front end slide....recoverable?

[RJ2112]

<What do you do if you do lock up the front tire and find yourself skidding towards something you don't want to hit?

Misti>

As per my training via MSF (1985) and since that crash in 2005, I make a strong effort to look at where I want to go, rather than the threat. Body English has such a large effect on where the bike will really go that it's always worth it to point your chin at your direction of choice.

 

[Misti]

Mid turn or under braking?

Under braking, I'd go with release which will give traction back and swerve. Mid turn? Well, a slide mid turn usually is just a quick jerk and you'd go on about your business of normal avoidance.

Under braking-the thing with releasing the brakes, (which is what most people do instinctively when the front locks and begins skidding) is that you aren't slowing down anymore and are likely to hit the thing you were trying to avoid. There may not be time to swerve out of the way of the object.

I'd say that if you lock the front and are skidding the best thing to do is to release the pressure just enough to stop the bike from skidding, but so that you are still able to slow down enough and stop. We coach this on our brake rig where we get riders to purposely lock the front tire and then we train them to react by releasing the pressure just a little bit. The result is that you still come to a wicked fast stop but you don't risk losing the front or skidding straight into the path of what you were tying to avoid in the first place.

It is tough to teach yourself not to just let go of the brake.

Mid corner if you find the front skidding, best to counter-steer the bike back up quickly and release pressure on the brake like you said.

RJ2112 also makes a good point about vision in that you should look where you want to go or keep your vision UP as opposed to locked on or staring at the danger or the ground.

Cheers!
Misti