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I’ve been riding for a few years and consider myself fairly good on the ol’ bike – I take it seriously and put in a lot of miles. Recently, I went from a Trek 4300 hard tail to a Trek Fuel EX 5 full suspension – and I love it! I also started riding clipped in this year, and everything is adding up to me being a better rider.
The question, however, is in regards to turning. I find that with the FS, the turning radius seems to be sharper than on the HT. So when you corner quickly (we’ll say on flat dirt swooping through trees), where abouts do you hold your weight on the bike?
I normally hang just a little back in the saddle, though I feel like I’m “whipping” my bike and not having enough weight on the front wheel for traction. Should I be sitting closer to the middle of the bike and leaning into the turn more?
Any thoughts are appreciated!
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Good question. I’ve often found myself evaluating my position, lean, braking, line of sight, etc. when cornering and wonder what I can do to corner more confidently and efficiently. So far it’s been trial and error. I look forward to the replies…
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Glad it’s not just me! 😀
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going into turns i am always " up on the bike" closer to the nose of the saddle and handle bars. don’t know if its correct or not, just feels like i am in more control. and don’t forget to let r rip!!
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Stay in the middle of the bike to keep both wheels giving as much grip as they have. Make sure the pedal to the inside of the turn is up. Transfer weight to the out side pedal(which is down) to help the rear keep traction through the turn. Always break before the turn and as little as possible to keep the speed up. Keep in mind the faster a bicycle wheel turns the more stable it is and the easier it is to return to center after the turn. If you have to brake IN the turn use the rear LIGHTLY as it has the most weight on it in the middle of a turn. You can "countersteer" with the front to scrub off speed but that is an advanced tool to be used carefully or get ready for a soil sample. 😄 Later,
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I think Billy has a good explanation here,I would add though that with the rear suspension you body weight on the rear wheel has a tendacy to bob a little and keep your body weight at just a little higher center of gravity that is causing you to turn sharper.On the hard tail there is no moving parts and you just sit back and turn,but with suspension there is a little bit of a process where you need to keep making sure everything is balanced between bike and body as you make the turn.I think you could say that turning with a full suspension bike there is more of a need to make sure your not getting "bucked" as the suspension moves during the turn.
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Great explanations, I was practicing through some turns the other day, and wasnt sure if my inside foot should be up or down. Im also thinking of hovering above the saddle so i can move my bike more freely under me to make the turns.
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Pinkmtb, Your inside foot should be up so you aren’t limited to the lean angle by the pedal hitting the ground. This also allows the outside pedal to be down where you are able to "load" the pedal with your weight to increase rear wheel traction for cornering and or braking. One thing I didn’t mention, if you feel the front wheel trying to slide in the middle of the turn a LIGHT application of the rear brake will help replant the front wheel due to weight transfer. 😄 Later,
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This is exactly the kind of info I needed to hear for perspective – thank y’all so much!
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Thanks Billy
makes total sense!
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"fat_billy" wrote
One thing I didn’t mention, if you feel the front wheel trying to slide in the middle of the turn a LIGHT application of the rear brake will help replant the front wheel due to weight transfer. 😄 Later,
I disagree. If you tap the rear brake even slightly in the middle of the turn, there is a good chance of it losing traction and sliding out on you. (Which is bad for you, the trail, and your ego) 😆
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dozzerboy, If the front tire is sliding you are about to auger anyway and tapping the rear lightly might help the grip on the front due to the slight weight transfer and putting more weight on the front tire. No brakes in the corner is the best but if the front is sliding it could save you. A lowside on the rear is less painful than using your helmets visor as a brake. It is also easier to deal with a sliding rear than a washed out front. I’ve done much testing in this area and it shows from all the broken helmets in the shop. Just saying. 😄 Later,
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"fat_billy" wrote
One thing I didn’t mention, if you feel the front wheel trying to slide in the middle of the turn a LIGHT application of the rear brake will help replant the front wheel due to weight transfer.
