Snapping Turns - Practice Like a Pro #54

THIS EPISODE:
We won't claim that snapping turns is the fastest way to ride through a corner, BUT it can certainly be the most fun! And that's why we're here, right?
Snapping turns is a playful way to square off a turn and make a cool shralping sound effect.
HOW TO GET SET UP:
1. Find a back-foot bermed turn.
If you are a left foot forward rider, this will be a left turn.
If you are a right foot forward rider, this will be a right turn.
2. Identify the line you will want to take, where you can square off the berm at the last second. It can be helpful to draw a reference line in the dirt!
HOW TO EXECUTE THE "SNAP":
1. Enter to the inside of the turn, heading straight for the berm ahead (so that you can square it off).
2. Keep your feet level as long as possible (without missing the turn!) to save your cornering energy.
3. At the last moment, rapidly move through your footwork, dipping and pressuring the outside foot to dig the tires sharply into the ground with maximum force.
4. This allows you to make a rapid change of direction and a cool shralping sound effect.
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ABOUT SIMON LAWTON
Following his own Pro Downhill mountain bike racing career, Simon Lawton (Owner and Founder) has spent the last 25 years analyzing the top riders in the world to understand the tiniest details that contribute to their greatest successes, and also any weaknesses that are holding them back. With an exceptional understanding of kinesiology, Simon has developed his own teaching curriculum that explains the incredible relationship between human and machine. He has trained top pro mountain bike racers across the world, and his foundational techniques apply equally to beginner riders. His on-bike drills allow you to break down complex skills on the bike and develop correct techniques.
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ABOUT LINNEA ROOKE
Linnea has been racing locally in the pro category, but prior to Fluidride, she had almost no formal training and was held back by major gaps in her technique. While she was able to carry speed well on straight downhills and high-bermed turns, she lacked foundational cornering skills and was timid in the air. In Feb 2020, she met up with Fluidride to help with a filming trip in Baja, and was fascinated by Simon's teaching methods. Wanting to be part of this mission, she left her career in healthcare in July 2020 to officially join the Fluidride team as COO. We started filming this series to document her journey of cleaning up bad habits, adding new skills to her toolkit, and chasing her dream of riding with style.
Linnea is riding an Evil Following V3! www.evil-bikes...

[@mannyfnsc29]

It's always better to look cool than to be cool. That's why I always wear my Flava Flav clock necklace while riding.

[@Fluidride]

I need to get one of those!

[@SubversionGarage]

Yeah, boyeeeeee!

[@Allsystemsaredown]

Another great video! (I also enjoyed the squirrel at 9:00). Thanks for these lessons.

[@Fluidride]

You are very welcome! Thanks so much for tuning in. -Simon

[@smilingbear1]

You say “footwork” a lot but don’t describe what you are doing with your feet. “Fast delivery of my footwork” what are you doing with your feet? When do you weight/unweight the inside or outside foot? “Rapidly move through your footwork” at 5:01, can you explain?

[@manalotomanaloto]

As usual, greatvideo - best schralp how-to!! When I've tried to do this, nothing would happen as I was not using proper technique, I would try to kick out the rear using all means except for strong footwork. Thank you! Btw, Linnea is getting too good, always nailing it on the first try 😊

[@Fluidride]

Thank you! Glad you are enjoying the content. And yeah, Linnea is a quick study for sure! -Simon

[@seanoneil277]

I think if you just see a rider doing this, whether in person or on video, it's tough to know just what they're doing to cause the end result of a knob-ripper turn. It can look like a fast rear brake lockup, or an exaggerated bar turn. But if you ever did it accidentally, you might stumble upon a bit of magic. Simon's really good at explaining what is actually happening. Linnea's a testament to Simon's good coaching. I remember her skill & fluidity in the early videos. She is very fast and smooth now, and learns things quickly as a result of all that good coaching.

