Corners reward preparation
Most trouble in corners begins before the corner. A rider arrives too fast, brakes hard in the middle of the bend, looks at the wrong place or leans into the turn with the wrong pedal low, and the bike runs wide or slides. Good cornering technique is mostly about doing a few simple things in the right order, then letting the bike do its job.
This article covers a basic road-style turn at modest speed. Mountain-bike berms, racing lines and high-speed riding involve more, and they are best learned with instruction. Riding in a bend always carries risk of skidding or falling, especially on wet, loose or oily surfaces, so practise well within your limits.
The sequence in four steps
- Slow down before the turn.
- Look through it.
- Set your feet and body.
- Lean the bike and roll through.
1. Slow down before the turn
Brake while the bike is still upright and travelling straight, before the corner begins. Braking while leaning asks the tyres to deal with turning and slowing at the same time, which can exceed the available grip. A common rule of thumb among riders is to finish most of your braking before you start to turn, then ease off the levers as you lean in. The reasons are explored in traction while braking.
It is much easier to gain speed gently in the middle of a corner than to scrub it off in a panic. If you are unsure, enter more slowly than you think necessary; you can always go faster next time.
2. Look through the turn
Your eyes lead your bike. Look ahead to where the corner ends, and let your head turn gradually with it. Staring at the kerb or at an obstacle on the inside tends to pull the bike toward it. If you are nervous, your gaze may drop to the front wheel; practise lifting your chin and finding the exit point. Looking through the corner also helps you spot gravel, painted lines and other hazards early.
3. Outside pedal down
In a turn, the pedals should be level or, for bends where you are leaning, the outside pedal down and the inside pedal up. Dropping the outside foot and putting weight on it generally lowers your centre of gravity and lifts the inside pedal away from the ground so it will not scrape. It also helps press the tyres into the surface. Stop pedalling in the lean itself and coast through the bend, resuming as you straighten.
On a left turn, that means the right pedal is down, and the reverse for a right turn. Keep your hands relaxed, your elbows slightly bent and your weight divided between saddle and pedals.
4. Lean the bike
A bike turns by leaning. The amount depends on speed and how tight the turn is. At gentle speeds a small lean is enough. Let the bike tilt under you while your upper body stays fairly calm; there is no need to throw your body inside. You can nudge the handlebar slightly in the direction of the turn, and the bike leans naturally.
Some riders also learn countersteering, a brief steering input in the opposite direction at speed that starts the lean. It is happening on most bikes without riders noticing it, and you do not need to think about it as a beginner.
Pick the line
The path you choose through a corner is often called the cornering line. A wide entry, a gradual curve and a wide exit gives a larger-radius, more comfortable arc than a tight turn. On open, empty ground, this is a simple idea. On real roads, however, you must stay in your lane, watch for traffic, and avoid cutting across to the other side. Never use the whole width of a road you share with others.
Practice drills
Choose a smooth, dry, flat, traffic-free place such as an empty car park. Wear a helmet and consider gloves and pads. Use chalk marks or soft markers to define a circle or a course.
Drill 1: The wide circle. Ride a large circle, perhaps ten metres across, at a gentle pace. Keep your outside pedal down, look around the circle and keep your speed steady. Ride in both directions.
Drill 2: Tighten up. Gradually make the circle smaller as you feel more comfortable. If you feel the bike wanting to run wide, slow down a little rather than turning the bars harder.
Drill 3: Braking before the turn. Ride in a straight line toward a marker, brake to a modest speed before the marker, then turn around it. Notice how much easier the turn feels when you are not braking in it.
Drill 4: Figure eight. Link two circles into an eight. This practices changing from a left lean to a right lean smoothly, switching the outside pedal as you go.
Drill 5: Look through, not at. Place a marker to look at at the exit of each circle. Hold your gaze on it and let your hands follow.
Keep each session short, and take breaks. If you feel a tyre slide, stop and reduce your speed.
Surface and conditions
Corners depend heavily on grip. Wet paint, manhole covers, leaves, gravel and sand all reduce it, and the effect grows with lean angle. Learn slippery surface clues so that you notice shiny or dusty patches before you lean on them, and treat wet road traction as much lower than dry. In poor conditions, slow even more and lean less. The same advice applies to loose gravel, where a lean can be unpredictable.
Spotting hazards early is a general habit that belongs in every corner, and road hazard spotting covers the basics.
Common cornering mistakes
- Braking hard mid-corner. Slow before, then ease off.
- Entering too fast. Slow down early, speed up later.
- Looking at the ground or hazard. Look through to the exit.
- Pedalling through the lean. An inside pedal can touch the ground. Coast.
- Sitting stiff. Keep elbows and knees relaxed.
- Turning too sharply at the end. Plan a wide exit.
More detail on each of these appears in cornering mistakes, but the idea is that most errors come from arriving too fast or looking in the wrong place.
Building confidence
Confidence in corners comes from repetition at comfortable speeds, not from pushing harder. Set small goals, such as three smooth turns in each direction before ending a session. If you are still nervous, take a skills lesson. An instructor can watch your posture and gaze, which are the two things riders find hardest to judge for themselves.