Bret Tkacs was wrong... Footpeg Weighting is CRUCIAL | MiniTip Monday

[@ducatista916]

The key here is using your body weight to control the center of gravity of the bike+rider. Footpeg weighting is a symptom of moving your bodyweight off the side of the bike. Gravity doesnt care how you are touching the bike, all that matters is the body's center of gravity relative to the bike's.

[@stevecsongvay3455]

Well said.

[@kosta16auto]

What you're doing is leaning the bike to the inside for more lean angle and leaning your body to the outside to counterbalance for which you're correct. What Brett was doing is keeping the bike more upright so he doesn't need to introduce any lean angle if possible and in his case to keep the bike upright his body was pushed to the inside, that's why his right knee was pushed against the tank on a left turn. HE is correct and YOU are correct. Two different techniques. I would use his technique during a bit faster off-road turns and I use your technique during slow off-road turns.

[@SileX406coup]

Spot on! 👍

[@vishnuvenugopal4303]

Perfect explanation. 👌

[@jalex19100]

Yes! I do lean like this (counterbalance with body weight, etc) at lower speeds and practically do all the steering with my feet, but for a high speed drift around a turn, I found it to be safest with the bike more upright and weight on the outside peg and leg pushing in - this is when I think of Brett’s tips. It took me a bit of practice and it still surprises me how well it works.

[@kosta16auto]

@@jalex19100 It's funny how Pavey came to chritisize one of the experts. He could just share his low speed approach which is still very applicable. He must have not advised with his father on this one. But who cares, we are making comments here and that what he is looking.

[@DorkintheRoad]

This lines up with a lot of what I've learned. I think a lot of new riders hear "weight the outside peg" and fail to understand that you have to weight the INSIDE peg to make quick maneuvers, but you don't stay on that peg as you make longer or sharper turns.

[@hoosiertrailrider]

This may help. Don't think of weighting the peg, but rather un-weighting the peg. If your riding in a straight line lifting the foot pressure off the left peg will make your bike go right. This maneuver is best used for quick adjustments to direction. Not meant to be carried longer than a second or two.

[@ModularMuscle]

the weighting the outside footpeg mucked me up for the first 6 months. the bike felt like it was fighting me. now I'm starting to get when to, but still tricky.

[@oosteveo315]

adv coaches really need to be offroad racers or motocrossers.

[@CharlesLindsay1]

@@hoosiertrailrider you probably are a skier, too, aren’t you? Un-weighting is the term they use, for the same reason. It works well in that context, because the skis have so little “suspension”: most of that “unweighting” work is done with our bodies, as Llew shows in this vid.

[@Revy8]

@@oosteveo315 100%. Too many opinions from people who barely know how to ride. All these techniques have been well documented over the years by pros. Ever since I started moving towards ADV from enduro/motox I'm shocked by the amount of mediocre riders giving questionable advice

[@scottpeterson9269]

Honestly, I think the different techniques are BOTH/AND rather then EITHER/OR. Bret emphasizes riders employ a "weightless" approach with different techniques & body positions to control bike stability & improve confidence. These are starting points for learning how to receive feedback from the bike in various conditions that can then support more assertive riding by weighting the footpegs which requires the understanding of body positions to deploy mass. In other words, if one starts weighting the pegs without complementary body position to balance the bike, the see-saw may do what we don't want.

[@nandihami7430]

If we take a look at the most technical off-road discipline, mototrials, we can see that footpeg weighting is one of the fundamentals of off-road riding.

[@YouTenaza]

Not just offroad. On pavement is also a must to understand.

[@scheun2]

Good point

[@bonzaralph]

Yep. You nailed it.

[@DennisGarage]

Yeah, on a trials bike you rarely ride with actual gyroscopic forces at the wheels stabilising you. transfering that to faster riding or even street riding is a dangerous thing to believe in.

[@YouTenaza]

@@DennisGarage even at "high speeds" your weight should be handled by your feet/knees more than your ass, because it has no ways to respond to changes in balance.

[@alexjson]

Thanks for this this Llel, I might finally understand this concept! I started trail riding a year ago and I've been very confused by this. I've been on training days with 4 different off road schools and they've all said something different. Bret's videos are great but that one confused me although I've been taught something similar elsewhere also. The first time I went trail riding (on an ADV bike) I was told to weight the inside peg to turn and then move the weight to the outside to balance the bike (no mention of weighting the outside peg). This was an intro to trail riding so they were giving us some basics to survive a day of trail riding. The next place (on a dirt bike) said to weight the outside peg to turn which on its own just turns you towards the outside. When I went to a more prestigious enduro school I was told to turn like Bret - essentially to turn in by going up on your toes on the outside peg and turning in with your outside knee and move your body to the outside (similar to what my back leg would be doing in a golf swing follow through or when turning in skiing). I found this difficult and confusing as up to this point I'd been turning by weighting the inside peg and pushing my knee into the tank didn't do a whole log for me except make me eat mud. I mentioned that I previously was taught to weight the inside peg to turn (and that's what was working for me) and I was told that that is known as "tip in" turning and is used more on ADV bikes - you weight the inside peg to tip the bike then transfer your weight to the outside peg as you lean towards the outside to balance the bike. They said to just skip the step and turn in with the knee. These guys also told me to go up on my toes when going uphill and the rest of the time have my heels down (I'm not sure if going uphill is an exception to the heels down rule). I've tried what Bret suggested but that really didn't work for me. Clinton Smout (who's often on Adventure Rider Radio) says to weight the inside peg (he demos by taking a foot off the peg and you'll turn the opposite direction). kzbin.info/www/bejne/oKC1lpuJq9Fgd6s Until your video no one has addressed what I think is the missing piece of the puzzle for me, that speed and lean angle come into play which makes a lot of sense. For me weighting the inside peg makes sense to get the bike tipped into a turn. Also I understand that if the bike is leaned over you need to slide your body to the outside to balance the bike and also prevent the bike slipping. Sooooo, If I understand correctly then, I should weight the inside peg for course adjustments, gentler turns and say initiating a tighter turn. If I'm doing a slow tighter turn the bike will need to lean more so AFTER it is tipped in enough with inside peg weighting I would then move my weight to the outside peg as I would have had to move my body to the outside more to balance also? Having my weight on the outside peg at a greater lean would also help dig the tyres in and prevent slipping also. Sound about right or have I confused myself more? 🙃

[@HandyTot]

Going from riding a mountain bike to an adventure moto I was super confused by the argument not to weight the peg. On an MTB if you're really railing a corner, you put all your weight through the outside pedal, a lot like the counterbalance point of this video, and that really translates to the moto. I figured I was just teaching myself bad habits using the pegs a lot, so it's nice to see this video, thansk!

