Rail a Corner on a Mountain Bike
One of the most important skills to have in your mountain biking bag of tricks is the ability to rail corners faster than anyone else on the hill. Proper cornering technique allows you to ride smoother, faster, and safer than ever before.
Contents
Steps
- Scope out the corner to get a feel for how fast you can go. Does it have a berm? Does it get sharper further in the corner? Is it a switchback? How grippy is the dirt? Are their any obstacles immediately after the corner?
- Slow down to speed before the corner. You should never use your brakes in the corner, your bike will either stand up or wash out, so make sure that you have slowed down to a comfortable speed prior to beginning the turn.
- Commit. The key to railing corners on a mountain bike is commitment - if you think you might not make the corner, you probably won't.
- Get into the correct turning position. Crouch down, put your weight onto your outside pedal, hold the bars loosely, and lean the bike more than your body. Look past the exit of the corner.
- After passing the apex of the corner, transition back into a straight line riding position and look down the trail for upcoming obstacles.
Tips
- Consistently railing a corner takes practice, find a local trail with lots of turns, and ride it often increasing your speed a little with each round.
- Learn to "cutty" berms (lift rear wheel up and move it around without braking) . In loose situations where you could have run over a berm, cut ties will shred just a bit of speed to gain traction and turn you through the berm.
Warnings
- Wear safety gear. A helmet is absolutely necessary. Gloves and pads protect you in case of a fall. Wear appropriate sunglasses or goggles.
- Make sure your bike is fully functional. Nothing sucks more than getting injured as a result of simple equipment failure.
- The less air in your tires, the more grip. Try going 10% psi higher than the minimum recommended pressure for a mix of efficiency and grip.