[@guang-xingli9228]

the change of footwork from level pedals to outside foot unweighted the bike briefly, making the rear tire skid for a shaper turn.

[@oliverbourne9599]

Awesome ! Amazing how this related to my question last week about how to accelerate through corners 😃 I always thought accelerating through corners was that old adage "push out and through the apex" I never get anywhere with that and I think after watching this it's because I'm always looking to open a corner up to keep it smooth for speed. I've never actually tried cutting inside like this. I'm going to experiment thanks 👍

[@Fluidride]

Yeah, it's funny how long it took me to realize that it's the tighter radius berms that allow for this.Think pump tracks...all tight turns. Started playing around with this, and it's been a ton of fun. Of course on a pumptrack, the berms are so steep, we can push with both legs. Great to hear from you Oliver! -Simon

[@PantherBlackAudiRS]

Great video, nice to see new content! Also, thanks Simon for the emails back and forth for the stem cells, had the procedure done in April!

[@Fluidride]

I hope you got some good benefit. Every person and every procedure is different, but mine have been really helpful.

[@PantherBlackAudiRS]

@@Fluidride I did in my hand as they injected where it was painful. No luck with the shoulder as the injected the tear, instead of the painful area. I ended up doing allogenical.

[@lukeregan]

Community service hours 😂

[@davidgrammerstorf9433]

Funny, I always thought people were hitting their back brakes and throwing their weight forward to do that.

[@Fluidride]

Looks similar! -Simon

[@mattgies]

That's a thing people do for sure, but that's a "skid", not a "shralp".

[@johnnguyen8724]

This video helped me so much! I’ve been wanting to learn this for so long and on the last 2 rides I’ve just been practicing it and even helping others learn. Giddy like a 40yo kid out there. Thank you 😎🤙🏻❤️

[@Fluidride]

John - pumped to hear this!! Keep up the practice, and also sharing the learnings & inspiration with others - we love hearing this!

[@jeremiemcclean1635]

That’s how I always burp my tire😅

[@Fluidride]

Good sign if you can burp from turns! -Simon

[@orrphism]

I think it's more important to teach "back foot dominant vs front foot dominant" and not this "left/right foot forward" stuff. I ride front foot (right) dominant and my right turns are much harder than left turns, which is not your experience it sounds like being backfoot dominant.

[@BasicBodThor]

I'm right foot forward but left turning is way easier for me haha

[@Fluidride]

Humans love turning left. Think Nascar, track and field. We even run dogs and horses to the left. I spoke with a kinesiology professor about this, and he told me there are more attachments in one side of our low spine with predispose most of us to liking left turns. Our preferences are such a riddle. Interesting stuff. -Simon

[@T-rick]

I ride the same, and agree. I think it helps that we can open our bodies up easier when right foot is in front

[@kjracz15]

I've only done this a few times when I'm trying to go fast on a turn... and I cannot recreate it. It's always by chance, so thanks for this.

[@Fluidride]

That's how I started. I'd get it sometimes, and now I've found a way to replicate it on a lot of turns. Glad this spoke to you! -Simon

[@-tr0n]

Next up: Scandi Flick!

[@Fluidride]

Just waiting for some good dirt! Been a really dry time here. Oh...and working on my Scandi still. I'll hope to be able to show how that's done soon. I can get it sometimes... -Simon

[@-tr0n]

@@Fluidride Personally, I have a tough time drifting a bike. It's so counter intuitive but damn it looks good. Also I'm old and body hurts when you intentionally high side into the ditch!

[@andymiller3889]

What is the difference between your channel and the rest? Others provide information, you provide *instruction*. Thank you, so many times over. My riding is literally better every time because of what you do.

[@Fluidride]

Wow. Thank you Andy. I so appreciate your kind words. -Simon

[@DJH3891]

Nice introduction to this special cornering technique. Haven`t tried your instructions, but what came initially to my mind was - how do you prevent the front wheel from tucking when initiating this abrupt motion?