[@streddaz]

It's different on a bermed corner though where you do put pressure on the outside (or evenly between the two) as because you are technically pushing off the bank of the berm. On a flat corner you lean the bike and not yourself and you are weighting the inside pedal more but in the flat position rather than pedal down if that makes sense. This is the same on a motorcycle, except the pegs stay level.

[@HandyTot]

@@streddaz I respectfully disagree, or maybe I'm misunderstanding your view. Berms are more of a pedals flat, keep your bike perpendicular to the berm. Flat corners drop a pedal and keep your weight on the outside foot to keep the pressure on the side knobs and pressing the bike into the ground. Both types the goal is to keep your weight perpendicular to the contact patch and both rely on outside weight to achieve that, berms are just easier/allow you to carry much greater speed. Sure there's a moment of inside weight to initiate the lean of the bike, but you always want to put the pressure on the outside and keep that weight perpendicular.

[@streddaz]

@@HandyTot after thinking about it some more I think you are right. You would think it would be the same for a motor bike except the different heights of the pedals.🤔

[@boriskalaber7638]

Exactly as Travis Rea said, that`s correct technique

[@tommeyer6033]

@@HandyTot "keep your weight perpendicular to the contact patch"... a unifying concept/technique?

[@CommieHunter7]

I agree with some of the other commenters here, body position is what matters. To take this to an extreme, go back to your example where you are standing on only one peg. Steer in a bunch of different directions, while only standing on one peg. You can do it. 100% of your weight on one peg, you can still steer a bit left, a lot left, or steer right. Footpeg weighting is a cue, and yes, biomechanically, a lot of good body position comes with weight moving between the footpegs, but that isn't the CAUSE.

[@jeffh8840]

I watched another YT channel explaining footage weighting rather than body position changing. Have been using this technique for last few months and off-road work as now so much easier. It reminds me of the technique used when skiing - moving weight from foot-to-foot brings about change in direction. I now feel way more stable cornering and negotiating off-road.

[@lhurst9550]

You and Bret are both describing different techniques to acomplish the same task. I do prefer yours, but both work. To make a bike turn there has to be lean, there are different ways to make the bike lean. Countersteer and weight transfer of the rider alone. If you are one mass with the bike, then moving your mass will initiate the lean. If you are floating (seperate masses) then adding weight the bike 'sees' at the pegs (or any other place) will initate a lean. Street riders usually ride as one with the bike, and off road riders will usually ride 'above' the bike. This is due to the amount of surface traction available. Counter steering. When you do this inertia causes the mass to rotate around the center of the steering column. Front tire forward rolling resistance is increased by the rider input and inertia carries the rear mass forward around this center, the bike tries to fold itself up, causing the lean. No right or wrong, just different techniques to accomplish the same task.

[@babar69110]

thnaks to point it ! the floating masses are anythng to consider, as sustentation triangle base of footpegs is really short..

[@razvanmargineanu]

I think countersteering makes the bike react a lot faster than weight on pegs.

[@ChimairaRise]

Counter steering is an essential part of riding no matter what other techniques you employ. Not really comparable to the others.

[@spencerAce]

Great video! I've been trying to apply these "knee pressure and hips way outside of the bike" technique without success. The bike just doesn't turn. And then I found some other videos (and now yours) explaining the peg weighting and tried it. It works like a cham to me! I have way more control of the bike during turns. Thanks for the content.

[@BrakeMagazine]

Glad it was helpful!

[@brucewygal133]

Foot peg pressure is extremely important in off road riding. In fact moving and placing your weight in different ways is the key to maintaining good control in all situations. A good comparison to how to weight your pegs is down hill skiing. What happens if you put your weight on the inside ski in a turn? You usually go down pretty quickly. The same can happen riding off road. You need that weight where you can make small adjustments to control the turn. While you can initiate a maneuver weighting the inside peg, control comes from weighting the outside peg. In short knowing where and how to move your weight and where to put pressure on the motorcycle is the key to maintaining good control and allowing good speed. Experience (practice) is the only way to learn this. It took me years of motocross racing to get this, but with a little practice anyone can improve their off road riding.

[@ronboe6325]

I've tried to follow what Brett has said on the matter, and now you - but it's extremely difficult to separate what the feet and body are doing with handlebar inputs. Especially if you don't want to fall over. :D Even the physics can get complicated (and physicists love nothing more than simplifying things radically) because not only is the weight of your body, while standing, supported by the pegs (modeling this, just replace the rider with variable masses on the pegs) but once you start moving around the knees are pressing against the bike you have to account for those forces along with what is going on at the handle bars. I'd rather walk at this point! LOL

[@omicrondec]

This is what helped me for technical, low-speed, and off-road/slippery surfaces: Steer with your feet. Use your bodyweight to shove the bike around underneath you. Shove it wherever you want to go! Once leaned over, counterbalance the outside foot peg. Bike leans; you don't. You're in command, so look the part by being tall on top of the bike. Get up over the bars whenever you need to assert your dominance.

[@stavrozinio]

stand up on a rolling bike, release the handlebars and try lifting one foot. physics will self-explain very fast.

[@ronboe6325]

@@stavrozinio LOL

[@BrakeMagazine]

@@stavrozinio absolutely

[@TheNextThing]

@@stavrozinio On the other hand, go into a slightly left banking turn, let go of the handlebars and apply right foot pressure, physics will also help understand that foot pressure is only small part of the equation.

[@advmotoskillz]

💯% agree with your advice in the video! Weighting the pegs properly makes all the difference in handling the bike. I especially liked your information about avoiding excessive knee bending. There is much more control of the bike when your legs hold it.

[@alanbrown5593]

It is great to see an expert explain and show the how too. Shame I'm crap off road.

[@Oldrush]

Peg weighting and riding in a position that allows light pressure on the handle bars is the key to riding off-road. Think of riding a horse, no handlebars. If you have too much pressure on your bars you know your out of position. Basically it’s when I know I’m getting tired and if I have to correct myself a few times I stop and rest.

[@1998TDM]

That's a damn fine analogy.

[@TheAussieSamurai]

So basically I weight my inside peg to help initiate lean angle and turning but during the turn I always weight my outside peg for better downward force of the part of the tyre that has contact for better traction, especially on loose or slippery surfaces

[@BrakeMagazine]

Exactly. That is exactly how it works.

