MTB Cornering, Braking and Setting Up to Corner
Interesting braking and mtb cornering question asked by one of our students:
“Just a quick follow up question. I have been having a problem getting out of position before cornering, primarily caused by hard braking (especially if there are rough terrain before the corner or if I come in too hot). As I brake, my body gets behind the center and lower as well, and by the time I start entering the corner, I am out of the “attack” position. My front wheel feels light, and it becomes difficult to get in the correct cornering body position.
If you have suggestions as to how to properly transition from braking into cornering (especially under hard braking), I would appreciate it.”
Interesting question, I have been working on the same issue, especially last weekend at Bootleg Canyon. The problem stems from getting back while we brake, getting low is good but we need to stay more centered so when we release the brakes and the bike accelerates we are centered and ready to attack the corner. I was taught the old school, “get way back while you brake” which does help the rear brake a bit but actually hurts the effectiveness of the much more powerful front brake. Getting back also puts me out of balance and makes it hard to corner correctly (straightening my arms which puts me in a non-neutral position, shifting my weight back and taking weight off the front tire). My main focus at the last two races has been to stay centered as I brake, use A LOT of front brake and then let off and attack the corner. Believe me, the entrances to these corners are really rough and brake bumped, but you can still stay centered. When working with Greg Minnaar he really stresses this has it is the only way to stay in control as you brake. It sounds scary but once you do it you realize two things: 1. you can brake in a much shorter distance with more control (more weight on the front wheel means no front wheel slide which means you can brake harder if needed) 2. you are in a much better position to corner when you let off the brakes. This is another reason to practice the braking drills from the camp you took with us.
In our next cornering article we will talk about line choice for cornering but something you can put into practice today is to stop talking the Lemming line. Lemmings are those little creatures that blindly follow each other off ice cliffs to their death and mountain bikers have a habit of doing the same thing (not to their death but definitely to their determent). When riding don’t always follow the “dominate line” (the most worn in/used path), it is often not the best choice for you. When entering a corner often the Lemming line is full of brake bumps and right in the middle of the trail, if you are doing a good job of looking ahead as you enter the corner you might notice that just to the outside of that dominate, brake bumped line there is a nice smooth line! That smooth line is better for braking, better for your suspension, won’t beat you up as much and it might just give you a better entrance point for the corner! Give that a try and let us know how it works for you.
More on cornering: Mountain Bike Cornering, Part 1
As always it comes down to doing drills to master skills, then practicing with purpose and a focus on quality!
Create a railed corner (or two)!
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