Tight / Fast Cornering

We have already discussed using a quick tap on the front brake to change your angle of attack on a corner and by now you should be pretty good at that. There is another way to get through tight corners faster and possibly even safer. Tight corners are a lap time killer and an energy-sapper. When I say tight corners, I am mostly talking about corners with an obstacle on the outside such as a tree trunk, boulder or even just a large root.

This might seem scary at first. Here it is. HIT the obstacle on the outside of the trail and use it to bank off of. Obviously the hit should be a glancing blow in passing. I say this maneuver may actually make you safer because you are certain to get a great rebound off of a solid object and make even VERY sharp corners very FAST. This also works great on corners covered in slippery leaves, pine needles or soft sand. If you are approaching a corner that will be difficult to make because it is slippery or soft, you can look for a tree or other solid object to bank off of, thus removing the chances of your wheels washing out and leaving you lying on the ground. The sharper cornering you need the harder you will hit the obstacle and you'll need to lean against your momentum. I mean you'll lean down closer to the ground on the side you are turning into.

Think of this in the same manner that you lean against your momentum when you are taking a long corner in a car. When cornering your mass tends to want to go in a straight line, not corner. If you are turning to the left, your mass tends to go to the right, so you naturally lean to the left. The same is true on a mountain bike. And when you hit the obstacle you will be sharply altering your turning angle and will have to lean into the turn in the same manner. This will take a significant amount of practice to be able to execute correctly at higher speeds.

PLEASE practice this a LOT before trying it on the trail. A great way to practice this maneuver is to simply ride slowly towards a wall at an acute (narrow) angle and bump against the wall and turn away. Just get used to bumping against the wall. As your confidence grows you can approach the wall at a wider angle and actually start to hit it and rebound off. Then on to the trail.