[@HippieRedneck666]

Exactly

[@babar69110]

doing this you are moving your body gravity center first on right, elaning bike then counterbalance on left ... Nothing special, just primary school physics... NOw I wait for some guys to tell to press tank with knees on fast curves to prevent bike moving :) :) Because everyone knows that 3 kg pressure by knees will rigidify a steekl or aluminium frame. same old story there : press your knees, you will stop locking the hande bars, making a PIO... Press your peg : it will force you to move your body

[@haroldlevison1370]

In a turn a centrifugal force acts to the outside of the turn through the COMBINED centre of gravity of the bike and your body. Shift your body one way and you have to shift the bike the other way to maintain a constant turn. Physics only cares about your body position with regard to what effect it has on the COMBINED centre of gravity. Stand with your feet apart and try to weight your left foot by just lifting your right foot. You will fall to the right. You have to transfer your weight to your left foot by FIRST pushing with your right foot to transfer weight to your left foot. If you try this with you hands off the handlebars the turn will be pretty sluggish. Combining a little counter steering with the handlebars and weight transfer on the pegs is more effective. Once you are in a stable turn If you weight the inside peg in a turn and fall it will be hard to lift your foot off the peg and step out to prevent it being caught under the bike. If your weight is on the outside peg it is much easier to step away from the bike.

[@msims1250]

I love mini-tip Monday. I often do what you were doing around the 3:00 minute mark in the video. Basically maneuvering the bike just by weighting the footpegs. I need to practice it more. Thanks for the video!

[@gasdive]

I've done a lot of mucking about with this, and I don't agree. "footpeg pressure" seems to be a way of explaining locating you body's centre of gravity in a particular place. If you keep your CoG constant and vary footpeg pressure it doesn't do anything. It can't do anything. If you vary footpeg pressure and use the bars to keep yourself stable, the bike turns. If you vary footpeg pressure without bar input you must compensate by moving your CoG or pressure on the inside of your weighted leg, or you'll fall off. So what you're really doing if you weight pegs without holding yourself still with your knee, is shifting your weight around. Generally if you shift your weight around you'll put input into the bars without realising. So you're really just steering. PS, if footpeg weighting did anything bicycles would be almost impossible to control. The weighting jumps from side to side constantly. Yet I can ride around quite comfortably hands off the bars. Despite the steep steering head angle, short rake, short wheelbase and narrow tyres with the peg weighting jumping around like a mad thing.

[@BrakeMagazine]

In this video, I ride along and change direction by taking my foot off the peg without moving and the bike turns. You can feel this by riding no hands or with one hand on the handlebar. I also made a video about that if it helps 😊 Also, pedalling a bicycle does affect the direction. That's why they get smoother at speed or with smoother pedal strokes. When you try and ride slowly without hands it's really touch. Gyroscopic effect of the wheels balances out your side to side movement as you speed up. When you ride a mtb, pedal pressure is very important for control for the same reason as it is on am off road motorcycle.

[@gasdive]

​@@BrakeMagazine if you're talking about 2:07 I can see you clearly shifting your weight swinging your head and rotating your body. That might feel like "weighting the pegs" and certainly the weight on the pegs is changing, but you're also clearly steering. It's not a clear case of holding your hands and body still, and changing the weighting. If you feel like "weighting the pegs" is easier to teach, or works for you as a mental model, that's fine, but it's not what is actually happening.

[@BrakeMagazine]

It looks like that because when the bikes lean changes, the steering moves in the direction. That's what happens when you countersteer on the road too. You're counter steering to make it lean. The front wheel doesn't keep point right while you're going left. When you lean a bike using the footpegs you create the same effect. Also, weighting the pegs is moving your body weight to apply it to one peg more than the other. My body has to move to do that. It doesn't work at speed because the force isn't as effective at overcoming the momentum and gyroscopic effect in the same way. I would also like to point out this is not my 'theory', this is commonly accepted, commonly taught and understood by almost every experienced off road rider on the planet. 😊

[@simonthomas5367]

I've tested the footpeg pressure method and it's brilliant. You really feel the bike responding. I combined this with keeping my body upright and working on heels down into the turn. Think I'm getting there! Got an off-road training course in two weeks. Crash bars, Barkbusters and Mitas are on! It's now or never!

[@jeffgoldsmith1679]

Very interesting and informative, seems like a combination of the centered body over the bike and foot peg pressure plus moving forward and backwards to compress or decompress the front wheel when needed. Basically know what is needed and when it is needed and doing it properly. All very difficult for a newbie.

[@NoahWyka]

Good video. The important thing is getting the bike to lean while remaining balanced and floating. You need both countersteer and footpeg weight to keep the bike tracking correctly, and you have to transfer your own weight to the bike effectively so you remain in control.

[@BrakeMagazine]

Well said!

[@DirkSchmele]

From physics point of view lots of things are happening around a bike. It's not just pressure and weight and they are not the same. It's about controlling your bike and your self each by them self and both connected. That's where you AND Bret have your portion of "being right". Stay save and have a great life.

[@jonascarlsson4908]

Hi Llewellyn! At times I’m practicing riding trails with one hand, skidding through gravel turns and such. On the rare occasions when I succeed, I forget my one hand riding and only steer with pegs. I would say that when I don’t upset the bike with a million contradictory inputs and simply do it all through the pegs, the bike seems the most satisfied 😃

[@1998TDM]

Yup, i just posted about evasion maneuvers, we were eventually "encouraged" to do them with our left hand in the air. Bloody terrifying at 50kmh +. Out on the trails I often find myself steering with my feet, no conscious input through the bars.

[@DirtRiderLife]

Recently I've been spend a lot of time practising static balancing on my bike in my garage whilst winter rages outside, I had a real break through concentrating on foot peg pressure instead of side to side upper body movement which is still useful but combined with foot peg pressure I'm now able to balance for extended periods of time, no doubt its every bit as important when the bike is moving

[@BrakeMagazine]

Boom. Good job Martin! It's super hard to static balance.

[@StoltHD]

All you do is still moving your body mass out of center of mass to counter gravity. It is just the feeling you have, you move bigger parts of your body, but less, the effect is the same and has nothing to do with the weight on the peg, only the placement of your body mass... When you move a bigger part of your body mass, you will use more energy and you will be tired faster.

[@natearchuleta2003]

Practicing functional skills is a win. I might do that today if it keeps storming.

