Mountain Biking - Going fast through turns

Hi Guys,
I've got this problem with right hand turns...I always slow down a lot more than on left ones:confused:. Does anyone have the same or a similar problem? Any tips on how to get past that "mental brake" (quess it has to be one)?

Thomas

yah i was like that at first.. get a riser bar first to help you with control. then just dont think about it and just do the god damn turn.. after doing that a couple times you will hasve jumped the little bump and you will be all good

The problem is that you're probably right footed and left hand turns are more comfortable b/c your right foot is in the 6 o'clock position when leaning hard.

This is something you'll have to get used to. Is there a BMX track near you? If so, that's a great place to practice. Those bermed turns make leaning hard a little easier on the "panic button" in your brain.

Remember, outside foot down (6 o'clock) and put your weight on it! That'll give your tires a bit more bite.

L8R

I have a friend who is blazing fast in the corners on his mtn bike. He says he doesn't use any front brake. Just the rear brake and sometimes he'll lock it up and slide the corner. It seems to work. I can never catch him. It is an art too. It will take work to "feel" it so practice often. Also, balance is very important, keep that outside pedal down and put some weight on it. You should lean forward a bit to add weight to the front wheel so it doesn't slide out. I'd say cornering is what makes the difference between good bikers and great ones. Oh, and go fast uphill and nobody will ever catch you.

Cannondale

Same "problem" here, left turns are always faster than right :D

:confused:

Same problem with me - except lefts were easier than rights. Now I've gotten over it for the most part, though I still clearly more comfortable in high-speed left hand turns. I agree with WorldIRC. You just need to do a turn a few times and get over the thing that's telling you can't make the turn as fast as when you lean the other way. Putting a large amount of you wieght on your outside pedal at 6 o'clock also makes it a lot harder to slide out, increasing your confidence.

Thanks Guys,

I'll go practicing right away this afternoon. :D

One thing that's helped me cornering is to lean the body a little further into the turn than you lean your bike. This helps keep the bike a bit more upright and means more grip from your tyres. You may have seen racing motor cyclists using this technique. The principal is exactly the same. Like everything else worth doing, it takes a bit of practise.

I use a different technique all together. I imagine that the trail is like a roller coaster track, in a way it is because you are confined to the width of the trail. Now, you are just a weight balancing on the roller coaster. As you approach the turn, visualize where your weight is going to have to be for you to zip around the corner. The bike will do it's job for sure if you have your weight located properly.

So for a right hand turn, depending on speed and radius of the turn, you want your weight to be about two feet inside of the "track".

Once your weight is in the proper place, you will be able to fly around the corner like a roller coaster. Often with no brakes at all!:beer:

Hi CrashTestDummy,

What you're talking about sounds pretty much the same as what I do, that is moving my weight to the inside of the corner. It may be that I didn't describe it too well. :beer: