Riders, what do you do with your legs/mid-section?

When leaning the bike over fairly deep?

Ive always tried to just prop myself up with the front quarter of my foot (just behind the toes) and use my leg strength to move my weight over from side to side and to hold position when cornering.

The problem I am having is that when I try to get my upper body mass AWAY from the centre of the bike and off the bike into the corner....my ass doesnt come far enough off to keep a decent body position....

When I do bring my ass further off the seat to make for a more comfortable position from upper body to lower body......so much of my (considerable lol) weight gets put onto my one leg on the inside. This makes for jerkier movements in general. But also it makes for cramps and a good deal of muscle stress.

Its not that I have weak leg muscles I do weight train a bit and work a physical job. Not sure what else I could do to better distribute my body weight in order to facilitate smoother transitions from left-right-left-right-etc as well as a more relaxed body position in general when leaning deeper into corners.

Not looking for people to write an essay (though I would appreciate it lol) but even small tips would be handy.

Thanks gents!!

Take a yoga class, and let you and your body become one...lol...

For me my legs and abs do most of the work so my arms a free to do what they need to do.

When setting up for a corner, shift one butt cheek the off the saddle and then lean your upper body the way you want to go. Your face should be at or below the mirror.

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Ben Spies and Troy Bayliss are good examples of new school vs. old school style. Ben really, really lowers his upper body where as Troy is more "crossed" up. Both work but more riders are using Ben's technique. Note that Ben isn't hanging his lower body off as much as Troy but is lowering his upper body as much as he can.

Both riders are amazing atheles and physically train like any pro; running, cycling, weight lifting.

Like any new thing you need to teach the muscle memory to your body so it does things on reflex. Work on your form in a safe place and it will come. Once you do your first track day you'll be amazed at how far you came by the end of the day.

I ride old school, for the most part, because I'm old??? I don't put too much weight on my inside leg but hang from my outside leg. The hammies get a good workout too.

And you are correct, you weight should be on the balls of your feet, not the arch. In any sport you want a "fighters stance" and that requires you to be on the balls of your feet. Without that you can't make quick changes on the bike.

Hope this helps Lone.

for road riding, i wouldnt be getting off the seat that much...if you are, i reckon you are riding the bike too hard on the road (IMHO)...but for the track. great advice.

:thumbup:

just to add, to hellgate. I was taught to twist your hips a little so that your hips are facing into the turn. When I tried it, I was amazed at the difference. It felt alot more comfortable and right. It also makes the whole knee dragging thing easier.

Can you explain that again in english? :justkidding:

WOW I missed some keys on that one. I edited it. LOL

i hope we are talking aboput dragging the knee at the track, if you are dragging your knee on the road....i reckon your going too fast, and probably breaking the law. just my 2 cents.

i just realised that i am dumb...again...this is talking about the track...will shut up now!
:thumbup:

Here is your essay. (Thanks to Sport Rider Magazine)


While you're beginning to set up for the corner, shift your body position by pivoting your lower body around the back of the tank to slide about half your butt off the seat. Doing this in advance of the corner keeps you from being rushed as you bend the bike into the turn and slows your perceived, or mental, speed. Getting your body in position and downshifting done well in advance of the corner gives you a significant amount of time to relax, set your entrance speed by smoothly releasing the brake and pick a precise turn-in point for the corner. Handling all the aforementioned tasks early frees up an enormous amount of time and concentration for the really important aspects of entering the corner.

Weight the inside footpeg and push against the tank with your outside thigh as you countersteer to turn the bike in. Applying multiple, subtle inputs to steer the bike helps you to stay light on the bars and keep the bike stable. As the bike leans into the corner, shift your upper body off about an equal amount to your lower body so that your back is more or less parallel to the centerline of the bike but offset to the inside about four to six inches.

Hold your outside thigh against the tank so that it supports most of your body weight and allows your arms to be relaxed at a natural bend. As you exit the corner, pull your body back up with your arms and legs combined; using only your arms can feed unnecessary inputs into the bars, causing the front tire to get light and initiate headshake while accelerating off the corner. Unweight your butt just enough to slide across the seat and back into position; don't jump up from one position to another, which can unsettle the bike. Consciously weight the outside footpeg to help the bike stand up and to transfer traction to the rear tire.

It's important to not hang off so drastically that it compromises your body's connection with the bike or your ability to control the bike should you lose traction from the front or rear tire. Keep your head upright, looking two to six seconds in front of the bike at all times. Most riders find it helpful to keep their heads close to perpendicular to the ground, which gives a better sense of balance and visual orientation, as well. If you stay tucked in behind the bubble, your vision of the road ahead will be compromised.

I wouldn't have enough knowledge to write on this topic anyway, good luck:thumbup: Oh, and don't forget...Warm up the tires...

I have found that a combination of hanging on with my outside leg and tightening my abs really helps with the jerkiness of my movements. pilates was great to strengthen my core, and with the core strength came less jerky motions on the bars. i highly recommend pilates to anyone who wants to ride track (they were recommended to me by a few male racers, so don't take it as just advice from a girl). they make dvds too, so you dont have to go to classes and be the only dude there.

My First Bikes' post about yoga shouldnt be far off...
Pilates would probably be a better use of your time.

In order for movements to be smooth the brain needs to communicate postural sets to the body. [probably unecessary, but the cerebellum refines our movements by applying a complimentary amount of counter force to every flex or extension at every joint] If you've seen someone post stroke the problem with their gate is that they have too much flexion or too much extension.

So the best method to achieve smooth movement would be to (a) Practice the movements, if you can train your body to make the necesary movements your brain will have a pattern from which to draw, therefore putting less of a demand on accessory components of the movement. (b) Develop the muscles opposite the ones that you are using (ex. arm curls & tricep kickbacks or situps and back extensions)

As for the positioning, the other guys will know a lot more. Hope this helps... sorry if I geeked out...

So this magical place you call "pilates" -you say it's filled with limber women AND will make me a better rider?

Hmm... might have to rob from the rearset piggy bank and sign up for a few classes

Hellgate said:

I ride old school, for the most part, because I'm old??? I don't put too much weight on my inside leg but hang from my outside leg. The hammies get a good workout too.

Click to expand...

This.

I didn't know how to hang off properly until Pete explained this to me. I was putting all my weight on the inside footpeg, which was hard on my knee and made me feel like I was going to slip my foot off the peg and fall off the bike.

Try it. You'll like it.

What helped me to get my core strengthened is P90X extreme home fitness program. It has exercises that I did not think were possible to do. I highly recommend it to anyone who is mentally prepared to go thru 90 days of hell if you follow the program like you should. I feel awesome, I look better than I ever was, and got loads of energy. It’s amazing how my riding improved tremendously. I never understood the core muscle strength and what it can do over all until I bought this program. Very good post about shifting your weight here. “Total control” book also helped me as well.