[@DirtRiderLife]

@@StoltHD When moving weight from one peg to another the centre of pressure is changing, for sure there has to be some upper body movement which will also move the centre of mass but moving the centre of pressure has a much greater effect by applying a moment that tends to rotate the bike in the desired direction

[@StoltHD]

@@DirtRiderLife - Pressure on the pegs has nothing to do with controlling the bike... You can repeat it a thousand times, it doesn't make it anymore the truth. The only thing that controls the bike in this regard is movement of mass, if you twist your body and "push" your knee on the tank, you are still moving or trying to move the center of total mass. the twisted upper body has changed the plasement of that mass, the with the knee you use muscle energy to force replacement of the mass of the bike, and totally you have moved the total mass' center of gravity, how much depends on how much you actually move your body and how much energy you use to force the replacement of the bikes mass. In addition, you will, in most cases when your twist your upper body also affect the contact you have with the handlebars of the motorcycle one way or the other

[@kswaid1]

The only way you can weight a peg is by shifting your body position, so Brett is correct that body position is what matters. The peg weighting is simply a result of body position relative to bike position. You may think you are weighting a peg without shifting body position and initiating a turn, but all you are actually doing is pushing on the peg and reacting that force with your hands at the bars and thus adding steering input. There is some transient force transfer into the pegs that occurs due to the inertial effects of accelerating and decelerating your body mass when adjusting positions, but that is still reliant on adjusting your body position.

[@rdintennessee702]

Weighting the outside peg during a turn helps leverage the bike into the turf, especially helpful in low grip situations. Same holds true with Mtn Bikes, weight on the outside pedal and low really makes the bike dig in. Same with skiing, you weight the outside ski in turns. The more your bike weighs, the less of an effect the outside weighting will have, but it will always have some affect. I think what Brett was addressing was the whole “Center of gravity/mass” thing, looking at the bike and rider as a unit. When I test an off-road machine, one of the key things I look for is how well it responds to “foot steering”. In my book, the more a bike responds to left/right peg weighting, the more I like it.

[@mattguzzim1744]

Some seem to suggest weighting the inside foot, others the outside foot to "put down" traction on the inside of the tire. I'm wondering if this isn't two seperate moments of inertia and force. Do we initiate an inside turn with the inside foot (heel down, as you show) and then, once in the turn, weight the outside to put traction stright down to the inside of the tire, the part now in connection to the track? Like countersteering on the road, the turn is initiated by pushing on the opposite side of the handlabar, but it transitions, and the turn is navigated with the pressure on the bars moving to the inside. Considering the inertia and forces are changing dynamically in both instances, dirt and road, while the traction is negotiated differently in each case as the turn continues. Does this make sense? Am I wrong? What do you think? Perhaps a follow up video?

[@BrakeMagazine]

That is exactly correct.

[@ironhorsedr6505]

There is a school of thought that also says - weighting the OUTSIDE peg after when already in the turn can increase traction - especially travelling fast on gravel type conditions. I tried it and it seems to make sense. Of course you still need to weight the inside peg to initiate any turn - like you say. I also heard that 'dropping your heal' is one way to think about changing weight - which seems to be what you do anyway and that also makes sense. Hey I'm no expert though - and I love your explanations please keep them coming!

[@ElMastro]

Hi! I'm a beginner in off-road. And all the videos I'm watching are quite confusing. So, to my understanding: 1/ Very short turns (not a U-turn), quite slow pace (around 20-30 km/h) : pressure on outside peg (inside leg can be away from peg as a security guard), body weight outside turn, pushing the handlebar inside turn, sitting as much as possible on the front of bike. Position a bit like Supermotard ? 2/ Larger turns, faster pace: pressure on inside peg, standing on the bike. What position for the body ?

[@duncable1]

Llewellyn you make it seem so easy and short but this could be a much longer major tip video! add in the sitting, add in the steering with the back end. Such a hard concept to nail at times when at speed in the tight stuff but seems so easy to explain and understand. Another great topic and great explanation from you, thank you

[@Nick_Selleck]

Thank you Llewellyn! Couldn’t agree more. It is a tricky thing to explain the nuances of footpeg weighting - where, when, how much etc. Well done!

[@barbamatteo]

Same said to us a guy named Francesco Meoni (rip) during a lesson years ago. You don't ride with arms... you ride with feet. You arms can't hold 200kg over bikes... nor 100kg for hours. As a skier.. i can agree. Is like skiing

[@1998TDM]

If anyone doubts the wisdom in this try and turn a trials bike without peg weighting. the little bugger will fight against you every inch of the way. Use the pegs and it flops round like a tired puppy. Quite a revelation for me. I was also taught to use peg weighting for evasion maneuvers on a road bike, really helps to speed up the initial turn and helps massively bringing the bike back in the opposite direction. Another revelation.

[@BrakeMagazine]

Exactly Mark. It would seem from the comments that this wisdom is argued to the grave though 😂

[@ericmcarthur2410]

I employ both methods. I weight the peg to induce lean on the bike. If the turn is minimal, I let the bike roll through and normalize at the straight. If the turn requires more lean, I use Bret's technic to lean the bike and open myself (my uppper body, straight arm at the outside bar and weight on the oustide peg). The point is to drive the center of gravity through the knob to ensure traction is maintained through the turn.

[@MrScottCornick]

This makes sense to me as I’ve found I feel much more planted weighting the outside peg. I also find myself going faster.

[@gavinhassett479]

The other thing is... you dont have to be standing up to achieve foot peg pressure. In the seated and squat position you can easily put 100lbs pressure on one peg or the other, keep your hips loose and let the bike move. No need to stand for 500kms of gravel road.

[@RokLenardic]

Recently I got really confused by various tips on footpeg weighting. There are enduro riders that recommend the boot further back on the peg to allow for heel to be able to go up and down. Of course giving the bike throttle does not allow that as you then have to pull hard on the bars to avoid being thrown off the bike. Moreover, tiptoing on the peg does not allow you to change gears or brake. Then there is left-right weighting. When cornering I was advised to keep most of the weight on the outer peg so that when the bike starts sliding you are pushing it down and not allowing it to slide too far. However, to initiate an offroad turn, they tell you to push on the inner peg. Darn confusing when to put pressure where and at which point to switch from one to the other.

[@danagerds]

A Reiman 1 has a great lesson about "relaxing the chassis"

[@michaelcaton9358]

I’ve watched Brett s few times and he is a good rider but my experience of his videos is that he doesn’t know what makes him a good rider and he is teaching something he is not actually doing….. vote for Llel. Vote for: Pedro

[@ryanmalone2681]

Lol. You can’t have the correct body position, and not weight the pegs like you’re suggesting. Hence, Bret’s point is correct, the weighting is an output of body positioning and it’s the body positioning that is key. I give you credit for having the balls to say Bret is wrong though.

