MTB Handling- Understeer

[Grebel]

hmmm?? So which one is it then - weight forward or weight back? currently also have crossmark on the front and in tight stuff find I tend to understeer

Arms slightly bent, knees slightly bent and try and get your COG as neutral as possible.

 

http://www.bikeattack.com/product_images/uploaded_images/correct-attack.png

[Hackster]

Weighting the outside grip also gives you a bit more grip.

[BergForce]

Get a grippier front tyre. As for technique, point 6 here is something to get into a habit, try to lean the bike over more and keep your body more upright and push down on the outside pedal:

 

 

1. Set your speed

Set your corner speed before the corner begins. Focus on exiting the corner fast, rather than entering the corner fast and then skidding or braking heavily around the corner. Skidding and corner braking reduces your control.

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2. Change gears

If you’re not going to pedal around the corner, before going into it, shift to the gear you want to use for pedaling out of the corner. This way you’ll be in the right gear to pedal back up to speed after the corner is done

Lead the bike with your eyes

 

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3. Look ahead

Look ahead into the corner, quickly scan the corner with your eyes, then shoot your eyes to the exit as you ride the turn

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4. Relax your hold

Keep a firm, but relaxed hold of the handlebar and drop your shoulders so that you’re not shrugging them

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5. Position your body

Put most of your weight through the seat and / or the pedals

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6. Push on the outside

If you’re not pedaling the corner, push your outside foot down on the pedal as you turn. This technique works like magic to help ground the tires, particularly on off-camber corners!

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Edited June 28, 2012 by Berg Bok

[DR ◣◢]

Yip. Lean the bike and not your body. Will result in sharper cornering with less wheel washing. Also make sure your weight is neutral on the bike. Best is to have it over the BB. Make little adjustments as needed.

 

I run Michellin XCR dry tyres front and back and with the abOve technique i hardly ever have problems.

[Skott5]

What length stem you running ?

[Pieterg]

Practise and skills

[4u2nv]

nahhhh. You are going to slow

[Rushdee]

interesting read. Acquired a set of second hand (practically new) MTB wheels, front shock & stem recently. Ensure everything working 100% before + after assembly. i.e. wheels true, shock fine, everything fitted perfectly etc. Go for first ride on road. Take hands off the bars for a second or 2. Bike pulls to the right & Im almost taken out by a bus. WTF. Try again & cant seem to balance with hands off the bars coz bike keeps pulling to right. Any ideas. Kinda sucks that I can never lift my hands to adjust my top, helmet, etc

[RockCoach]

interesting read. Acquired a set of second hand (practically new) MTB wheels, front shock & stem recently. Ensure everything working 100% before + after assembly. i.e. wheels true, shock fine, everything fitted perfectly etc. Go for first ride on road. Take hands off the bars for a second or 2. Bike pulls to the right & Im almost taken out by a bus. WTF. Try again & cant seem to balance with hands off the bars coz bike keeps pulling to right. Any ideas. Kinda sucks that I can never lift my hands to adjust my top, helmet, etc

 

When you ride without hands you are controlling the bike by shifting your weight with your hips. I can't see anything equipment-wise that would throw you to the one side other than a skew saddle..?

[Bos]

lot of opinions on here.. read somewhere to put weight on outside grip?

that sounds well.. wrong!

 

Do what Droo said.. Im taking everyone giving advice here has mastered it?

Tires has very little to do with it, yes If you have the skill down 100% its about the tire but im telling you GM or Sam Hill will ride circles around most of us with slick tires.

 

About the tecnique..

Go put some flat pedals on your mtbike. Drop your saddle this will give you more confidence. Now go find a dirt road or smooth-ish singletrack corner. build a bit of speed and in the standing up position with your arms bent a bit try get your upperbody weight over your inside grip. I find when Im waxing a turn thats often where my weight is. Its a good starting point, then dangle your foot alongside you so that when that front wheel does go you dont hit the deck. or unclip your inside foot when you approach the corner if you dont have flats. Hold those bars if you feel your front wheel is going, youre riding the bike, not it you.. force it into the line you want to ride. Contrary as it sounds, cornering fast is different to floating winding singletrack..