Also, at the handlebars, you should be pushing down hard on the bar that is on the outside of the turn. This digs in the front tire and makes it very difficult for it to slid out.
I don’t do the pedal up/down thing, but instead keep them parallel to the ground. If one is about to hit something, I just pull it up for a second.
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Hey madd, I have found you handlebar method does work to keep the front wheel planted but once it starts to slide weight transfer works better. I keep the pedals at the same level till I hit a fast turn. With the outside pedal down it lowers the center of gravity a bit more for more control and ability to slide with more control but it depends on the turn. 😄 Later,
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.I normally hang just a little back in the saddle, though I feel like I’m “whipping” my bike and not having enough weight on the front wheel for traction. Should I be sitting closer to the middle of the bike and leaning into the turn more?
Pink mtb brought up a very valid point in hovering over the seat,very effective in keeping the rider ready to change positions on a dime.It’s like having an infinite adjustability of your sitting positions.
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"fat_billy" wrote
Hey madd, I have found you handlebar method does work to keep the front wheel planted but once it starts to slide weight transfer works better. I keep the pedals at the same level till I hit a fast turn. With the outside pedal down it lowers the center of gravity a bit more for more control and ability to slide with more control but it depends on the turn. 😄 Later,
I read this at lunch and asked the pro rider at the table. He agreed with you. 😆
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Just wanted to add something I picked up at a BetterRide MTB skills camp recently with regarding body position in general. Whether you are cornering or going downhill or whatever, it’s important to keep your center of mass over your bottom bracket so that you stay in control of your bike and its not pulling or leading you around. In a corner, your bb is at the angle of your bike lean but you should still be mainly upright. Just try to imagine in any situation, if your bike were to be removed from under you that you would land on your feet.
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"mudhunny" wrote
Just try to imagine in any situation, if your bike were to be removed from under you that you would land on your feet.
Wow, that’s a neat perspective. I’ll give that a shot on the next ride.
In the interim, I’ve implemented a lot of what I’ve read in this thread to my riding lately, and I feel much more in control on the cornering. Thank you all!
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I was on a nice long ride the other night and was working on the pedal position in the turn as mentioned in this post. Like Maddslacker, I’ve always been a "pedals parallel in the turn" kind of guy, with slight adjustments when necessary to avoid hitting something with a pedal.
It took some serious concentration for me to get my feet in a different position, but in some of the more sweeping, fast turns I tried it and definitely felt a difference. Further, on some tighter turns, it felt like it through me into the turn faster and tighter. On a few turns I had to back off because I wasn’t prepared for how it affected my line. Still have some work to do here, but there is definitely something to it.
Now I’ll be thinking about that pressure on the outside handlebar technique….
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I’ve been trying the ‘proper’ position too and the difference is very noticeable.
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ive felt a difference too having my outside foot lower! The turns feel smoother
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for me its kinda like mudhunny said, I like to lean the bike and stay centered over the BB. That is what comes natural to me and I have always done that even in the bmx days.. but it also depends on the clearance I have on the sides (trees).. I used to be able to lean the bike at a 45 degree angle bmx that is, mtb not as much but I try. Also something that I learned when cornering is to stiff arm the arm that is on the inside of the turn. It might seem funny at first but it definetly works (especially in the sandy stuff atleast for me)…
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Over the bottom bracket is the way to ride MOST of the time and it works. Down outer pedal pressure helps plant the rear tire. Slight rear braking to help keep the tire doing it’s job. Both are advance technique methods when staying over the bottom bracket fails. Not needed untill the decreasing radius, off camber, hard packed turn that gives you the chance to pass your riding buddy for beer money. It works. 😄 Later,
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Tried Fat Billy’s tip this weekend and noticed a HUGE difference. I had to try and force myself to keep the inside pedal up for awhile but eventually it became more natural. + 10 points to Fat Billy, awesome tips!
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