[@BrakeMagazine]

It's an interesting point Ryan, but I disagree. Brett isn't weighting the pegs as effectively as he could be here because of his position. I don't make the rules man 🤣 I'm sure he's a great rider, there is tons of footage of him in difficult places but we can also disagree on these things.

[@ryanmalone2681]

@@BrakeMagazine You’re using one clip to make your point. I’m sure we could find a clip of you not having perfect body positioning. Just because you can find a single example, it doesn’t invalidate his point. You’re just cherry picking to try and substantiate the title of your video. Come on man.

[@fushki]

@@BrakeMagazine talking about how his positions are bad and drain energy. I agree with you... but maybe he is exaggerating things to show a point.

[@MeerkatADV]

@@ryanmalone2681 He's not just cherry picking, there are plenty of examples of bad body positioning in basically every one of Brets videos. Bret isn't a bad rider, but there are plenty of times he's getting away with bad positioning through other skills. The main point is that Brets argument about peg weighting and body positioning while standing are wrong.

[@ryanmalone2681]

@@MeerkatADV The point is that the correct body positioning weights the pegs, not whether the weighting of pegs is important or not.

[@richardsimpson3792]

Good one! I realise now why I was waving one foot in the air on the Lands End Trial last weekend!

[@BrakeMagazine]

😂

[@SimonBrisbane]

If you want to turn left (on dirt/off road or at slow speeds to tighten a turn) you put weight on the right peg. Turning right is the opposite. This action is complemented by pushing the bars in the opposite direction. This then forces the bike to lean the opposite direction and you are then effectively a counterbalance the centre of the bike’s gravity when it’s leaning. I’m not sure a see-saw is a helpful analogy when it’s a simple matter of counterbalancing the bike laterally.

[@CenCaBORL_Explorers]

The idea behind sitting vs standing is When in sitting position, the weight is up higher, the CG is higher. When the rider is in standing position, the CG is lower and the "ground effects" if you will the down force is LOWER on the bike compared to sitting. To turn or change direction off road depending on the "grip" or traction the rider weights the outside foot and the inside leg is out in front not to catch you but as a counter balance... But by weighting the outside foot while turning, It applies down force directly on the contact patch of the tire in contact with the ground in the turn... Best way i can explain it. Now depending on your tire choice will determine how good of traction you will get... now doing that on an 800lbs adv bike is something different but same physics.. Just my 50+ yrs of riding and racing dirtbikes...

[@BrakeMagazine]

This is so accurate.

[@wnicklas]

As a motorcycle instructor in Swe, I've been learned to teach this way, 32 years ago. So 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@TimRHillard]

How's that Tenere working for you?

[@ArizonaAdv]

Absolutely correct I rode ISDE for years and peg pressure is vital. I have found a other things he talks about is incorrect also . When I got my endorsement they teach things incorrectly also . Like putting all four fingers on levers for one.

[@CurtisBrandt]

Bret's a great rider and presenter. However, what you are saying is more in line with what another, ahem, notable ADV rider/instructor (Mr. Birch) teaches. I can't be accountable for all of the physics involved, but it's clear that the tools in the kit include counter steering, leaning and counter-weighting, and good use of the footpegs, with efficiency. I am 100% sure you're correct on that. In my experiences on the street, footpeg pressure takes on a little bit lower importance (at customary street speeds, with good traction). But in the dirt, in my experience, on any bike ranging from a mountain bike to large ADV, footpeg (or pedal, as the case may be) pressure seems to take on a larger (and crucial) importance.

[@ourspanishadventures]

Great mini tip Monday. Very well explained. Thanks

[@JGKohlenberg]

Thanks for this video! I’m a lifetime street rider transitioning to some dirt gravel roads on my AT. It’s a new world for me, but I found peg weighting really helped me ride more confidently in the loose stuff. Some commentators equate it to skiing which hits home for me.

[@BrakeMagazine]

Right on! Pretty similar.

[@edsyphan3425]

Well, seeing how you and Bret, as well as Motojitsu are a world away from my skills, I'll just have to try and distill it all down to my level. But by all means, keep the content coming.

[@heremansmarc]

Nothing compared to Tom Barrer in France. Even if you don't understand French, you can see that his technique is exceptionnal. He has many video's off road with a GSA 1250.

[@domenik8339]

Brett is a clown with incredibly little experience for being an "instructor."

[@arnohag1]

Most of my riding is sitting. Most distances covered are over 400klm dirt roads. I move my body weight. When roads get crappy I stand and balance with the foot pegs as discussed.

[@SqueakyNeb]

This is a silly conversation. You said the magic word yourself. "Physics". The bike is a rigid object. The pegs are rigidly fixed to each other. If you hold yourself firmly on the bike, you're affixed to it as well, and your mass and movement affects it, but where on the bike you're affixed to is nearly irrelevant. If you strapped your left boot to the left footpeg and leaned way right, you'd have 100% of your bodyweight on the left footpeg, but the bike would most definitely act like your weight is on the right, because it *is*. Pushing down on one side is just the most natural way to get people to move their weight to that side. That's all it is. That "pressure" is your weight. You've moved your weight, that's what gets you the real outcome.

[@michaelsheedy9354]

54 years ago I surprised the DMV Inspector by performing a circle in one lane when he offered two😮. Didn't know I had been riding Trials for the previous two years.

[@BrakeMagazine]

Amen

[@Dual-SportChronicles]

for a long time I was trying to blindly follow Bret´s foot pegs weighing technique and I was still much slower in corners than some other riders. Two weeks ago I had a discussion about the foot pegs weighing and I was told that I am completely wrong. So thank you ! :)

[@jonbrandt9141]

Bret's advice is focused for beginners, especially those who have not yet developed an effective intuitive sense of balance and manipulation of the bike. A rider who does, should move on from these intentionally exaggerated techniques. Two [mental exercise] perspectives of the same undeniable truth of physics. The more perspectives you try, the better you will see the whole picture. Always a beginner's mind = open to new perspectives.

[@andrewstambaugh240]

Exactly. It's like telling new street riders to "not use your brakes in a corner". Once you are past the new rider stage, you start learning that trail braking is really helpful for street safety margins.

[@davealston3881]

Voice of reason!!❤ well done to you son for being a free thinker 👍🏻

[@aahamp2]

I thought the purpose of weighting the outside peg while there is some lean angle is to help apply a moment force driving the tires into the ground, so that small losses of traction and disconnections from the ground are corrected more quickly, providing better traction and (more importantly) predictability in off-road conditions.

[@BrakeMagazine]

It absolutely is and makes a big difference. It’s not the only reason but is a big part of it.

