Need some advice on handling turns

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Permalink Reply by DStudley on October 10, 2011 at 12:22pm

 

My personal advice on cornering would be the new Flow-tonic video by Simon Lawton of Fluidride http://fluidride.com/learning-tools/.  We had a couple of personal coaching sessions with him to improve my wife's cornering and the little changes have turning the widing sections of a course into a strength.  We have both his videos and the second is almost all cornering focused.

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Permalink Reply by Joshua N. Schwiesow on March 10, 2012 at 10:58am

Which one is the second?  The flowtonic?

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Permalink Reply by Chris Mayhew on October 10, 2011 at 12:52pm

What tires are you running?

 

Do you practice a few sprints from the start line to the first couple of corners before you race? That's a great way to warm up and find out how those first few corners handle at speed.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Annis on October 10, 2011 at 12:56pm

Tubular Challenge Grifo 32s.

 

I've been pre-riding the course at about 1/2- or 3/4 speed. I'll definitely try that.

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Permalink Reply by Patrick Shank on October 10, 2011 at 12:53pm

here are some good tips I've picked up, which have really helped me improve and carry speed through turns/chicanes:

 

1. pre-ride a course as much as possible so you can anticipate turns during the race, and try to do at least 1 hot lap and take turns at speed - soft pedaling during a course preview is fine as you warm-up and check things out, but your race-pace lines going into corners are going to be different. so pre-ride at speed if you have the chance.  you probably know every turn at your weekday practices - anticipation is key and will help keep you upright.

 

2. a good "carving" turn starts with a good and well-timed countersteer, so practice and focus on countersteering if you don't already. 

 

3. relax and try to avoid the "oh-shit-i-need-to-correct-my-line-mid-turn" feeling when letting it rip through a corner.  a lot of the crashes i see happen when riders panic and grab a handful of brake in the turn, or just bail and let it run way wide instead of letting the bike carve a line.  scrub speed before the turn, trust your tires (and know their limits), stay balanced, stay off the brakes and let the bike run it's line - if you set the turn up properly and you have traction, the bike will go where you want it to.  corner with confidence.

 

Good luck!

 

 

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Permalink Reply by anthony sands on October 10, 2011 at 1:13pm

I was having the same problems until this week if your losing your front try keeping your weight back and peddle threw the corner. thats what i was told and it worked great for me.  back end slides are a lot easier to control. If the front goes so do you. It's the same as when i was racing motorbikes kenny roberts allways said if all else fails hammer the throtle. Just a thought good luck out there, also I told exit speed is more important than entrance speed.

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Permalink Reply by Kenneth Zukin on October 10, 2011 at 1:18pm

Also, sound so simple, but look where you WANT to go -- you really have to discipline yourself on this one.

Don't just look 5 feet in front of you -- look where you want to go and you're bike will magically follow.

Same technique used in giant-slalom skiing, car racing, dirt bikes, you-name-it.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Annis on October 10, 2011 at 1:28pm

These are all great suggestions! Thanks!

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Permalink Reply by cxchiva on October 13, 2011 at 4:24am

I was waiting for someone to say this, "Look where you want to go." I think it's one of the most important things any competitive cyclist can do. But, it has to go hand in hand with knowing how to take a good, relaxed but aggressive line.

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Permalink Reply by J.D. Kimple on October 12, 2011 at 1:48pm

I need work in this area, too. What has been helping - look up, through the corner. I know, I tell my kids that all the time when driving. On the bike I need to keep looking up. Also I'm finding that slowing before the corner will allow you to roll through the corner better and get back at it sooner. I have a tendancy to overcook the corners. Picking the line, too, is big. Maybe you can't sweep the outside of the off-camber but jumping off and tossing your bike around the inside of the corner may be faster. Watched a guy do that last race and went "Oh, why didn't I think of that?"

 

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Permalink Reply by ericgriffin on October 13, 2011 at 8:14am

Great tips here, just to add and sum up: 1) use front brake sparingly, 2) look where you want to go, 3) learn what counter-steering is and use it, 4) slow is fast, 5) read about high performance driving as the same ideas apply (brake before turning, hit apex, slow is fast, straighten the turns, etc).

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Permalink Reply by anthony sands on October 13, 2011 at 8:21pm

Completely, get yer braking done before you hit the corner, let the back slide a little, look where you want to go, then put the gas on!

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