..and gotten a little confused afterwards?

Between my first and second visits to Tony (1 year apart), I seemed to pick back up the ‘lean into the corner’ habit which resulted in plenty of ‘off’s’ on the MTB which i’m fairly convinced were a result of riding my motorbike more than my MTB.

Now having just jumped back on a motorbike for the first time in 6 months, I find myself leaning the bike into the corners.. jedi style.

So, do I need to remember two distinct styles or not? anyone else struggled a bit?

Ex motorcyclist here. It’s an on road off road thing. On road you hang off the inside to keep the motorbike more upright and stop things digging in. Off road on both motorbikes and MTBs you lean the bike and stay upright. No idea why it works but it does!

Been MTB biking years and motor biking 3 years.
no issue what so ever.

I would say I’m actually a better road rider after Jedi.

I will say the motor bike instructor I had was excellent. He spent time taking us on quick routes and teaching us counter steering.

Yes there are two different techniques but as I motorbike everyday and MTB bike once or twice a week I get fair chance to swap between the two techniques.

Also on a side note, Ninja eyed Jedi knew I was a motorbike after only seeing me ride a few mins.

I tend to think of it in terms of two centers of gravity. You can move the lighter one relative to the heavier one for a corner quicker than trying to move the heavy one.

However, on a bicycle, you are the heavy one, the bike is the light one.
On a motorbike, the bike is the heavy one, you are the light one.

And yes, Tony identified me as a motorcyclist as well.

I was a hanger off on a motorbike, plenty of trackdays with knees on floor, don’t tend to try to ride the mtb like that because if the knee is on the deck the shoulder and rest of body is usually joining it swiftly.

I don’t ride a motorbike but do ride a road push bike (badly in terms of corners). So is it lean the bike mtb style or the rider for that. Sorry for hijack…

After being jedi’d I lean both the mtb and the road bike into the corner leaving myself more upright and weighting the outside foot.

Was told by a bc road coach at the tri club that I was doing it wrong despite regularly passing them on the inside of the corners.

Easier to move a lightweight bike than a heavy rider.

I’m glad I’m not the only left confused by this after a skills class with Jedi. Although I consciously try to lean the bike, or push down on the handlebar as Jedi says, off road, I still tend to lean myself into a corner on the road bike because it feels more natural, although I keep thinking it must be wrong.

Anyone gone flat out round hairpins Jedi style on 23mm road tyres?

Its hairy.. but it still works!

Anyone gone flat out round hairpins Jedi style on 23mm road tyres?

Its hairy.. but it still works!

That’s what I wanted to know. Might give it a go now.

Yes, it works. Physics doesn’t know if it’s on or off road. You’re still pushing your body weight through the outside pedal which should be vertically over the contact patch of the tyre.

Counter steering on a road bike with narrow drop bars is also ‘interesting’
The SPD – SL pedals make dropping your knee toward the apex alot harder, and the ‘heels down’ whilst descending feels odd on tarmac , but makes initiating a quick hop over broken surfaces easier

Jedi’d a few months ago, been motorbiking for about 6 years (road biking only)

With MTBing you lean the bike and stay more upright, basically the opposite to a motorbike

Vision is similar, and much of braking too. Acceleration a bit different

Cornering after Jedi was very different on my MTB, though obviously better

Haven’t done off road biking properly

Don’t get me wrong, I love my jedi’d MTB cornering skills.
Just that cornering on my motorbike now is twisting my melon

You are not the only one. I find the first couple of corners on the motorbike interesting after having been out on the MTB. 🙂

Counter steering on a road bike with narrow drop bars is also ‘interesting’

If I’ve got the heavy tyres on the road/cross type thing (c. 900g fat franks) I have to use a hefty dose of counter steering if I want anything to happen quickly!

Not been Jedi’d but understand the technique. On a MTB or road bike you can use that style on the road. The bike is much easier to man handle and can be pulled up even past 45 degrees of lean even when the tyres have lost grip and sliding.
Try the same thing with over 100kg of motorbike once your past 45 degrees when the tyres lose grip and your body weight is over the machine you’ll have little chance of getting the bike upright again. Outcomes are limited in that you’ll slide down the road with the bike until something hard stops you or the tyres will find a moment of grip then you soon find yourself being high sided off the bike before been dumped hard onto the road.
If you continue to use the Jedi technique on motorbike on the road I think you will find out painfully that the two don’t mix.

Far too many variables (speed, corner radius, single corner or part of a series, ground conditions etc) to take into account to give a definitive answer but as a simple guide:

Slick tyres – lean with the bike

Knobbly tyres – lean the bike more than you lean.

Doesn’t matter if the bike has an engine or not.

It’s all about grip and getting your weight in a place that maximises the grip available.

plenty of trackdays with knees on floor,

I loved passing guys (on the outside, too 8) ) on trackdays who were more concerned about getting their knee down than going fast. You don’t need to hang off the bike that far to get it round a corner fast.

edit: swooning at myself here 😆