[@ecalzo]

Yep , i follow Bret and he's a good fella and a great instructor .. but i thought myself that the weight on the pegs sometimes matters a little just because i'm used to do that while riding on gravel with my motorbike ... Thank you for the video from Italy

[@BrakeMagazine]

Well said

[@milaventurasprod]

Nope, not a little bit, in some cases it's the only way to steer...

[@BrakeMagazine]

@@milaventurasprod for sure.

[@matt-roden]

Bret was saying it is not important in his video, however showing it is important in a very exaggerated way. You can’t position yourself in that nature without putting a majority of your weight on the outside peg. Maybe Bret was trying to convey its more than just putting weight on the peg. As to why weighting the outside peg feels better and works better. You’re better aligning the slip angles of the front and rear wheels. Which in turn allows the bike to be more planted. Adventure Rider Radio did a segment on the physics of peg weighting. Called A Rocket Scientist Explains Peg Weighting, or something of that nature. Chris Birch explains what he feels and thinks is happening. Mark Nesbit, the physicist, explains what is actually happening and different uses for inside peg and outside peg in a turn. It’s a great listen, everyone should check it out.

[@teneretraveller8980]

If physics was taught like that at school, I'd have taken a lot more notice... Thank you, Professor Pavey. Safe, happy travels 👍

[@babar69110]

well i hope you learnt sustenttion triangle.. because the base of thos triangle done by footpegs is ridiculously narrow compared to top triangle made by body mass center gravity ;) ;)

[@czaszi]

For me, the example that starts at 2:01 does not makes much sense as even with such small body shifts there is change is steering direction and at 2:12 it can be clearly seen that bike changes direction with very minimal counter steering applied. Secondly, Brett is doing slow 180 degree turn where he has the position you referenced, when you showcase this at 2:46 you have only one foot on the peg. The turn (which is not 180) at 1:47 is not a slow turn and it locks the rear. If you can, record your version of a turn similar to what Bret recorded, with both feet on pegs so I could see your position that would be great as I am not sold on your version yet.

[@BrakeMagazine]

I made a whole video about called standing u-turns. It's also not my version. It's the widely accepted as proper technique in MX, enduro and MTB. 😊

[@czaszi]

@@BrakeMagazine Just wanted to say that I tested what you said and indeed it works as you described it. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@EpicMotorcycleAdventures]

I think this is great information. I've been using using this technique a lot and I feel that I've improve on some of the more technical trails in my area.

[@BrakeMagazine]

Hope it helps 👌

[@roberttowery9664]

Excellent video and excellent content and instructional points. Switching from an Africa Twin DCT, I struggle with for weight management in a turn while shifting gears. Practice is the key I am sure. However, it might be a good topic for a future video.

[@Angry-Lynx]

i think weighting the footpegs does have its place. but its definitely not way to turn or to initiate a turn ;

[@mannyechaluce3814]

yes, it only applies when you are standing :D you can't do this sitting down :D being able to stand while riding a motorcycle is key for very uneven surfaces

[@Angry-Lynx]

@@mannyechaluce3814 non sequitur

[@bradl45]

There is lots going on when we ride, we can use peg weighting for turning AND traction. Bret with the high ankle, weight on ball of foot on right peg going around a left turn works too. In sand and when drifting, outside peg weight can be key to traction, Great discussion, thanks for the video. Love your bike too!!

[@joshualemmel7358]

Agree, I see it as counterweight turning and it works well. Also I feel like the center weight is lower on the bike making it more stable than up on the seat.

[@SomeNavyGuy]

Thanks tons for the video. Really appreciate it! However, I think you and Bret are conveying the same concept of technique. Example: at 4:11 you're shifting your body to the outside because of the pressure you're putting on the peg. Your explanation of technique uses peg weight and to maintain balance with peg weight your body has to shift a wee bit. Brets explanation of technique uses hip/body shifting a wee bit and to maintain balance like that more or less weight must be placed on whichever foot. If you two were to swap the audio tracks on your videos the verbal descriptions would still match up with the physical activity taking place.

[@markymarkmoto]

The most crucial time that I use peg weighting is for picking lines. Sure, your overall direction and turning ability is more important, but when I'm at speed in technical terrain, I use dramatic peg weighting to "guide" my t7's front wheel to favorable ground, with minimal change to the overall direction of the bike

[@gregnoel5366]

Well done, I use footpeg weighting all the time

[@superflycatchermtb]

Agreed, I'm a big fan and student of Brett's channel and I've been to one of his clinics as well, but his video about foot peg weighting never made sense to me.

[@henrygerwien186]

To be honest, I didn't fully understand between Bret's technique and yours: What is the difference exactly? If I take a sharp right curve, I lean my body to the left side, but the foot pessure is a little more on the inside peg. Than I change it, to have better action and gravity control for the next curve! Is THAT wrong? What's up with the "see-saw", I don't understand?! Can someone bring it to the point for me? Thanx, Henry

[@clintbuhs7708]

I think you've dramatically understated the effect of steering input during your demonstrations here. While street and dirt riding are quite different, the No BS bike (look it up if you are unfamiliar) makes it quite clear just how much impact you can have on turning with body weight. In short, not very damn much. Everyone has a strong opinion on this because of perceptions they get while riding, but it takes some sophisticated science to extract steering from body input. If you had done your demonstration with your hands free of the bars I'd be more convinced.

[@BrakeMagazine]

I'll do it.

[@wanderlpnw]

I think his point is that it psychological if I recall. "Pressure" doesn't really change the "weighting." It's where you move your body. That changes the balance or "weighting." It's in your head. But if that helps you change your balance, then it's great.

[@TrippyandDa]

Steering with your feet is a fundamental skill that must be mastered to stay upright when trail riding. To some it comes natural but I’ve had to learn it and am constantly practicing it in the hope that it becomes instinctive.

[@BrakeMagazine]

Me too. It's also more nuanced that I ever appreciated. Recently did a trials demo and it opened my eyes to a whole other way of thinking about it. 😊

[@fidanym]

But if it is about footpeg weighting, rather than body position "weighting", you would steer the bike by lifting one leg off the footpeg, technically, all your weight would be on the opposite footpeg. The way I understand it is, the bike is affected when I move my body towards the inside/outside of the direction I'm trying to go.

[@SileX406coup]

That would only be like that +/- of course in case your center of mass would be perfectly alinged with the one foot of the peg. Be putting pressure on the peg one is applying a counter momentum to the center of gravity of the bike that holds against the breakdown torque, so the forces that make your bike to want to fall over to the inside of the curve. Applying more pressure to the peg, or moving your body more to the outside increases that momentum, so you're therefore able to lean the bike even further or to pick the bike up, depending on whether you want to increase the lean angle or not.

