handle bar

[mtbN00b]

thanks will test and see what works for me ... 

[mtbN00b]

I have a riserbar on. will try to improve my technique first before spending money on new parts 

[stewie911]

 

So, I'm kinda bored. For 2 cents I'll tell you to ride a line like the left right pic and lean into the turn.

 

A wider handlebar will make the turning "smoother" - the angle at which you turn has smaller increments(think this is bad english), which will result in less of a chance to loose control

stewie9112009-10-26 09:54:02

[tabasco]

ride as much as possible, you will soon see what works for you and what does not.

[Bos]

Just got this off a thread.. guy explains it well..

 

How To Improve Cornering

 

 

 

• Home

• ? Advice
• ? How To

 

http://www.mbr.co.uk/imageBank/cache/c/corner%205.jpg

 

Thursday 1st May 2008

 

 

 

November '06

 

Mountain biking would be a pretty boring sport without corners. Whether bermed or

 

 

off-camber, rocky or rooty, loamy or hardpack, sweeping or switchback,

every type of terrain presents a unique challenge. Unlocking the

secrets of cornering is the key to going fast and staying smooth.

 

There are two principles you must grasp before you can learn to corner

efficiently. Firstly, at slow speeds, steering involves turning the

bars. As velocity increases, inputs at the handlebar gradually reduce

and turning is achieved by leaning the bike. Secondly, on and off-road

cornering technique is very different. To see the difference, watch a

Superbike race followed by a motocross event. On road, the racers lean

the bike and the body, almost climbing off the side of the bike because

grip is both high and constant. The motocross racers lean the bike, but

keep their bodies relatively upright, thrusting the inside of the

handlebar towards the apex of the corner and forcing their weight

through the point at which the tyres contact the dirt for maximum

traction. On a pushbike, the principles are the same, so to improve our

cornering on an mtb we must follow the example of the motocross racer.

 

For the example here, we've chosen a simple corner with good sightlines

and plenty of run-off. As a practice bend it's just about perfect,

allowing you to concentrate on technique without the risk of running

into other riders or obstacles. We'd recommend finding something

similar for developing your own skills.

 

 

 

 

http://mbr.live.calmtech.co.uk/imageBank/c/corner%201.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

1 In the main photo you can see a fairly

straightforward corner. Although this one's at the Laggan Wolftrax

trails, it's still the sort of bend you'll come across in trail centres

across the country.

 

 

 

 

http://mbr.live.calmtech.co.uk/imageBank/c/corner2.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

2 Being a flat corner makes it all the more important

to maintain speed through the turn to the next section. Sprinting in,

jamming on the brakes and sprinting out will soon knacker you out.

 

 

 

 

http://mbr.live.calmtech.co.uk/imageBank/c/corner%203.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

3 It has the benefit of being in the open, allowing

Andrew to see all the way round the bend and judge his entry speed

without worrying about any hidden obstacles or it tightening

mid-corner.

 

 

 

 

http://mbr.live.calmtech.co.uk/imageBank/c/corner%204.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

4 On the approach he assesses the surface of the

corner (Is it rough/rooty/wet?) and its radius. With a flat run-in,

there is no need to brake into this corner. If the entry was downhill,

he would aim to do all his braking on the straight before the corner,

as braking mid-turn tends to straighten the bike.

 

 

 

 

 

http://mbr.live.calmtech.co.uk/imageBank/c/corner%205.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

5 While he doesn't want to brake mid-corner, Andrew

covers the levers with one finger just in case he encounters anything

unexpected.

 

 

 

 

 

http://mbr.live.calmtech.co.uk/imageBank/c/corner%2011.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

6 ?The main thing with any corner is proper set-up?,

explains Andrew. ?Stay relaxed and don't lean with your head and

shoulders?. As he enters the corner, Andrew is setting up his position.

?Stay relaxed and the let the bike follow the terrain?. As you approach

the corner, keep looking as far round as you can.

 

http://mbr.live.calmtech.co.uk/imageBank/c/corner%206.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

7 His outside pedal is down, putting weight and

pressure through the knobs of the tyre as it digs into the corner, and

giving clearance to the inside pedal. His inside arm is extended into

the corner to lean the bike over, but both arms remain bent to absorb

any rough patches.

 

 

 

 

http://mbr.live.calmtech.co.uk/imageBank/c/corner%208.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

8 As he gets deeper into the corner you can see the

bike is really leant over, but his body is relatively upright and he

his putting huge pressure through the outside pedal. All his body

weight is running down through the bike and that tiny contact point

between the tyres and the ground. His eyes are now focused on the exit

of the corner, which will naturally level up the bike for the next

straight.

