OK, how to start…

I’ve been riding for a while now, but to be honest I think I started a bit too late and it seems very hard for me to increase the height of my fear threshold.
I do like riding fast, I enjoy going beyond my fear to realize “wow! It wasn’t so hard!”. Step-by-step I’ve overcame most of my “inabilities”, but there is one thing I really struggle with: cornering…

Slowly I’ve been getting better with that too, but there is one question I can’t find the answer to: how easy it is to loose front end when focusing on applying all the “internet wisdom”?

On my way back from work there is a lovely fast, slightly downhill singletrack, which has got few sharp corners. It’s very smooth, pure hardpack. Recent weather changed the surface “a bit”… Yesterday I was still bombing it down full speed, then on one corner I felt that Her Majesty Death was calling me… It was literally millisecond, but it felt like half an hour… The bike wasn’t heavy leaned into the corner, but it did went down a bit during the slip. And just when I thought I’d be transferred to The Other Side, the Butcher gripped the trail and I carried on going upright!

Was I lucky, or would the big knobs behave the same any other time too? I was doing about 35km/h there…

Only way to find out is to walk back up the hill and try it again.

I’m going to tonight! Will I die?

Hand/foot position are important as I where you are looking, this can affect your body position. Essentially you need enough weight on the front wheel to prevent the wash out and the knobbles will grip just fine.

Skills training sounds like the next thing you should look at.

There’s also a rule of thumb that says If ya don’t fall off you’re not trying hard enuff !..

Delayed double post

If you’re riding on leaves… all bets are off

I don’t always wash out the front in corners, but when I do it’s because I was riding badly. And then I blame the tyre, weather, leaves, trailbuilders, bright sunlight, or a **** with his arse out.

If you’re not sliding round corners sideways, you’re not trying hard enough

Off camber, wet leaves, fast right hand turn…. your going down.

It’s pretty complicated, I reckon. It all depends on where your weight is and how it responds when there’s a slip. And the surface, and the tyre too. And a lot on the geometry of your bike.

Back in the day on rigid hardtails it was always pretty difficult to stop the front washing out on fast corners – it was always the first thing to go – but nowadays it’s nothing like as much of an issue. I think it’s got something to do with slacker angles and weight being further back and lower down.. lots of ways to corner fast I think.

Wet concrete covered in leaves works well for this 😀

I’ve never washed out on my 26″ Spesh Enduro but my 29er Spesh Carve hardtail is a whole different story lost it 3 times once on some wet wooden planks nearly putting me in hospital. Also lost it on wet grass when turning sharply 😕 I ride the 29er pretty carefully these days in wet conditions 🙁

move your inside knee away from the frame, have your outside foot down with a heavy foot and lean the bike not your body.

Practical advice?

Heels down, weight the front, steer with lazer cock(TM)*

Other stuff?

It can be really hard to wash out, and it can be really easy, mostly if you’re going to wash out its because you’re riding timidly or you’re not concentrating, or the tyres wipes out on a wet leaf, and you’re down on your arse before you brain catches up…. Experience and looking as far down the trail as possible will help out with that, remember by the time you hit something with your front tyre its generally too late to do anything about it.

* steer with your hips, or imagine you have a lazer in the end of your cock, try to point the lazer as far down the trail as you can. Lazer Fanny models are also available….

Stay upright whilst exaggerating the lean of the bike, this does two things.

It makes use of the side knobs so they dig in and increase grip, and as you are upright and your body is ‘above’ the bike, when it slides you will drift out as one rather than the bike sliding away from you leaving you on the floor.

its easy to wash out a knobbly front wheel
its not really recommended tho

My mum does all my washing, I will ask her what she uses to wash my knobbly treads 😆

Thanks for all the advice, guys!

The other part of the question (or maybe the question itself should be constructed a bit differently…) is: “is that mini-slip something I should expect, or does it mean I was cornering badly?”

I try to apply all the basic techniques when riding corners – this allows me to go faster and faster. But most of the guys I sometimes ride with literally hammer down the turns, where I take them with caution. I think if I could lean my bike more I would be going as fast as them. But I can’t, because I’m worried my front’s gonna wash off… 😆 So really how much should I trust my tyre?

It’s hard to say. There’s usually more grip available than you think. Sessioning a tricky section is a good way to figure out how fast you can go around it.

Yeah, expect the tyres to slide out. Tyres are meant to move around and drift about a bit, but they should find grip again if you keep the weight forward and don’t dab the brakes. It’s scary when your not used to it but its normal and something you will get used to.

Do some more riding in muddy conditions, you’ll get used to the slide and won’t be going too fast if/when things go pear shaped 🙂

experience counts for a lot.
saddle down will make it easier to lean the bike further.
only ask the tyres to steer OR brake, not both at the same time ( i struggle to apply this one constantly ).
as stated above – look as far ahead as you can.

Some tyres do have a vague bit between upright and leant over, helps to get the bike lent over quickly onto the knobby bit. So you may get that grip slip grip thing if you’re not leaving it over enough. Don’t know if the Butcher is one of those.

Also well worth getting out there when it’s properly muddy and slippy and practice not having much grip and cornering foot out. Having the bike sliding around is great fun.

Go and see Jedi at UKBikeSkills, he’ll do wonders for your confidence

Night riding helps – you cant see what your riding over and end up getting better (or in hospital)

So really how much should I trust my tyre?

See those guys hammering it;that you ride with? They trust their front tyres…

Funny thing – there is one gravel track around, down hill, with one nasty 90° corner: every time when I ride there in “KOM Mode” I unclip my inside foot, ready for the Mother Of Drifts, but she never comes! It’s a loose gravel over very hard harpack (?), it just looks like it was designed for drifting competitions 😀

But then I always say loud to myself “weight on the front!” and “hands of the brakes!”… Should I try to dab the front brake a bit?

Should I try to dab the front brake a bit?

I’d leave the front alone if I were you 😉

More internet advice from a wannabe “ledge”: Maybe go slower and get it right? Enjoy the sensation of leaning the bike, of steering with the hips, of having feet and legs in place, and confidently (in a non-rushed fashion) looking further down the trail

nickc – Member

Should I try to dab the front brake a bit?

I’d leave the front alone if I were you[/quote]

Don’t touch the brakes once you’re into the corner. Brake before the corner to a comfortable speed. Braking in the corner and the bike will right itself and go straight, instead of round the corner (I have to admit though I still dab a little on some corners but I try not to).

But otherwise, favour the front more than the rear. Balance braking with both really, but rear braking will skid, front doesn’t. Rear skidding round corners are a cause of breaking bumps.

Rear skidding round corners are a cause of breaking bumps big maniacal grins.

FTFY 😀

Skids are for kids. However if it’s loamy, it’s not a skid, it’s a drift 😀

Wet grass in the park. Sprint at full speed and turn hard and pull on front brake.

Has anyone mentioned wooden bridges?
Scariest things known to man on a damp or frosty day

It can be easy. This was with an Ardent front, to much enthusiasm and a lack of skill

[video]http://youtu.be/59Yfpsc6bt8[/video]