 

Go do it over and over.. Eventually you'll be going 4 x the speed and wont even touch down with your front foot.

When your confidence is up, put the clips back on.

 

when youre riding tutted trails dont try ride inside them inless the ruts are very deep and bumpy, ride in them.

 

heres kind of what I ment...obviously this is smooth ish, ball bearing surface, with a semi slick park tire.

Edited June 29, 2012 by Bos

[covie]

lot of opinions on here.. read somewhere to put weight on outside grip?

that sounds well.. wrong!

 

Nope when you turn you bend your inside knee and step down with your outside leg and heel in the turn, this forces the tire to grip the poster was right you put weight on the outside, (it allows you to lean the bike which puts more rubber in contact with the turn so you dont just rail on your sideknobs)

 

Also most people think when you turn you need to take weight off the handlebars thats also incorrect, you shift slightly forward to put weight on the front end to enable more grip.

Edited June 29, 2012 by covie

[Kranswurm]

Nope when you turn you bend your inside knee and step down with your outside leg and heel in the turn, this forces the tire to grip the poster was right you put weight on the outside, (it allows you to lean the bike which puts more rubber in contact with the turn so you dont just rail on your sideknobs)

 

Also most people think when you turn you need to take weight off the handlebars thats also incorrect, you shift slightly forward to put weight on the front end to enable more grip.

Korrek....similar kind of thing is also riding on a severe camber.Natural instict is to lean in but that will cause a slip n slide.Actually lean the bike out and it automatically turns in the front wheel

[Bos]

Nope when you turn you bend your inside knee and step down with your outside leg and heel in the turn, this forces the tire to grip the poster was right you put weight on the outside, (it allows you to lean the bike which puts more rubber in contact with the turn so you dont just rail on your sideknobs)

 

Also most people think when you turn you need to take weight off the handlebars thats also incorrect, you shift slightly forward to put weight on the front end to enable more grip.

 

I dont recal "poster" to have mentioned all of that.

 

This guy has obviously not been on a bike for to long and he is probably so confused by now he doesnt know what's up. I think getting around 80% of turns one would not need to go through the Crouch, pause, engage vibes you are mentioning here. I know when you need to push down on the outside grip (on offcam) but Im not going to go into that. I assure you one never puts your weight on the outside grip.Outside pedal, sure, when your inside foot is off the pedal I assure you, your outside foot wil be down.

 

I dont want to get in a argument for argument sake here. Im just trying to help the man but by giving him some easy to follow advice that I know is sound and will het him to his next level, he can go figure it out..

 

do what works for you.

[igknot]

Weight on the outside:

It was explained to me in the following way. Your contact area with the ground is the bottom of your wheel. if you weigth is on the outside the line from there to the ground is closer to the vertical than when your weight is on the inside. ie. Pushing the wheel downswards into the ground. When your weight is on the inside of the turn you push towards the contact in a direction more paralell to the ground causing the wheel to slide

[covie]

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/cornering-lars-sternberg-2010.html

[covie]

I dont recal "poster" to have mentioned all of that.

 

This guy has obviously not been on a bike for to long and he is probably so confused by now he doesnt know what's up. I think getting around 80% of turns one would not need to go through the Crouch, pause, engage vibes you are mentioning here. I know when you need to push down on the outside grip (on offcam) but Im not going to go into that. I assure you one never puts your weight on the outside grip.Outside pedal, sure, when your inside foot is off the pedal I assure you, your outside foot wil be down.

 

I dont want to get in a argument for argument sake here. Im just trying to help the man but by giving him some easy to follow advice that I know is sound and will het him to his next level, he can go figure it out..

 

do what works for you.

 

Bos i dont want to argue either but its always better to learn and practice the right techniques from the onset, that way you dont develop bad habits than is almost imposble to get rid off.

 

A great movie if you can get hold of it is dirtschool, I just re watch it, and then think about how i ride and I notice how bad habbits keep on creeping back into my riding, then it takes conscious effort to practice practice practice till my technique is where it should be.