We use the classic figure eight drill a lot in the LLB remote coaching program. It can be done anywhere, shows lots of skills and can be scaled to challenge any rider.
As riders’ technical cornering skills become non-conscious, we start to focus (ha ha!) on vision.
Lee,
Been an admirer from the UK for a while now and have a good collection of your books. I’d be interested in seeing a blog post from you on cornering technique.
In Mastering Mountain Bike Skills 2nd Edition, you advocate putting your outside leg down and putting all the weight into the outside leg. This allows the rider to weight the tyre effectively and get your lean on. I’ve also seen other people use a technique where they lean their butt out just as much and lean the bike, but they keep their feet parallel to the ground. I see the benefits to this being that, since both legs are not full extension, the rider can extend into any depressions and most importantly get their pump on as they’re coming out of the corner.
Connected to that, your book advocates a similar technique for traversing a slope where the down slope leg is fully extended and the hips are tilted over the bike. To me, this is another situation where it might make more sense to have feet parallel to the slope so that they can extend into any depressions.
Anyway, as mentioned, I’d be keen to know your opinions on this. I’ve always used the leg down technique but am wondering if I should be using the other technique for more radness!
Gavin
This week I’ve been working with XTERRA world champion Lesley Paterson. She is a gifted, driven, smart and methodical professional athlete.
Her fitness + LLB kung fu skills = world class mountain bike racer. Just watch.
Conventional wisdom tells us stiffer-soled cycling shoes are better than softer ones. Something out Power! and Efficiency! and Being Pro!
Our friend Max asks whether that’s true, especially for mountain bikers.
A new member of Pump Track Nation shared this note from his wife:
I only had 15 minutes to ride today, but the new XTR group just went onto my Specialized Camber Expert Carbon, so you know I had to try it.
Those wheels!
The LLB Spring 2015 Moab Camp was a huge success.
Our next destination camp will be in Bouder, CO this July 22-26 — and it’ll be even more dialed than the Moab camp!
Check out the LLB Summer 2015 camp in Boulder >>>
Lee,
After studying your lessons about not getting weight back in the air and staying centered (Stop the injury cycle!), I’m curious if that contributed to Myriam Nicole’s violent endo at the Fort William World Cup. I know landing on the flat didn’t help, but is this an example of overloading the rear like your info graphic?
PS: Just trying to wrap my head around it all as I start to slowly but surely leave the ground higher and longer the more I ride and better I get. Not a knock on her, I know she’s far more skilled a rider than I. I just watched the second half in slow mo and immediately saw your info graphic in my head.
Randy
Over the past six months I’ve been using a TRX suspension trainer as part of my shoulder physical therapy (See Bone on bone but still rocking).
Lately I’ve been rocking this fun move:
Do you need to tackle a huge job but don’t know where to start? Maybe it’s a book, or a bike park, or enterprise software. When it comes to anxiety, all projects are the same.
Last year I attended a conference where I learned a simple way to make huge, time consuming and expensive projects seem smaller, quicker and more affordable. This will reduce your anxiety and help you get you started.
Check it out:
Lee,
Hope all is well. I was thinking of getting better and longer front end suspension from 100mm to 120mm. Knowing that I’m transitioning from Ironman to XTERRA, mountain bike biathlons, a large variety of trail rides, as well as the 12 or 24 hour thrown in, would adding 20mm of travel be something your recommend or is 120mm simply overkill for the type of riding I do? Also would adding suspension mean I would have to change up the stem length, spacers that you guys dialed in at our last Moab camp? After reading your book on Mountain Bike Skill, I would initially think it would slacken the head tube angle, etc.
Thank you. Your thoughts/inputs on shred-fu are always greatly appreciated! Looking at my first XTERRA in late June in CO, South Carolina or Indiana (can’t decide yet) and maybe a 12 or 24 hour relay next month.
Neil
I preach proper rest, and I often tell my overtrained clients to just freaking’ take a break, but I’m not so good at following that advice.