Single Track Foot Steering! Awesome

[holycaveman]

Originally Posted by txrider

The best riders crash the least. That's why they are the best.

Yep, the best at not crashing!!


If a man told me that he has ridden 1,000,000 miles and never crashed, I would know that man has ridden to the grocery store 100,000 times.

I don't look up to people who have ridden no where as far as offroad instruction goes. Unless I want to go no where also.

[kewlbyme]

Originally Posted by mikeshorephoto

I might be way out there on this but it works for me and I thought I'd pass it along.

My background was riding crotch rockets like a jackass for 3-4 years as an 18 year old collecting a lot of tickets and near death experiences on interstate 95 in New England.

Every night I ride a 14 mile loop here in Austin - probably 30% road and 70 percent single track and technical trials type riding. (I only hit the easier sections of the trials course by my house)

After 6 months of abusing my KLR and the trails I have learned a few things that make a difference. They may not be great or correct advise but if you they have saved me a bunch of times.

1.) Look where you want to go, not where you are at. It helps balance. It makes whatever is under your tires feeling weird feel less weird. It forces the the bike into a better line making for smoother riding when in tight single track. Ruts are a good example for me. If I assess the entry and then focus on the out line, the rut goes pretty smoothly and I don't worry about keeping my tires in a groove so much. Same with berms. Pick you line, pick you out, and go through confident.

2.) Get agile on your feet. Use them to steer. I road last winter with a really experienced rider who was double my age. He always laughed at me for standing up so much off road on my KLR - to each their own but I stay standing for the most part on trails. When you ride tight single track at speed, the battle for me becomes how relaxed can I get? As I relax more and get into a rhythm of of the trail, I notice that every time I feel late for a corner, I am over gripped and applying brakes - no need - relax and steer with your feet. My brain tells me to fight the turn and weights the bike accordingly but this isn't right for me. If I relax and put weight on my feet to the side I want to turn, the bike will snap into the turn quickly and confidently.
3.) Keep your bike in good running order. I routinely dump my bike 3-5 times a week minimum. Not fast or out of control but in tight spots in the woods. If you protect the major components, keep the bike well maintained, you can beat the ever loving shit out of these KLR' s and they keep on ticking.

Just my two cents on some probably poor but working self taught technique. I'm sure everyone knows this stuff but I am still green and riding hard to learn before my trip to Colorado and Moab here in 6 weeks.

Cheers,
Mike

That was very well put. I have never seen it expressed any more clearly and succinctly. And if HolyCaveman likes it, it's a keeper!

When are the videos available HCM?

[Mike Toon]

Originally Posted by mikeshorephoto

If I relax and put weight on my feet to the side I want to turn, the bike will snap into the turn quickly and confidently.

What happened to putting your weight on the outside peg in a turn?

[Justin Case]

Originally Posted by Mike Toon

What happened to putting your weight on the outside peg in a turn?

Keep reading.....


"I routinely dump my bike 3-5 times a week minimum"


Whomph there it iz!

[SnowAviation]

I would like to point out that a "Dump" and a "Crash" are two entirely
different things - altogether.

If you want to get better at something you gotta flirt with the edge or
you will never know where it is exactly, and when flirting sometimes you
get the date and sometimes you...get dumped.

That's not to say that guys who haven't crashed or dumped their bikes
aren't good riders, just less likely to be the best riders.

[UTAH BUZZARD]

Originally Posted by SnowAviation

That's not to say that guys who haven't crashed or dumped their bikes
aren't good riders, just less likely to be the best riders.

[Spec]

Originally Posted by UTAH BUZZARD

Certainly the fast guys have crashed alot, if you don't push the envelope you don't know where it folds! They can go fast now without crashing because their 90% pace is more like 120% pace for mere mortals. But when they push to 100% they still crash...

All the "older" fast guys I know have scars, limps, limited joint mobility, back problems, etc. from riding. There's a price to pay...

[SPOFF]

I routinely dump my bike 3-5 times a week minimum.

That hasn't been true for me since the 1960s. And that was from trying to ride a Trail 90 across frozen N.H. lakes, racing snowmobiles.

Originally Posted by mikeshorephoto

I road last winter with a really experienced rider who was double my age. He always laughed at me for standing up so much off road on my KLR...

Soon you'll be 55 and not able to stand on the pegs for more than 60 seconds at a time. So you have to save standing for when you really need it. I'm guessing the codger was 80 to 90 percent as fast as you and hadn't dropped a bike offroad in 25 years.

[Spec]

Originally Posted by SPOFF

Soon you'll be 55 and not able to stand on the pegs for more than 60 seconds at a time. So you have to save standing for when you really need it. I'm guessing the codger was 80 to 90 percent as fast as you and hadn't dropped a bike offroad in 25 years.

55 huh? 60 seconds on the pegs?

[Mike Toon]

I'll be 64 in a month or two. You'd be surprised what you can do and for how long....... when you have to. (or want to)

[Justin Case]

A man that gets old in the hips, gets young in the lips.

[UTAH BUZZARD]

Originally Posted by Justin Case

A man that gets old in the hips, gets young in the lips.

I will leave that one alone

[Mike Toon]

[Justin Case]

Originally Posted by UTAH BUZZARD

I will leave that one alone

Don't you like to "yodel in the canyon"?

[RGuerra]

Originally Posted by mikeshorephoto

2.) Get agile on your feet. Use them to steer.

What do you mean with If I relax and put weight on my feet...?

Do you mean to put pressure on the peg, or to move your foot down to the ground, or ...?