[@brianq103]

Bret's technique works better for him because license plates are smaller in the US. Adam Riemann does everything backwards because he's upside down in Australia. 🙂

[@BrakeMagazine]

Easily the best comment so far 😂 Pinned for sure.

[@philippegosseau]

A graphics Kit form Brake magazine for that Black Tenere world raid would be nice...

[@daemn42]

From a physics perspective (not including sliding or drifting to keep things simple) the "lean angle" is *always* the same value for a given speed and turn radius, at all speeds. It's the same angle for bikes, and snowboards and water skis and so forth. The angle itself is the difference between vertical and a line from the contact patches through the combined center of gravity of the bike + rider. If our ADV bike weighs say 500lbs.. the rider.. say 200, so the rider's shifting their weight only has a net effect of about 2/5ths. E.g. If the turn radius and speed dictates a net lean angle of 30 degrees, and the rider hangs off another 30 degrees their contribution to the total lean angle is only about 12 degrees (really rough math), and that's assuming the rider can hang *way* off the side applying leverage to the bike from a point near the contact patches, which they cannot. We ride in a position with fairly poor leverage on the bike, especially with both feet on the pegs. Ultimately the rider's real effect on the net lean angle is minimal. The problem is, visually we see a rider leaning one way and bike the other and because the difference between them is large, we think the bike is leaning significantly more, usually demonstrated in a tight low speed turn that dictates a larger lean angle anyway. Don't believe me? Set your bike up near a wall, (with a friend on the other side to help catch you) and then while standing on both pegs, lean your body toward the wall while leaning the bike the opposite direction as *far* as you can. At some point your body will be as far it can go without lifting a foot off the peg. Now measure the angle of the bike just before it tries to tip over toward your friend. I think you'll find the angle is quite small. Nothing about moving forward changes that relationship between your weight applied in a non-optimal location on the bike relative to the motorcycle's much greater weight.

[@BrakeMagazine]

The angle is small, you’re absolutely right, but it’s enough angle to have an effect on turn radius.

[@mototouro]

Interesting video, but I'm really not sure what your point is. The primary reason of weighting outside pegs while keeping one's body upright is to increase tyre traction on a dirt bike when cornering. One should be aware, however, of the fundamental differences in cornering techniques from a dirt bike to a road bike, or even using the same bike on different surfaces as shown in this video. Just using footpeg pressure to lean a bike for fast cornering is a recipe for disaster as, unless one is riding at crawl speeds, this 'technique' alone, will put the upper body in the wrong position dramatically increasing the chance of a high side crash.

[@BrakeMagazine]

So the fundamental point of the video is that this stuff matters. Using the pegs to turn, to balance and to increase tyre grip, to weight and unweight the pegs all matter. They are all done through the pegs and it's fundamental to good off road technique. That's the point. The original video I'm responding to was saying that it doesn't matter. It said to make a bike turn you need to ignore that, turn you head and stick your knee on the tank.

[@mototouro]

@@BrakeMagazine I appreciate your opinion. I tend to follow the following video in tight terrain. Take a look at ARiemann1 on KZbin 5 Off-road techniques you need to know. Watch from about the 3 minute mark. I think this is maybe what you're trying to get across 🤔

[@rodericde876]

You are wrong. Foot-peg pressure is a consequence not a cause. The lean angle of the bike is not equivalent to the lean angle of the bike-rider system. The bike and rider are two masses with centres of gravity which are connected but moveable relative to one another by four flexible couplings. It is the lean angle of the centre of gravity of the system that determines the cornering forces necessary to maintain balance at a given speed and radius of turn, not the lean angle of the bike alone. As the steering geometry of the bike is inherently stable the lean can only be initiated by counter steering input trough the handlebars, not the foot-pegs which have no influence over steering geometry. Changing the relative lean of the bike, not the system, by moving the weight of the rider around using the bars as very effective levers, which the pegs are not, will influence ones feeling of stability and control but the displacement of the riders centre of gravity relative to the bike, with a consequence of this being more weight on one foot, will not affect the lean angle of the system and therefore not cause the bike to turn. If you think you are causing the bike to turn by weighting the pegs you are unconsciously turning with some counter steering input to the bars wile moving your body around and you would be better off thinking about it in this way.

[@BrakeMagazine]

Except its entirely possible ride with hands not on the handlebars. I understand what you are saying and agree with it. The mistake is in thinking the only way to create a countersteering effect is use the handlebars. At slow speed it is very easy to feel this. The whole point of this video is to raise point that this is not absolute. The ideas that people bring from street riding, or the ideas that are taught that riders should ignore control inputs is the problem.

[@briangc1972]

When I saw Brett's video, I knew he was not quite correct and I didn't think his body position and movement was proper. I proceeded to watch Sedlak Offroad school videos. Since he is a pro enduro racer, I presumed he knew what was correct. About a minute into your video, I knew that you were correct in your explanation. You were very diplomatic and polite in your correction.

[@BrakeMagazine]

Thanks. I'll check their videos out! 😊

[@masonmax1000]

the point being its all about counter weight not peg weight but. the peg is just the attachment point of your weight, you only got three options be natural aka center over the bike or you can be counter weighted aka on outside of bike aka opposite the lean... or you can be on the inside or toward the lean... when it comes down to it, this all depends on the traction available.

[@davealston3881]

PS. You are so much calmer than the man with a cap.

[@OnMyWayBack888]

I didn’t see the Bret video but from reading the comments pushing the bike with you knees works great in slow speeds ir even fast speeds with loose traction but it also forces you to weight the outside peg as you push the tank. I believe it is combination of both if you want to get to a bigger turn angle.

[@JPs_ADVLOG]

I work in the off-road Guiding world and I’ve seen a lot of new riders adopting an unusual riding stance- knees bent forward and a straight back, on discussion these riders have took their guidance from Brett’s films. It’s so prevalent we called it a Brett stance!! It’s prevalent with a large number of big bike riders who put all their weight in to the tank. We have noticed their riding is significantly impacted by this stance - they can’t turn effectively and the rear of the bike is skipping everywhere( we are not coaches and can’t teach in our Guiding roles) but it has led to interesting d conversations. On review of Brett’s riding he will often ride in a better stance but still preach the Brett stance!! “ do as I say but not as I do”. Just my humble opinion.

[@richtroth1597]

Found this really interesting Llewelyn especially being a sportsman level rider, Rich T / Teamsnapper

[@gezginendurocu]

u are right %100 and sometimes while turning counterstrike doesnt enough riding stand up and also u need push inner peg and turn easily so ı learn late but use inner outside peg is necesesarry

[@brendenjack3314]

From an engineering perspective the total grip available from the tire is equal to the coefficient of static friction multiplied by the normal force. So weight the outside peg helps to increase the normal force.

