick one and try it. Either concentrate on keeping your chest low, arms bent through the whole turn OR drive your inside hand. Both work, but it's hard to do both at the same time. If you are forward and flexed at the elbows, it's hard to drive your inside hand. If you are driving your inside hand, it's hard to stay low and forward. It can be done, but don't do it until one of them comes natural.

    If it doesn't work, I will give you your money back. :thumbup:
     
  22. Varaxis

    Varaxis Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Perris
    Name:
    Dan Vu
    Current Bike:
    Yeti SB5c ('16 Yellow v1)
    The push the inside hand down and forward technique definitely works in wide sweepers with a consistent arc at a moderate speed. You can practice it on the sidewalk, around 90 degree bends, which should give sort of a feeling of relatively wide singletrack. I wouldn't call it counter-steering. Actually turning the other way is what I call counter-steering. If anyone fools around zig-zagging left to right while cruising, feeling their bike lean and swing around, then they know what counter steering feels like (beyond the first zig).

    I used to have a Mick Hannah inspired style, using that method, but it just doesn't work on a wide variety of turns reliably, due to obstacles like ruts, rocks, roots, etc. I find I need a much more accurate technique to get to the next level, hence why I came up with the lateral-hip-shift-to-back technique to pair with my forward position. Seems to "slash" right into turns surprisingly well. There's a lot of different techniques that are suitable, but not widely accepted. A scandinavian flick style of turn gets you around in an emergency, such as if you're riding a trail blind/for the first time, and have a bit too much speed for a corner that looks sharp. Might be called a skidiot if you do that for every turn, but technically it works and is handy to have in your strategic arsenal for slaying corners.

    I figure the more usable techniques you have, the more comfortable you will be due to being more prepared, and the less likely you'll panic if you're coming in a bit hot for your current ability. I actually find myself falling back to the inside hand technique as a fallback plan, if I'm unable to picture how to take the corner in my head on-the-fly, usually going fairly wide. Might be that I just suck at it and don't know how to meter it to adapt to varying speeds and a varying turning radius (esp within the same corner).
     
  23. mtbbiker

    mtbbiker Newbie with Hope!

    Name:
    Craig
    Can I get the cliff note version?
    It's funny, but if you haven't noticed you can tell easily what side is your strong side by just looking at your knobbies. My right side knobs always look worse than the left side.
    Cornering is definitely the key to getting faster. Going fast in a straight line for the most part is not to hard but getting around a corner with minimal speed loss takes skill & is tough to master. I wish I had some tips to give, but everyone above has pretty much said everything.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
     
  24. MCB2K

    MCB2K Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Castle Rock, CO
    Name:
    Brian Kiggins
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Tallboy LTc
    The physics behind this is you are actually steering the bicycle out from under the mass. This initiates the lean into the turn. Once turning, you now have to balance the forces of gravity, centripetal force and friction to maintain the arc of the turn. The trick is to do this in a controlled manner, which is exasperated by the irregular surfaces we mountain bike on.
     
  25. UPSed

    UPSed iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Simi Valley
    Name:
    Ed
    Current Bike:
    Niner Jet 9 RDO
    That is a great explanation. I really don't analyze how I ride. I just point and shoot and do what my body tells me to.
     
  26. CarlS

    CarlS Member

    Location:
    Temecula, CA
    Name:
    Carl
    Current Bike:
    Walmart $50 special
    So just to explain myself. here is how I imagined this :

    turning.jpg
     
  27. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    @CarlS...
    If the two curved lines represent turning right then the above pic only depicts the initial part of turning right.
    This is not an easy subject to explain...
    To initiate a right turn you apply pressure to the right hand grip forward, to steer the bike outward to initiate the lean to the right, then adjust the steering to maintain a balance of inertia/centrifugal force and gravity through out the turn as you turn right.
    The opposite for the left side...
    You do it, and probably never even knew you do it...
    [youtube]OLzB5oriblk[/youtube]
    <a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLzB5oriblk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLzB5oriblk</a>
     
  28. Varaxis

    Varaxis Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Perris
    Name:
    Dan Vu
    Current Bike:
    Yeti SB5c ('16 Yellow v1)
    That's the technique to use on the road. Much more noticeable on a motorcycle, which also has higher gyroscopic forces due to the higher speed it moves at. On a bicycle, since your body is the main weight, you can get more effect by physically shifting your weight, such as putting weight on each wheel depending on the part of the turn and putting weight on the outside pedal, as opposed to the motorcycle having control of the effect, and needing to be hanging off the inside to force it to lean. Things are much different on the trail than on the road, with lower traction, lower gyroscopic forces (lower speed), and uneven terrain. Try tightening up your local DMV motorcycle exam area, adding some narrow undulating boardwalk/ramps to it emulating moguls, braking bumps, and grooves that follow unideal lines (noob lines carved out hitting the apex too soon, or too late), sprinkling sand all over it, and putting a burlap sack over your tire, telling the rider to maintain 10 MPH. I've been trying to think about it scientifically, with inertia vectors, the cause of wash-outs, countering the wash-out, and... I don't know how to say it any better, but to try to put more concentrated effort into completing much of the turn before you reach the apex of the turn. Once the rear axle is past the apex, the challenge of the corner should be over and you should be accelerating back up to speed.
     
  29. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    One small thing to add: I've learned and try to follow the rule (suggestion?) of keeping my inside foot forward. So a left turn, left foot is forward, in a right turn, right foot. I keep my pedals more parallel to the ground to do this. That while weighting the outside foot and keeping my body perpendicular to the surface as mentioned above _seems_ to at least make me feel like I'm a bit more flowy.
     
  30. knucklebuster

    knucklebuster Well-Known Member

    Location:
    34.2295° N, 117.2257° W
    Name:
    Dave
    Current Bike:
    Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail
    I read it the same way CarlS... but then figured the intention is to weight/drive the inside bar grip after leaning into the corner, to weight the front tire edge knobs. Maybe more explanation needed on the "drive inside hand forward"? Not to steer the bike to the outside of the corner surely.

    A couple other things I know, but don't always do, that may not have been said yet...

    - Instead of trying to maximize speed going into a turn, try to concentrate on how to maximize it coming out of the turn. This is often hard for me as I tend to brake late, go in hot, and then trail brake (gradually lightening up on the braking) in the first third of the turn. If I could just concentrate on the corner and getting through and out of it smooth and fast, instead of going in fast...

    - Looking ahead through the corner, so basic, but I still don't always do it... scan the corner before you get to it, once you are there and start turning, look at the exit and what's up next, and how to set up for it. Forget about looking at the ruts or bumps that are in the corner when still in the corner, not good to make adjustments at that point anyway.

    So many different terrains and types of corners, many take different or mixed techniques or approaches, but the basic skills/techniques are always good practice and have in your brain, esp when on a new trail that throws you a curveball, I think Varaxis mentioned this.

    Good stuff! I'm trying to practice :)
     
Loading...


As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?