[Closed] I want sharper cornering..

Cornering technique, closely followed by tyres.

+1

Turn the 'bars faster ?

Now that is a strange combo, epic length roadie stem and wide trail bars.

You've yet to mention head angle on your bike.

you may be right on the technique front, but asides from that 🙂

tyres wise, it's not really grip that's the problem - I just want the turning in to be more responsive...

50mm stem.

are your really running a 120mm stem?
are you either straight from the 90's or 7feet tall?
Try a 70mm and see what happens

oh and for the record, a 70.5 degree head angle

When I changed my forks I noticed it felt a lot faster/stiffer and also when I changed my tyre to a High Roller.

I would suggest shorter bars and/or shorter stem.

epic length roadie stem

are your really running a 120mm stem?

Just because Dirt mag and ST say you should never run more than a 90mm stem dosnt make it right, there is nothing wrong with a 120mm stem if the rider fits the bike.

I run a 110mm stem, suits me and the bike.

As above, just because Dirt/ST/MBR say its right, doesn't mean it is.

+1 GG, I run a 50 with wide bars. Plus learn to trust the big nobbles on the out side of your tyres. They will bite, or chuck you off big style. 😀

Can you try a few bikes out and get a feel? Im sure stem, angles, even wheel weight makes a difference to a degree.

I rode my Mate's Scott Spark and was impressed how responsive it was. ( I ride a slack 5.5 incher with a 60mm stem - his was a 90 at least)

I think I would still be faster on mine though - leg out, slidy slidy, look up etc etc.

Turn the 'bars faster ?

Turn the bars?!!

Shorter stem and more positive technique. Don't consciously turn the bars, shift your weight, lean the bike and turn your hips.

A few years ago I decided to put a shorter stem on my Zaskar.
It was 120 and I went to 90.
Adding more rise also helped me.
This made a huge difference in the percieved speed of turning.
I then went to 70, then to 50.
Soon went back to 70 but that felt right. It's now back to 90 for commuting purposes.
By the way, I'm 6 foot 6 but it still made a big difference.

Just pick up a cheap stem for a fiver and see what difference it makes!
Oh - I've got a 90mm, 17deg rise 25.4 clamp if you want it.

The 120mm stem feels right for me for general XC stuff (i'm 6ft tall and ride an 18" frame) - great for climbing in fact. It's just when things start to point south I need it to be a bit more responsive in the corners!

I was, annoyingly, in between sizes when I bought the bike and had the option of a medium frame with a longer stem or a large frame with a shorter stem - however the large didn't give me much clearance over the top tube, so opted for the smaller (more chuckable) medium with a longer stem. It felt right at the time...

chriswilk - thanks for the offer, very kind! Don't think it'll fit my 31.8 bars though 🙁

I'm toying with the idea of riser bars and/or a 90mm stem

Try a 90mm stem first .
Then learn to 'countersteer' by sort of pushing the bars with the wrong hand .
As CGG says ,lean the bike over , swivel hips and torso to the apex of the turn . The lean and twist motion makes the bike commit to the turn , and the rider countersteers to hold the correct line ( IME )

Try winding off the rebound on the fork slightly , if you find the front wheel is tucking under, although other symptoms of this are wobbly wheels / forks /stem and bar combo.
Can you 'carve' your turns om good surfaces already ?

That's a long tiller. Might be worth looking at the keel.

@Dancake - i've tried out a few different bikes, I recently hired out a specialized bighit at a trail centre... fantastic handling, just a bitch to pedal :] I'm just trying to emulate the handling on my bike.

@singletrackmind - counter steering - a good call, something I do naturally when riding a motorbike on the roads... i shall try it out on my next ride

Ok, 90mm/6deg stem ordered...

More fork sag - steepens effective head angle and lowers BB/CoG when you press into corners. But watch out for high-siding and pedal strikes until you get used to it.

I'd try a 100mm stem length and leave everything else...

Well i've ordered a 90mm now :]

I have not more adjustment on my seat, it's as far back as it goes - I hope i'm not all hunched up as a result!

I feel a layback seatpost coming on...