technique problem...

[Archibald]

did the subaru 12hr (fgp) last weekend and kept struggling with two areas on the course but couldn't solve my issues despite attempting it on each lap that i did.

downhill 'switchback' (if that's their correct term) - effectively on a steep off camber single track that then turns back on itself (approx 150 degrees).
that one point where you effectively have to face the bike directly down hill but keep it completely upright before leaning it back towards the hillside to head down the next section...
i always seemed to come unstuck and slide off the course, get off to turn the bike around then ride on.
any ideas or suggestions on how to take such a turn?

(for those that know the course, i'm referring to the second to last downhill section of the course that ended with that little rocky 'creek crossing'. it followed the uphill off camber rocky section that was after the 'kona drop'.)

[Octane_Matty]

If you are falling off and sliding then you may not be balanced correctly around the corner or not going wide enough on the first corner

i suggest you head down to a good dh shop and pick one of these up;
http://www.fortheriders.com/542.html

[Archibald]

not falling off, but coming off the track or having to stop then get off to turn around...

i have that dvd, but i found it wasn't detailed enough in the riding techniques.

[scratchy]

Focus on the exit, get the middle bit over and done with a bit of momentum and as quickly as possible and practice.

Ya gotta love sections like that, that sort the field out!

[Syphanx]

When cornering, look at where your entering the corner and as Scratchy said, focus on the exit... Like most races, if you know where the corners are, you'll know what comes before them, what comes after them and more importantly what kind of surface your cornering on, i.e. sand, loose dirt, hardpack etc. This will effect how you approach and take the corner.

Best idea i think is to go to a track which is local to you, find a corner and just keep practising on that, practise on looking where the exit is, keeping your centre of gravity low and over the middle of the bike. When cornering you want it to be one smooth action not 3 sharp turns. When you have perfected the fundamentals of cornering at your local track, you will find it a hell of alot easier when racing because it will just become natural.

Anyway that's my 2 cents :D

[arpit]

Slow down before the corner.

Don't use your brakes during the corner (ask my shoulder why not).

Put your weight forwards.

Put your inside pedal up.

Push down on your outside pedal.

Push down on the ouside end of the handlebars. Make the tyre dig into the ground instead of skipping over it.

Get a front tyre with big side knobs.

[Mr Pants]

Utilise the info in the previous post at your peril :confused:

As previously mentioned, it sounds like you are focusing on what you don't want to hit rather than the exit of the corner. Your front tyre will follow your eyes, if you looking at the tree/dropoff 4 feet in front of you, you'll end up there. :)

[Sleeman]

Arpit is spot on with his cornering technique, but it is not suited to the type of corner you are talking about. I raced that one as well, and I remember on one of my night laps towards the end of the race, going through that section, with people scattered all over the place like lemmings. One bloke had even gone straight through the corner, and not stopped till he was about 10m past it.

I found the best way to approach it was with pedals level (your not turning fast enough to want to lay the bike over and lower a pedal), and as high as possible, and then just guide your bike around a constant arc, looking where you want to go a few meters in front. no point worrying about the stuff directly in fron because you are already going to go over that. Keep your weight back and just drag the front brake, rear can skid a little, but too much and it will come right around next to you.

It was a really wide corner, and I tend to ride these about half a meter from the outside edge, this gives you room to move into if there is a rock in your way that you want to get around.

The main thing is to just back yourself, and know that you can do it.

Hope this helps a bit, and as Mr Pants said, practice it until it become 2nd nature.

[Archibald]

Arpit is spot on with his cornering technique, but it is not suited to the type of corner you are talking about. I raced that one as well, and I remember on one of my night laps towards the end of the race, going through that section, with people scattered all over the place like lemmings. One bloke had even gone straight through the corner, and not stopped till he was about 10m past it.

I found the best way to approach it was with pedals level (your not turning fast enough to want to lay the bike over and lower a pedal), and as high as possible, and then just guide your bike around a constant arc, looking where you want to go a few meters in front. no point worrying about the stuff directly in fron because you are already going to go over that. Keep your weight back and just drag the front brake, rear can skid a little, but too much and it will come right around next to you.

It was a really wide corner, and I tend to ride these about half a meter from the outside edge, this gives you room to move into if there is a rock in your way that you want to get around.

The main thing is to just back yourself, and know that you can do it.

Hope this helps a bit, and as Mr Pants said, practice it until it become 2nd nature.
cheers folks!

i tried to stay off the front brake for it as i was concerned that the slightest skip on some of the rocks there might be enough to put me over the bars (more from a sudden jerk in tension on the brake rather than the actual bump).
the back wheel seemed to slide alot and most of the time i slid straight through that top corner after trying to take it wide...

on the bottom corner of that section it was the same except for my last lap when i again went wide, but came across the actual bend a little higher up. i still slid down it a bit, but finished on the track (at the corner's exit) instead of sliding through it to end up in the grass. so i may have actually been on to it...

thanks again!