How To Improve Your MTB Cornering: Riding Flat Corners

Jumping impresses people but learning to be great at riding corners is arguably the best skill to learn in mountain biking! In this video, our ex Enduro racer Rich Payne teaches you how to practice your skills on flat corners. The great thing about riding flat corners is you can learn them almost anywhere!
⏱ Timestamps ⏱
00:00 - Intro
00:46 - Set A Course
01:22 - Body Position
02:58 - Pedal Position
04:12 - Eyes Up
05:50 - Leaning The Bike
07:20 - Breaking
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[@callawaycass5148]

A recent revelation for me is actually to keep the feet level in turns. Watch DH racers! I have always dropped my outside foot and never felt like I was railing turns. I've worked on it off and on for years. Just recently, someone brought to my attention that you should not drop your outside foot. Bam! Instantly railing turns, even flat carves on asphalt/tarmac like never before. On trail, it not only feels way faster and safer, but Strava times prove this is faster. I believe dropping the outside foot is a holdover from the pre-dropper days. (Yes I've been riding that long.) In order to lean the bike, you have to drop that foot to make room for the saddle to move out from under you. With a dropper (or on a DH bike), this is not necessary. Furthermore, when dropping the outside foot I find myself in a weird balancing act between my outside foot and inside hand, resulting in an inability to drive and pump through the turn. Instantly solved with level pedals, even on flat turns! Food for thought.

[@RobLunn1]

This is on the money. I recently did an MTB skills course and they specifically told us not to drop the outside pedal except for in a few specific situations (not flat turns). They said it's not good as you a standing on one leg instead of two and are less stable.I've been trying to follow the advice since the course and have noticed that when I fall into old habits and drop the outside pedal, I feel like a lose power or at least put myself in a weak position.

[@nickv3085]

It’s silly to be absolute about any of this. Dropping the outside pedal can be overused/misused, for sure…but never doing it isn’t optimal either. There are also more options than fully dropped pedal and level pedals. There are plenty of sections that are ridden much faster foot out flat out, but sometimes those sections connect to the track in a way where you don’t want to be unclipped as coming into the next turn/feature happens right away. Different people ride different lines / etc as well. It seems at a novice level, people tend to gravitate to a one size fits all, but it just isn’t right if you actually want to progress.

[@SamWhitlock]

@@callawaycass5148 flat feet also make it much easier to save if one starts to drift a bit if the corner is loose. In fact, I don't ever think I've seen anyone schralp a berm without level pedals 😂

[@Ridebox_MTB]

The outside foot down is a bit outdated and not usually a good thing to do... Sometimes it works, but it makes cornering less flowy. Look at DH and enduro racers on their runs and you will notice that they are usually quite balanced while cornering. You can lean the bike and still have balance on both feet, takes a bit of practice but the problem with the outside foot down is: 1. You have all your weight on one foot, meaning that your balance is between your one foot and the handlebar - not between your two feet. So its very easy to over pressure the handlebar just trying to correct yourbalance. 2. Pushing on the outside foot only actually makes the bike go straight up - so you need to again counter with pressure on the handlebar to lean the bike and that's the worst place to put weight on while cornering. 3. It takes a lof of time between fast corners to rotate the crank from side to side... you can be much quicker with direction change without dropping your foot and just staying balanced. No.1 rule in mountain biking is simple - keep your balance on your feet. Try cornering with that and it becomes a lot simpler. We didn't make a video specific about this ( yet ) but there's a really good on here with Shaums March you can check out to get in depth about this: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kGWTXmqqgcdriNE

[@mikerothmusic4128]

Thanks Ridebox_MTB! GMBN Rich, what do you think??

[@JeffMTBinVA]

Can we just take a moment and recognize those insane track stand skils of both riders as he explained things. 😁 Nice vid Rich, thanks.

[@garyalexander3281]

Amazing how small changes in stance and position make a big difference, makes me think even after 5 years of mountain biking I could do with lessons - thanks for the tips!

[@ShaneStilwell]

I remember back in the day frustration with turns. I watched video of Brian Lopes on any course I could find & developed my positioning from that. It really helped!

[@HarbaroX]

These Effects were really nice. Like the way you teached everything. Keep it up

[@kristenbrook897]

Absolutely keep the instructional videos coming!!! Thank you 😊

[@donball370]

Like the slo' mo and stop style to the video. Really get to appreciate the technique being explained. Thanks.

