Hey Coach - Episode 1: Cornering

With Hey Coach, NSMB.com will introduce you to the fundamentals of good riding technique through easy to practice tips.

Episode 1 - Cornering asks you to twist those hips...

Hey Coach! I've heard this argument before: "We must get our weight directly over the tires." as a reason why we should "ANGULATE the bike, not the body.

But that ignores the centrifugal forces. Just look at the still image of the video above. The person is leaned over just as much as the bike. In this way the combination of gravitational and centrifugal forces push directly on the tires.

I guess you get more traction if you lean the bike more than the body but "We must get our weight directly over the tires." seems like an incorrect explanation why, doesn't it, coach?

Hey Coach! I've heard this argument before: "We must get our weight directly over the tires." as a reason why we should "ANGULATE the bike, not the body.

But that ignores the centrifugal forces. Just look at the still image of the video above. The person is leaned over just as much as the bike. In this way the combination of gravitational and centrifugal forces push directly on the tires.

I guess you get more traction if you lean the bike more than the body but "We must get our weight directly over the tires." seems like an incorrect explanation why, doesn't it, coach?

There is no such thing as Centrifugal force. There are three main force acting when you corner; Normal force, Friction and Gravity. On flat ground there is only friction making you turn, in a berm the normal force and friction make you turn.

There is something called Centripetal force, but that is just the sum of the all forces that make you turn, it isn't a force by it self.

The reason you lean the bike and not your body is so when you do lose traction you are is a position to quickly regain it and it is easier to control the drift.

Just trying to make an analogy to skiing - which I can't say will be correct or not, but something possibly to consider… When skiing kids commonly twist at the hips and rotate to make their turn - which is a habit we try to break. It can help you crank a turns, but messes up the initiation into the next. Years ago the big trend was to counter-rotate (ie. instead of twisting into the turn, twisting the opposite way), now the theory is to stay square to the skis. I know skis and bikes are different, but when you're carving the skis and railing a bike through the corner - it's kind of the same line. Again, the problem twisting creates with skiing is if you try to link two turns - lots of twisting makes switching into the new turn that much more work. Second thought is - you don't seem to switch stance in your examples. If twisting is good - it sure seems it would be better to have the outside leg in the turn forward, because trying to do that twist when you don't switch and/or your dominant leg is forward, and it happens to be the inside leg forward, outside leg back - that's quite an ackward position to twist from - or at least to me. Just a couple thoughts - and no I'm not a bike coach - just curious.

Hi everyone, thanks for yor responses! I'll do my best to answer your great questions.

@vorlaz when we ride on flat ground, in straight line, we are (bike and body) perpendicular to terrain. Our pedals are level for balance, stability and control. If we add a corner on flat terrain, we must angulate the bike (and not body) to keep body weight over tire contact patch to maintain traction. If we corner in berm, the terrain is supporting us, so we can lean bike [HTML_REMOVED] body, as we're still perpendicular to terrain, meaning we don't need the 'extra' support. We still need to rotate those hips though!

@nelson1111 although skiing and biking are similar, they are not the same. twisting your hips will improve your corners on a bike, try it. The corners are spread out enough that we can easily rotate/twist in each corner without messing too much up. Anything can be screwed up but this works. As far as pedal position goes, great point and observation. If we taught you to switch foot position for every corner, riders tend to focus more on that and lose focus of the highlighted items, which we have a very high success rate with as instructors. If your linking a bunch of quick turns together (Ninja Cougar at WBP) switching foot position is unecessary added motion to add to the high-paced action. If you have a corner that you need everything you have to successfully make it, then perhaps we coukd set up feet in a certain way. Think of your foot position as another tool in your toolbox, whip it out when you need it.

Remember, no two corners are the same, thwrfore hard to teach 'this is how you do every corner' as sometimes speed is different, sometimes scenario is different (race vs ride), sometimes conditons change. These highlighted items will help you improve your cornering, try them and let us know how it goes!

DB@EB

Seb do you actually drop your outside foot in every corner? I was always told this was the best way to distribute weight, but found it unnatural to always be spinning my feet around. Looks like my method of generally staying level isn't wrong though :D

Grade A vid too boys. Nice work!

The detail is amazing! Throw in some equations and you've got a biomechanics masters right there! Great work.

That's just awesome, right there. Great tips and video/music, and lasers.

Thanks so much and look forward to more.

Great video. Thanks for posting it.

Can you elaborate on the process of preloading suspension to gain more traction on flat and bermed turns?

Cant wait to start blastin some lasers this weekend! Mr. Butler is a beauty.

Just in case there's any doubt that the fast guys truly do twist their hips (it's hard to spot if you only see them live or in videos), check out Danny Hart during the Sea Otter dual slalom:
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/8010913/

Danny not fast enough on that track for ya? Kyle Strait won it:
http://www.pinkbike.com/photo/8010866/

Good article! Thanks guys.

i went for a ride today and imagined that i am shooting lasers as i went along. great stuff!

a great video, hope there are more to come. Also, would like to see some more "Hey neighbor" stuff. Demanding, aren't I?

Great video. Thanks for posting it.

Can you elaborate on the process of preloading suspension to gain more traction on flat and bermed turns?

Yes I would love to hear more as well….

Laser wang FTW!