 

 

 

 

http://mbr.live.calmtech.co.uk/imageBank/c/corner%209.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

9 His saddle is resting on his thigh, adding extra control to the attitude of the bike and providing a reference point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://mbr.live.calmtech.co.uk/imageBank/c/corner%207.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

10 As he exits the corner, he puts weight onto the

inside pedal to power away, also using the crank to pull up out of the

mid-corner crouch.

[Griffin]

I have quite a bit of experience of Bars myself..and I must admit the length does make a difference. Long or short..wide or narrow...as long as the beer is cold when its served its all good.

[mtbN00b]

 

 

So' date=' I'm kinda bored. For 2 cents I'll tell you to ride a line like the left pic and lean into the turn.

 

A wider handlebar will make the turning "smoother" - the angle at which you turn has smaller increments(think this is bad english), which will result in less of a chance to loose control

[/quote']

 

kan jy asb vertaal afrikaans toe - die prentjies ook asb

 

[stewie911]

moenie skerp draai nie.

Ek kry nie die prentjies in my H.A.T nie

[techguy]

so basically i must test and see what works for me?
it just feels sometimes when i take a sharp corner that i cannot turn sharp enough without losing to much speed - or maybe i am just to scared to turn sharp enough

i have a hardtail.

 

The best way to learn to corner is to crash, then you know the limits of the tyres, suspension etc. But as for tyre choice put a bigger tyre on the front, I run a Continental Mountain King 2.4 in front at 2bar and wet, dry, loose gravel it doesn't matter. If you want tyres that corner stay aay from maxxis, I have found they are not very grippy in corners, and before I get lambasted for that comment, I have tried them all at various pressures etc and its not a lack of trying.

[Bos]

 

so basically i must test and see what works for me?

it just feels sometimes when i take a sharp corner that i cannot turn sharp enough without losing to much speed - or maybe i am just to scared to turn sharp enough

 

i have a hardtail.

 

The best way to learn to corner is to crash' date=' then you know the limits of the tyres, suspension etc. But as for tyre choice put a bigger tyre on the front, I run a Continental Mountain King 2.4 in front at 2bar and wet, dry, loose gravel it doesn't matter. If you want tyres that corner stay aay from maxxis, I have found they are not very grippy in corners, and before I get lambasted for that comment, I have tried them all at various pressures etc and its not a lack of trying.

[/quote']

 

I dont quite agree on the Crashing part..  but I think I understand what youre getting to..Getting over that fear of losing traction and to get on "the edge"

 

One should be able to do it with some sneakers and flat pedals, might save the body a bit.

 

What I mean by Tires is that some people might think that If you can find a tire that grips enough you will just be able to corner like you do on a roadbike. point is, there is always variable traction on a MTb and that calles for a different technique (spelling)

 

Example, If you take a complete newby onto a gravel road and ask them to turn around, they freek out at the first little "skit" of the tire", while a experianced Mtbiker can fly around a loose gravel over hardpack offcam corner, 2 wheel drifting  without even unclipping..you have to learn to controll the loss of traction, its not a question of "if" its a question of when and how. Here in Cape we have much more gravel and grit and less good soil, so theres never enough traction..

 

you with me..

 

 

 

 

[techguy]

Ya well thats pretty much what I meant, also if you can get your hands on the DVD Fundamentals, it'll show you the basics and more, the one section deals with the loss of traction by creating a slide and controling it by locking up the back wheel.

 

Also a good trick I learnt when I was a noob was to ride holding onto the bars and not have one finger resting on the brake lever, then you have to make an effort to brake and you'll find you'll brake less.

 

Keep in mind as well that momentum is your friend, you're less likley to crash if you hit something at speed because by the time you've reacted to the obstacle you've ridden over it. Trust me it works!

 

Bottom line... if you wanna get better-get out and ride more!

[mtbN00b]

thanks guys - i appreciate the response. will go and ride and test and see what works and what fails - and maybe test my medical aid a bit (who knows)

 

i think my main problem here is my body position if i look at what Bos posted ...

 

I already noticed that if you get an obstacle it is most of the time just better to go at it than braking... for me it feels most of the time that i can get easier over obstacles at a higher pace than trying to ride slowly over it ...

 

it sucks to be a noob

 

[techguy]

Keep at it dude it'll all click soon

[mtbN00b]

cool man will do so