[@BrakeMagazine]

Exactly

[@take5th]

If you are older than 40, and your bike weighs more than 400 lbs, you should learn this stuff on a smaller, lighter bike. I think the most important thing when weighting the pegs is to first find the spot on your bike when your standing that lets you feel the bike pivot below you, between your knees in yaw, so you feel and react to tire movement quickly and effectively. Like you were holding the bike in chopsticks from above so were able to twist in around a bit from the center. Knees over toes, ass back. Not sure if this works on a 600 lb bike, but it is how you do it on a dirt bike. In that position ,weight on pegs, rear tires sliding out or front tires tucking or sliding can be felt and corrected instantly and with counterweight pressure or steering/throttle inputs.

[@BrakeMagazine]

Amen to this whole comment 😊

[@JakeBarlow]

I tend to believe most steering is done through the bars and that weight shifting is for balance/counterbalance. Foot position on the pegs depends on where I want to put pressure against the bike. In some turns, I'll be on the ball of my foot with the toe pointed inward so I can get my knee pressed in tighter. Or I might be heels down and toe in so I can squeeze the bike with my legs, but still allow my hips to swing side to side (like when riding through sand). While this is for road riding, Dylan Code has this interesting video about the bars being the most effective for quick turns, and it shows how ineffective weight shifting is for turning the bike: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bofUiXV3Yth6fqM

[@TheZakkmylde]

But isn’t this video more designed for road vs dirt ? They are different techniques no?

[@coochb945]

You cannot separate steering and balance. Steering through the handlebars is how we maintain balance ALL of the time. Even standing and weighting the pegs you will still be using the handlebars to maintain balance. Where using your feet to pressure the inside peg works really well to initiate turns is where the front wheel has low traction.

[@laudydaudy7173]

Take a course with Jimmy Lewis in Nevada and I challenge you to "demonstrate" what you are talking about. Good riders like Jimmy Lewis can let go of the handle bars and control the bike with much less effort by using the pegs to steer and pure balance. At the end of the day it is all about being balanced. Try the good ole handlebar steering in sand lol.

[@capedolphin]

@@coochb945 You can ride totally hand free no need to touch the bars.

[@colinkirk3250]

Yes you are so right and I can’t understand why someone would say different.

[@veiledallegory]

Counter balance also prevents the tires from sliding out from under you is loose situations!

[@djkak5320]

It’s about center of gravity when maneuvering at low speed. How you get there can be subjective. The counterbalanced left turn at 2:57, with the body rotating left while the right foot is held in place, appears to be suboptimal. With the ball of the foot on the peg the foot can rotate on the peg, maintaining alignment of the joints…your body will thank you later.

[@BrakeMagazine]

Did you write this before watching the rest of the video?

[@djkak5320]

I watched the entire video. What did I miss?

[@BrakeMagazine]

@@djkak5320 The position at 2:57 is suboptimal. I address this later in the video. it's demonstrative purposes only. :)

[@haithamzo6]

Excellent video very well made, Thank you ❤❤

[@aatee5840]

Veteran keyboard enduro masters correct me if I'm wrong but I fail to see how footpeg weighting is separate from handlebar movements to initiate a turn. If the handlebars were welded together the turning would be really bad no matter how much pegs were weighted. If a peg is unweighted to initiate a turn, the entire body moves slightly and rotates ever so slightly, this induces simultaneous countersteer as well. So to initiate a turn the pegs matter, but the countersteer - ever so slight - is inseparable from the weight transfer laterally on the pegs when the turn is first initiated, lasts about 0,5 sec or less. Then as the turn is initiated the pegs are more important. So I reckon these videos both give a bit of confusing advice as body position, peg weighting and (counter)steering inputs all play a role.

[@BrakeMagazine]

It isn't and I'm not saying it is. You need the handlebars to turn, but we use the footpegs to initiate it. The bars go through the same process as countersteering, but you don't use the bars to do it. Your hands should be crazy light on top of the bars. Gourmet feet do the work to create grip, and help you control the bike with more precision. I didn't invent this stuff, I'm just relaying good technique.

[@aatee5840]

@@BrakeMagazine thanks for the answer, I'm just thinking that as you feel you use the legs to *specifically initiate* the turn, it may just be that the hands still can't be separated from movement. After the turn has already started it's not countersteering anymore, it's just the phase where you point the bars to a different direction than what you want to go to. Or are you sure the hands are not involved, as in - you could do it riding without hands?

[@BrakeMagazine]

@@aatee5840 Yes, you can do it riding both one handed and no handed. :) Try it for yourself. I made a video about this last year. :)

[@aatee5840]

@@BrakeMagazine thanks, will try!

[@MKlukowski]

Weight on left foot on left peg or pushing right knee into right tank will destabilize the bike causing the front wheel to turn to the right briefly before the bike stabilizes on the front wheel's left half into a counter-steer to the left. Weighting the peg requires unweighting the opposite side. Kneeling the tank requires a bit of momentum of the hips to counter the bike's mass and inertia. Riding sand I prefer weighting the peg to steer. Riding up an incline at an angle I prefer pushing the outside knee inwards so if the bike slips my inside peg isn't pushing itself into the incline along with the bike. Choose the technique for the terrain. No one's answer/approach is wrong here

[@billmastrippolito7132]

This is a bit like the old argument that standing on the footpegs raises or lowers the centre of gravity. If you stand rigid it surely will raise the centre of gravity but that is not the point in standing at all. Standing is to allow your arms and legs to become part of the suspension and also to give you more control and balance by isolating yourself from the bike.

[@BrakeMagazine]

Amen

[@DennisGarage]

Hands above the handle bars? Compare that angle to the actual steering axis of the bike, how is that more efficient? Turning through footpeg weighting? In low speed - yeah. Everything above walking speed is mostly done by steering impulse. You basically create a steering impulse by pressurising the foot peg. Counter steering is faster by far. And how are bumps and shocks absorbed by your legs when you stand on the arch or heel even? Genuine questions / remarks.

[@BlockCylinder]

Man, I love this. I love that you called out Bret Tkacs. He's fantastic and his videos are fantastic, but there have been at least a few times when just didn't know all the answers and he chose to make the video anyway. That needs to be called out so that he can be better and so that riders won't be misled. It doesn't mean we don't love you, Bret!

[@BrakeMagazine]

Exactly. 😊😊 I would want the same!