[@PaulAlgren]

Great video. Good tips... However, I rarely encounter cones on the trail. Imagine those are trees. You're hitting every tree.

[@Drakonaut]

Interested to see if I can use this for my fat bike. Only just got the bike and it's been years, so techniques help. Also Tennessee life- so many hills, so many turns.

[@Pete_B95]

Right Rich vs Wrong Blake would be fun 👍

[@j.albertogratacos2076]

It can be also noted that by leaning the bike more, you're using the side knobs. These are designed for turning. The middle knobs are for braking traction and tend to slide sideways.

[@ShredTrek]

Amazing video! Please consider making more like it. Really good explanations with good editing.

[@LeonardoPostacchini]

This GMBN edits are gnarly, brilliant video.

[@gmbn]

Thanks a ton!

[@saddleweary2777]

Great video, I hope you make a vid peddling threw flat corners on flat ground

Nice production! Would be nice to add some physics too. Like it's all about your center of mass being as close, horizontally, to the contract points of the wheels as possible (when on flat slippery surfaces). Whilst in a freeze frame you could do a graphical measurement.

[@junka1975]

Set up your obstacle course in your driveway and make the turns tighter as you go.

[@helicopter12345678]

Nice one Rich 👍

[@phoenixinthetrees1446]

0:05 + Perhaps someone else on GMBN could do a video for Rich's benefit on how to tighten helmet straps properly...

[@jamesc6876]

heh, that's part 2: how to make sure you are turning your head. when u can't see because the helmet is the way, you need to use your eyes more.

[@andrew_gardner]

Thumbnail image is a little off, the white zig-zag has one zag too many 😉

[@jamesc6876]

part three: How to zig when others zag. Avoiding the white slippery paint line

[@jamesc6876]

or what happens when u hit the white paint line and you need to compensate out of drift

[@jamesc6876]

also, part four: How to avoid disqualification: Staying on the correct sides of markers. those pesky time penalties will get you extra letters in a game of BIKE

[@lefmis4238]

wait maybe im dumb but at 6:47 he talks about "switching pedals backwards" isn't he not doing this in the following clip?

[@user-vv2ev6fx6g]

I used to do this when I was 10 me and my friends use to see who could go round in Circles, the lowest by leaning the bike but not our body. It was just a game to me and Common sense what I mean is knowone had to tell me what to do

[@steveprice9737]

Riding 26" wheels in races , no dropper and just aggressive riding I often ride foot out, its knowing when it's appropriate, can slow the flow. Got my foot hooked round a tree last week, bruised shin😂 .. fool😅

[@fanofentropy2280]

brake for stopping, break needs fixing,

[@PassiveIZ]

Time to tighten that helmet strap ;)

[@mikerothmusic4128]

Nice video! Practicing cornering in a parking lot with cones has been really helpful to me in the past from RideBox videos... www.youtube.com/@Ridebox_MTB/videos I am curious - do you think that leaving the pedals flat & parallel to the ground would be best to focus on first until you have the skills to lean and maneuver the bike? I find its a lot of "faff" to keep switching foot position, for not a ton of benefit, with the exception of a super loose corner where i know i want to dab a foot.

[@romemancer7905]

Not with those stupid 29 inch wheels...Are and always have been overkill...They will always fight you...the faster you go the worse they are...the law of physics !

[@Alan-75]

Yeh I hate 29ers, nothing wrong with 27.5 at all

[@Meatballs.933]

Nothing really wrong with either tbh

[@svenball5384]

You hate wheels? There is help out there

[@jim_nix71]

Yeah, coz all the top pro's have totally got it wrong riding 29in wheels 😂🙄

[@blakekennard7700]

Physics does play a huge roll in cornering success, wheel size comprising only a few of the factors at play. Other factors that influence cornering like bar length (leverage), head tube angel(need to lean the bike), trail measurement (increased or decreased castor effect or wheel flip), stem length(rider position relative to distance from front wheel and leverage). And I’m sure much more, but they all come together and are essentially customizable to rider preference. Honestly tuning the physics of my riding experience is one of my favorite things to manipulate while riding. And beyond the physical points on your bike, our own rider inputs affect how your bikes setup responds.