Al – how about quitting with your attacks – I have never said that at all. Why do you have to try to put me down all the time. Do you really feel that inadequate that you have to put me down to make yourself feel big?

Have you ever ridden a powerful motorcycle? Ever practised hard braking?

Check out Cycle Speedway TJ…. no brakes at all, all about cornering technique to go fast, & its an excuse for another type of bike too 🙂 .

If a motorcycle visualisation is good for you then think motorcross/supermoto – the technique there is the same, ie stuff the bike in but keep yourself upright.

As a practical way to learn I like doing it without the bike – but you will feel self conscious! Check the way that bobsleigh drivers do a dry run, or F1 drivers visualise the corners. So – on foot (no bike) twist your hips and torso into the corner, push down on the outside pedal, and push the handlebars down into the corner. Like I say, you might want to make sure no-one is watching – but it does work!

Sorry to be boring TJ but its all about practice,practice,practice.

Riding in the snow does wonders for techniques to find any grip at all.

TJ,
try following someone faster than you, you simply won't get away with your poor body position without loosing them or ending up on your arse.

or if you can't find anyone quicker, just stick with the moto position but make "Braaapp" and "ding ding ding" noises in the corners.
😉

TJ I think you may have missed the " 😛 "

Ride it like a Stoat on Steroids. I wish I could.

cheers again chaps. Seems like what I think is the right sort of technique is not too far away but I need to get it ingrained into my reflexes / muscle memory so I'll try the practise thing next. I had hoped for a short cut but its clear now I just need to spend a day or two at glentress on my own practising the right technique and build the speed.

Or maybe give in and

just stick with the moto position but make "Braaapp" and "ding ding ding" noises in the corners.

LOL

Trust me – the quick way to build muscle memory is to exclude the distractions. Either do it without the bike (radical, but I'm not kidding honest) or just do zig zagging down a long fireroad on the bike. Do hundreds (literally) of left-right turns, then go back to the top and do it again. And again. Then do the same again a few days later. Then wait a day or two, and then go normal riding.

If you try and learn new movements (and want them to be automatic) starting within a normal ride will mean that the other elements of the ride experience will block you to a degree.

I take the point Glen. what was happening yesterday was I was trying to keep up with someone faster – so the technique evaporated. what you suggest makes sense so I'll do that. a load of practise on my own concentrating on technique not speed.

IMO you need to practise techinique at slow speeds – when you go fast you revert to whatever bad habits you have.

You need to go slow "properly" before you can go fast!

Seems to be the consensus al. I shall try that.

Grumble grumble old dog new tricks mutter mumble

Good luck with it teej, nailing a series of corners near the limit on a push bike is one of lifes greatest pleasures.

I find going way way OTT with the body english occassionally helps ingrain the technique. It a laugh to really overcook it, riding the fork, slapping the bike over hard and twisting your hips through as much as poss – you then start to adopt the position naturally more often when you're just out for a normal bimble.

Learning to corner a road push bike hard does help a huge amount through …

Good luck with learning to corner.
You would be better booking yourself onto a skills course, as the various feedback techniques used would help more helpful to you than trying to self analysis.
As they have all said slow down, gives you more time to think about line and body position.
Look into the corner, first for the apex then for the exit.
Practice, practice, practice

http://www.endurotribe.com/wp-content/uploads/actualites/es2a/es2a.jpg
tj you see this picture ?
well thats kind of how i try to corner most of the time. the outside knee is kind of in the bike and pushing down abit with the outside elbow high and wide. you can create downward force on the tyres by mooving your elbow up and down.
same way with the inside foot clipped in.
i reckon if you put this into your style more you would be forced to stay high rather than dropping in moto stylee.

Pawl – ta. all the stuff about where to look and what line to take is no great issue that much the same as the motorbike even if at very different speeds- its purely the body position thing I need to sort,

From this thread I am comfortable I know the correct thang – its just getting it into the muscle memory / reflexes and I will do as suggested and spend some time on my tod practising this even more slowly.

I will do some proper training when I have the dosh to spare.

Nonk – ta Much what I thought I should be doing.

TJ,

try Andy/Chris at Dirtschool. That's who i've been to for coaching before and I'm an MBL/coach. They can help to work on your flow and then it's practice, practice, practice.

P.S. how is your body now after the 'puffer?

ant – upper body still not 100% recovered the rest of me was fine the day after but deltoids and biceps got a battering

I often initiate a turn by countersteering (pushing the inside bar away) which pitches me into it sharpish. I do this mostly just for fun and the zippy feeling.

In tight singletrack, where there's a good chance of hitting something, I don't think about steering, just focus on the next tree but one. Because I'm a martyr to target fixation. As the bloke pushing up that icy rocky path from Grizedale down to Coniston can witness.

pmsl at I'm a martyr to target fixation 🙂

Teej – promise me all your business for 2010 and i will send you on an MB7 Intermediate skills weekend FOC.

All that tandem drivetrain replenishment should cover it…

I reckon… stay low and concentrate on putting your inside knee over the top tube and pointing your shoulders at the exit, I reckon this gets you into the right body position without having to 'over think' bike and body position.

I was the exact opposite. Having ridden mtb for years before getting a sportsbike I found it really unnatural to hang off the Bike into a corner!

oh and weight your outside foot, obviously.