[@Fluidride]

Position is critical. This is an advanced technique. Riders should have a strong turn already before pushing into a turn like this. The front wheel actually gets LOTS of pressure in this type of turn, so tucking the front wheel isn't likely. We often think of pressure as being the enemy, but it's actually a lack of weighting that might cause a wash out.

[@matthewmagnaghi154]

Theoretically, would cornering in general be easier to learn on a 27.5" VS. A 29"?

[@andrewmorrison8065]

27.5

[@Fluidride]

I'm a tall rider, so honestly I don't feel much difference between wheel sizes, but would say smaller would make this easier to feel in general.

[@samykalifa6245]

Hi, Can i get professor input on this specialized bike filp chip setup, set to high or low ? Don't find my position on the bike, tried the filp chip to low and it's much better, but concerned about the 2 main "bad" effects ( bb height too low and headtube too slack ) What if i set to high the filp chip, reduce. a bit the air pressure and get a bit over 30%sag, in the shock, and add a bit air in the front fork ?

[@BaffodoroBern]

I know this technique is questionable but its fun sometimes. Here is another tip to get a feeling for the right timing. Run your rear tire pressure low. This way you feel when you need to load your rear wheel. After you got the timing down you can go to regular pressure.

[@exothermal.sprocket]

You mean like this? 13:28 blown tire bead.

[@tubularmonkeymaniac]

Yeh don't do this, you'll roll the tire off the wheel. Speaking from experience.

[@BaffodoroBern]

@@tubularmonkeymaniac you are absolutly right. As soon as you got the timing down you should pump it back up. Its just to get the timing right.

[@Fluidride]

Cool tip. Love it actually. Just enough to keep the tire on, but little enough to feel the push;-). Always learning. Thanks for this! -Simon

[@FireLysm]

9:00 SQUIRREEEEEL 🐕!!!! Great to see new content again!

[@jbdbsb]

Does this cause trail damage? That is a question for debate. Of course any damage, should be cleaned up. But who's going to stop and do that. Their are situations where this technique is required (steep chute catch berms), but just for fun? Sure, but you better repair any damage incurred.

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

It's no where near as bad for the turn as braking and 80% of riders do that... As someone who builds, I really don't mind if guys shralp corners. While over time it does see some deterioration, it's mostly on the rail line. Which people don't even typically ride and is pretty easy to fix on a maintenance day... Braking bumps however..... argh.!!!

[@Fluidride]

Not too bad on the trails, and trails are meant to be enjoyed. I was actually the founder of this park and have certainly put my time in on behalf of trails. Needless skidding and over braking are causes of a lot more need for trail repair. Always good to be aware and not needlessly damage trails. In looser conditions, this can actually help build up a bit of a berm. -Simon

[@exothermal.sprocket]

Not recommended with very narrow wheels (less than 30mm inner width), not recommended with really low tire pressure. Probably should be running boost width hubs at least. Although you could do this with any bike, having a floppy wheelset certainly doesn't help. The very last scene demonstrates what I mean with a blown tire bead. Hahaha

[@Fluidride]

Yeah, a narrow rim would have been a disaster in that last turn! -Simon

[@knowledgeseeker2720]

Man I’d like to ride with this guy. 52 and just got back into mountain bikes after a long addiction to whitewater kayaking.

[@Fluidride]

Come join us in Seattle sometime! -Simon

[@fabiovaldesaraneda2012]

Finally the schralping technique!!

[@gr637]

Hi Linnea and Simon, I hope you’re both well. Thank you for yet another very informative and fun video. I have a question, please. Is it possible to snap a turn in the other direction too? In other words, I am a left-foot forward rider, can I snap right turns too? Grazie, Gaetano.

