Losing the front end in gravelly corners

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May 23, 2012, 04:55:07 PM

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Total Voters: 287

[John Corse]

On Saturday i wasn't riding well and had a couple of prangs, first was in a corner with alot of loose stones, the front wheel washed out.  Why was that?  Leaning too far forwards? Generally does the wheel slide with more weight on it or less? trying to experiment leaves too much flesh on the ground.

second crash was fear-deathgrip-crash in a boulder field. once you get that death grip, the next bit is inevitable.

limping now...

[kimbo]

hmmm.... I find that sliding out happens when my weight is on the bars. I tend to ride heavy on the bars and slide. The Meta5 seems to have corrected this by design as I am now in a more relaxed poisition closer to the rear wheel.

I am also keen to hear what others are doing.....

[domino0]

U slip out when you have all your weight on the backwheel on there is no weight pushing the front wheel on the ground, thus it washes

[Mr.SandmaN]

...or your just going very fast there is two corners on one of my trails that your front wheel allways slides on if your hitting it fast enough , just go into the corner expecting the slide

[drunkenmunkey]

Just my twopenneth....first crash I'd say was too much weight on the front not enough counter steer and probably not looking far enough ahead, the further ahead you look the more insignificant loose stuff, drops etc appear and your body just muscles the bike around.

If you find a smooth corner e.g. a righthander, try pushing with the left bar and pull with the right, when you lose the front your body is biased to the left already and this positioning will only get worse once momentum pushes you left and the front will tuck under as it pushes further and further left...

By pulling on the left bar and pushing the right, this promotes lean but stops [at least for me] the likehood of the front tucking under, instead if the front lets go you will naturally ease off pulling the left bar and the bike will try to stand up..... then throw it in again It's a useful technique from the world of motorbikes.......

Second is definitely weight not far enough back, relatively big loose cobbles should be rideable up to 30cm or so given a 26inch wheel, if you look further ahead and force yourself to relax I bet you rip through them next time 

[robertpb]

Some questions, what tyres, what psi and how much do you weigh.

Could be an answer in there somewhere.

[domino0]

That is a factor worth looking at. Although i would say where the weight is makes more difference

[John Corse]

thanks for the help, i am sure that you are right about looking further forward and not getting focussed on something that looks like it will unseat you, that brings on the death grip...

I am on High Rollers 2.35 front and back, pressure quite soft and weigh 80kg on the bike.

Thanks for the advice on cornering, it is definitely something i have to work on and see what you mean about where your weight is when the slide starts, i have also gotta be quicker with the inside foot when it starts to slide, despite spds, i should be able to manage this.  practice, practice...

[robertpb]

Hi

When I first had my Meta 5.5 it came with the 2.35 HR on the front, that kept sliding away from me on gravel.

My previous bike that I had been riding for just over 20 years didn't do it so I changed the front tyre for a Minion 2.35 42a and that cured the problem.

[RSMarco]

Something to think about is keeping your outside peddle / foot down towards the floor.  What I mean is if you are going around a L/H corner you should have your R/H leg straight so your peddle is towards the floor. Your L/H leg will be bent at around 90deg.

This also allows you to release your left foot to catch the ground if you loose traction.  You see moutorcross riders do it when they enter corners with there foot touching the floor.

Do you know what I mean..?

[twin]

nah, that just look stupid/out of control if you do that in every corner. Try mr barrels technique

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE-1o_dw0Pw

the important part, keep the weight to the outside and keep the shoulder high. If done correctly things will go a lot smoother than if you lean into the corner. It has helped me make my turns smoother and i haven't slid out in a big way since. Look at his position in the last few seconds  and imagine that his inside foot is on the pedal. Lots of downforce working on the wheels and things will go ok.

and yes, lots of speed always helps too 

[RSMarco]

that's what i mean, keep your weight on the outside.  I was not sying to keep your leg out. if you needed to then it's easier.

[twin]

my bad    i didn't read your reply properly and kinda got the impresion you said, drop the inside foot and all will be well. But i now see that we agree  yuiptydo

[Ant]

When i wash out the front end, its normally because of too much weight over the front when cornering at speed. I'm running 2.5" slow Reezay high rollers (The really soft ones) at about 20psi, and its only rarely when i wash out. Normally it's the back end that goes first.

But advice? Be more central on the bike, if you put more weight on the front, you can start to pump and gain speed around berms. Thing is, is that the way i ride is totally different to everyone else, so just stay central, and loose, and trust the bike. Don't be afraid to dab mid corner if you think that you're going to wash out.