I’ve read through a lot on the discussions here and watched a lot of videos but I haven’t found any clear guidance on cornering drills to do?
I’ve seen lots of videos and advice on look to the end of the corner and what the best line is, and a lot of comments about put some cones out and ride around but I was hoping to find something a bit more clear on what to do with the cones that is useful.
I’ve had a number of crashes over the years and descending and cornering really challenge me especially if I am spending more time on the trainer than riding outside. I’ve gone an has some sessions with a coach which revolves around riding position but I’m really looking for stuff to do that can really help
Thanks so much for any advice and any good memes of pepper crashing in corners
I used to coach a group of riders and found competition is the best way to learn how to corner, so find a pal to train with. Arrange 4 or 5 cones in a radius of 5m or so, with a couple to mark the inside of the bend.
Start side by side 25m from the corner, someone shouts go and you sprint to be first into the corner. Speed will push the lead rider to the edge of the cones on the exit. If you’re the second rider take a wider line and try to take a tight line to come out first. Both sprint to the start, loop to recover and repeat until you’ve nailed both options. It’s all about feeling how far you can push your tyres and speed around the corner.
I really appreciate your thoughts here. I agree that makes so much sense, being over 40 and with a “normal life” this is something I could pull off occasionally but would be hard to pull off, I have enough trouble making time to ride with friends let alone get them to do what I want them to do.
On my own I ride on local fields and woods to keep a feel of the bike. For cornering I use a football pitch and zig zag using the lines from the corner post to through the goal posts to the next corner post. Continue to loop around speeding up and pushing the tyres to almost slipping out.
After 5 minutes of this I use the pitch boundaries and speed up for a short side, ease up on the long straight and next short side then tempo up the long straight, then increase the duration one straight at a time until riding hard on all four sides. Ride easy then repeat when ready and then repeat the cornering. Finish off by practicing starts.
For knowing the line, a great place to learn the concept is auto racing and autocross. Look for some videos on Apexing: Early vs. Late Apex corners…
Here’s a couple worth watching. Just pretend they’re referring to bikes and not cars…
Focusing on where you want to apex, looking ahead, and making sure you don’t turn in too early is how I think about it. And, start slow and work up the speed.
You can do this in a parking lot with cones, on dirt or grass, a road or trail near by. All work.
