Manon: When it comes to bike handling skills, there's always
room for improvement. Today, we're going to look at one of the most important ones
but sometimes overlooked, cornering. Hank: Yes, we're going to use some tips
and tricks to help build your confidence when hitting those corners, and before you know it,
you're going to love it. You'll be raiding on those corners left, right and center.
[music] Hank:
Cornering takes practice, so don't expect to be raiding around those corners
straight out the blocks, but if you implement a few key aspects,
you will have it dialed in absolutely no time. The first thing that people worry about when
it comes to cornering is losing grip. There are a few key aspects that we can implement to make
sure we get the most amount of grip possible. Manon: When cornering, there is a lot of stress
on your contact points, yes, your tires. You need to take away some of that stress so relieve it so
you can maintain grip. Your tires can take a lot of stress, though, but sometimes, it can get a
little bit too much and we want to avoid that. Hank: Now, you may have heard the key to good,
smooth cornering technique is not to pull your brakes mid-corner. If you apply your
brakes mid-corner, you could end up losing grip because you're putting more stress on the tires.
Manon: When entering the corner, it's important to scrub off some speed to
speed you're comfortable with. You don't want to be going into the corner too fast, which,
if you don't know the descent very well, is easily done. Now, your position on the bike will keep
you rubber side down. Road bikes are fantastic for giving you a few different riding options.
On the tops and on the hooks for climbing and general riding, we would always recommend you
go on your drops for cornering and descending. Hank: The drop position keeps you nice and well
balanced over your bike and also gives you a good low center of gravity, which all helps
in the hunt for grip. What you got to remember, though, is your body is by far
the biggest mass on your bike, so any subtle changes is really going to help an awful lot.
Manon: Now, we're on to pedal position, and this is going to become even more important
as you start taking tighter corners. You want to have your outside leg at six o'clock like this
and which means your opposite leg is going to be at 12 o'clock. Whatever you do, do not try and
pedal through the corner, because it's just not going to end well. Trust me; Hank's been there
a few times. It also helps if you put a little bit of pressure through your outside leg too.
If you are taking a nice shallow sweeping corner, you could choose to have your pedals parallel like
this to give you a nice solid position. [music]
Hank: The next thing to think about is your head position.
If you're looking down at the wheel or there is something that you want to avoid, that is going
to ruin your line. Keep it looking through the corner and keep you nice and stable on the bike.
Now, we're on to cornering lines. This isn't easy to master, but when you practice it and
you get it, trust me, you'll know about it. What you want to try and aim to do is enter the corner
nice and wide like this. When you see the apex, aim to hit it and then come back out wide,
keeping it nice and smooth and smoothing out that corner. Trust me, though,
it is hard to master, and even some of the best descenders get it wrong.
The last thing to mention is road surface. You want to be constantly scanning the road for any
imperfections, potholes, wet roads, gravel. You need to know exactly what's on the road so you can
judge your speed accordingly. Don't take any risks. You got plenty of time to practice and
get better, so take your time with it. Right, you don't need to be this close to the road,
but you get what I mean. Manon: Now,
I really hope this video has helped you get a bit more confident going around those corners. Let us
know how you got on in the comment section below. Hank: Yes, make sure you give it a big thumbs-up
and yes, go and enjoy those swooping corners. Manon: Should we find some more corners?
Hank: I'll going to get warm. Manon: Okay, I'm going to go find some more.
Hank: Liar. Liar. Manon: [laughs]