[@Fluidride]

It is, but typically most riders will have less power in that direction. To explain this further, think of the physics of a swing, where is where most of us feel the phenomenon of lateral acceleration for the first time in our lives. When we swing forward and pull the chain of the swing toward us and swing our legs forward, we get more swing effect than we do in the reverse direction. The back foot turn is a lot like the swing swinging forward, as the rear leg actually moves toward the front of the bike as we move through our footwork. Strangely the front foot turn has the front foot moving toward the back of the bike if you think about it. This means we don't generate as much acceleration from the front foot turn, but there is some there, just as there is when the swing is going backward and we push the swing chain forward and drive our legs rearward. I hope this makes sense! -Simon

[@_Jake.From.Statefarm_]

The one video that hasn't been made by any tutorial are those scandy shralps like Vinny T. does.. into S berms. He squares the corner, shralps, then rolls the bike over into a scandy off the end so he can square the next one.. looks so sick but I can't figure it out to save the life of me. lol.

[@Fluidride]

There are certainly some cornering legends out there. Amazing to watch! -Simon

[@JaimetheNomad]

One of the coolest looking/sounding things on a bike! I can’t do it yet haha but I can’t wait until I can.

[@Fluidride]

Yesssss! Shrrrraaaaalp! -Simon

[@akmtnbiking]

Rocking the Evil bike shirt, I like it!

[@TheKaffin8ed]

Was wondering how this was done. Thank you!

[@reverentalexanderchezeley-6367]

A Rooster. Thanks both.

[@seanoneil277]

Really good video, thanks Simon & Linnea. I think these will be tough on the front foot. And on the rear tire side knobs!

[@Fluidride]

Thanks Sean. Well, I need to figure out my front foot shralps to keep my tire wear even! Happy Trails.

[@ThisGuyRides]

I've been pumping mid-corner to generate speed out of berms, will try this snapping turn next ride.

[@Fluidride]

You can pump with both legs when the berm is super steep, but when they are a bit more shallow, this is the ticket! -Simon

[@yuglobalcitizen2246]

So do I brake or no? Ok after I watch the whole thing I got the answer. Thanks a lot

[@Fluidride]

No braking at all in this video. Not a skid. It's a very advanced technique. -Simon

[@xtoefur]

what do you call if you spill some sealant shralping?

[@Fluidride]

It's called 'burping' your tire. Sealant was all cleaned up off the trail after that incident🙂

[@thispod]

This really come at the right time as I've been thinking really hard about this in the last few days 😂

[@Fluidride]

Yeah, we all want to be able to snap turns. So much fun when you get it! Glad it showed up at a good time for you! -Simon

[@taol8258]

aka "roost" or "schralp"

[@mtblover]

Great instructions and it looks like fun. What would the trails look like if everyone did this? Our club has around 7500 members and a trail network of about 150kms. Lots and lots and lots of singletracks. Don't think the trailbuilder and his team will be happy with us ripping the trails up like that. Tygerberg MTB Club, Durbanville, Cape Town, South Africa.

[@davidgrammerstorf9433]

Watch at 10:15

[@andrewmorrison8065]

Thats why trails are maintained. So that they can be ridden. Trail centers the world over build trails to be ridden. In fact their annual rebuilds are part of what they do so that mountain bikers can ride like mountain bikers.

[@davidgrammerstorf9433]

@@andrewmorrison8065 well, the reality is that a vast majority of trail systems are free to use and maintained entirely by volunteers. For instance, at our local trail system, we appreciate when riders use common courtesy and avoid widening trails around puddles on wet days for example. Or running off trail and creating new paths. Shcralping a burm isn't really destructive, but other things can be, taxing volunteer-led maintenance efforts.

[@andrewmorrison8065]

Our local trails are not free. We pay annual membership and a portion of that is used to employ a full-time maintenance crew. Yet people get upset when you ride the trails hard. Ironically the ones who complain don't actually ride all the features. They chicken run them, and try push to make the entire network a chicken run

[@davidgrammerstorf9433]

@@andrewmorrison8065 yeah, definitely a different level of expectations when you're paying an entry fee.

[@TCK71]

Excellent video!