Countersteering on a cross bike (or any bike)?
In comments for the post Local trails on the cross bike, Christopher asked:
Lee, what’s your take on the cornering technique described here?
http://www.cxmagazine.com/cornering-column-lee-waldman-2010
Hmm.
He’s talking about countersteering, which is a real thing, but I seldom teach it specifically because most of us do it automatically (and thinking about it balls most people up).
Countersteering is a useful way to help you lean any bike or motorcycle. If you are riding well, especially at high speed, I guarantee you’re already doing it.
Here’s a diagram from MMBSii:
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Say you want to turn left:
1. Bump the bars to the right.
2. This creates a gyroscopic force that leans the bike to the left.
3. Relax your grip and let the bike steer left. You’re carving left.
The key to cornering well is leaning the bike independently of the body. Judging by the author’s comments and the photo of him riding, he tends to keep the bike upright and steer.
By countersteering, he was getting more bike lean and — viola! — the bike turned better.
Related:
Braaap!
— Lee
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