Front end wash out

[leet22]

Where would be the best place to start looking at why my front end on my MTB seems"loose" She seems to always want to wash out  going around corners and it is not good for confidence.

[MoreTrails]

I would ask first - is your front tire warn?

Then:

What kind if tire?

How soft is the rubber?

What conditions are you riding in?

 

Then move onto technique....are you going thorugh the corner with you cranks flat?

Both feet clipped in?

Inside foot hanging out?

 

[leet22]

I would ask first - is your front tire warn?
Then:
What kind if tire? Kenda Nevagals not worn
How soft is the rubber?
What conditions are you riding in? Hmm Tokai ' date=' hillcrest,  dryish hard pack

Then move onto technique....are you going thorugh the corner with you cranks flat? nope crank on outside down
Both feet clipped in? clipped in
Inside foot hanging out? nope
[/quote']

[Guest colonel]

Slow your rebound down on the fork.

[MoreTrails]

Ok - Nevegals a good tire but in these dry conditions you could go better (and save the Kenda for damp conditions where it excels)- maybe try something with a slightly more rounded profile (WTB Exiwolf, Prowler SS, Maxxis Ardent)

 

Aim to go no harder than 60a rubber on the front - if the Kenda is a 2.1 wire bead then it is probably 70a which is hard. Great for the rear but not grippy enought for the front. You can go low as 42a, sticks like **** to a bunny but wears fast.

 

Maybe try a slightly bigger size if you on a trail bike, 2.35 on a 5' bike I found works for me...

 

Clipped in is all good, so now next time you go round the corner make sure all your weight is on the outside foot - all of it!!! It forces the ridged knobs of the inside egde of the tire to dig and grip. also don't be afraid to pull and push on those handle bars (especially pull when the front starts to wander).

 

Try dropping your seat a little, make sure your weight it not over the front tire as this will help with your demise.

 

Also if you can adjust your fork, try making it a little softer so it has a little more give to track the ground...

 

Then again you could be going hell for leather fast and then nothing besides a bit of timing and blind luck will help.

 

Hope that helps - anyone else with better ideas. The more help the merrier...

 

[dirtrider]

I would think your body position on the bike is wrong . Your weight is most probably to far back making your front wheel "light" . move your weight forward when going into a corner and see if that makes a difference , if it does look at changing your bike setup by changing the seat post and/or stem .

[leet22]

Thx Guys .

Rebound on front is full so thats a place to start  Thx Col

Dirt Rider , u could have a point  I am usally a bit off the back , will try get over the front a little more.

More Trails Thx for all the Info Will check out a softer tire and maybe drop the PSI a bit.

[dirtrider]

Sorry Moretrail I see just just said the opposite ! I have found that when I canged my shock to a 160mm that my front would breakout very easily when going into corners at speed . Moving my weight a bit forward helped a lot and I can again take corners at high speed .

[GTRacing]

Tyre presure ?

[Capricorn]

i'm with dirt-rider. same thing was happening to me, and i looked everywhere for the problem: shocks, tires, rebound, compression.. alles!

 

start with body position. I bet you are hitting the corners harder, but tending to keep your body weight between centered and rear-biased.

Dont worry about teh rear. Rear follows front. So get a bit more forward, just a little more, and try them corners again.

Granted, if you referring to those sandy switch backs at Tokai at DH3 just after those stump jumps, then i know exactly where and what you referring to. I washed out badly there 2 weeks back. Changed body position and all was right in the world

[MoreTrails]

Yeah, its tricky that one. To much weight and the tire will slip out under pressure, to little and it slides cause it has no grip... Kind of have to find the middle ground for yourself.

 

I didn't think about the rebound - that was serious oversight!!! Nice to learn something new.

 

I find the trails real tricky at the moment - lightning fast but with so much traffice that there is always something that'll catch you - loosened sand, a bit of gravel that acts like marbles....

 

But man it is so much fun to go fast!!!

 

Playing with the pressure of your front tire also helps a bunch.

 

[GTRacing]

Playing with the pressure of your front tire also helps a bunch.

Don't underestimate the influance tyre presure has.

Over presure will cause washout. are you runing tubeless?

loose sand and high presure, no go.

 

gtracing2009-12-14 13:02:31

[Capricorn]

yep, that too gtracing. good one to highlight.

 

loose over hard likes a bit less tire pressure.

[leet22]

Nope not tubeless yet , will drop the psi a bit and see this week end. I  think its more on the body postion,  As i tend to center or middle as a bit wiery about placeing to much weight on front. Will try it out and whats the worst that can happen?? I buy a farm  got a few so a few more wont be a hassle.

Thx all

[dollar]

I ride road bikes, but do ride dirt motorcycles - I guess that similar rules apply?

 

I would do a solid "weight transfer" (on a MX bike) before hitting the corner - tap off, move forward to "load" the front wheel. Weight has to be forward. Tyre pressure is important. Also depends on terrain though. If your tyres dont bite then no amount of extra weight will help.

 

[Capricorn]

nice real world info there dollar.

 

leet22: any success yet?