A particularly tough challenge for mountain bikers is high-speed or
obstacle-laden cornering—“turns”. Unless you are just barely
moving, to turn your bicycle you don’t really turn anything. Using the
expression “make a turn” reflects the road or trail in front of you more
than a rotation of the handlebars. And the faster you are moving the
truer that statement. At high speed, you make your bike go around
corners by leaning your body and your bike. For most experienced riders,
the lean is natural, a “no-brainer”.
Fast and safe cornering begins before you ever enter a turn. You need to
scan ahead and plan your line through that turn. When the terrain and
the width of the track will allow it, try to straighten out the curve as much
as possible—plan to enter wide, cut to the inside, and then exit wide.
Picking your line before you are actually cornering eliminates mid-turn line
changes that can cost you balance and speed. Also before the curve, make
speed adjustments based upon your scan and planned line. A basic
principle: Don’t enter a turn too fast. At higher speed, your
bicycle wants to go straight ahead and this can be a problem when the trail
doesn’t. Sometimes you just need to slow down to safely negotiate a
corner. Finally, consider an adjustment of your pedal position prior to
the turn. Catching a pedal on a rock or other obstacle as you are
cornering can cost you a pedal, or even worse, a dose of road rash. When
possible, stand on the outside pedal through tight turns. If the terrain
won’t allow that position, then set the crankarms parallel to the ground,
bringing both pedals up and out of harm’s way.
As you enter your turn, press down a bit on the inside grip and lean a little
in that direction. You can begin this process by countersteering,
leaning quickly in the opposite direction just prior to the turn—your body
will naturally compensate for this swerve and cause the bike to pitch back
over in the proper direction. Countersteering usually encourages the
bike to turn at a sharper angle than you would get without it. When
cornering there is a natural “force” (centrifugal) resisting the corner, a
force that wants to throw you and your bike to the outside of the turn.
You can counteract it by adjusting your body’s balance on the bike to assure
strong traction and a proper lean throughout the turn. Try lifting your
butt off the saddle and shifting your weight to the inside of the turn (some
riders achieve this by sticking out the inside knee)—while the bike is
leaning a little, you are leaning a lot. All through the line, maintain
focus ahead so you can make adjustments to your line, if necessary. As
the corners get sharper and the surface gets softer, it is not uncommon for
the rear wheel to skid. To take the fright out of that phenomenon, go
find a gentle turn with loose dirt and practice skidding around it a few times
to learn how you and your bike respond.
Once past the apex of the turn, prepare to “power out”. Timing is
everything for resuming strong pedaling motion. If your timing is good,
it is almost as if the turn shoots you out onto the trail. If you begin
pedaling too soon, it could throw you off your line or cause you to scrape a
pedal; if you begin pedaling too late, you will lose momentum and have to
pedal hard to regain your speed. Finally, to straighten out your bike,
press lightly on the outside grip and bring the bike out of its lean as you
finish the corner. Keep scanning ahead, and watch for the next time the
trail curves out of view.
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