Slalom drills vs. figure 8 drills?


What’s up Lee,
I just wanted to get your opinion on slalom drills through a row of cones on a flat surface. How does this type of drill compare to figure 8’s as far as development of cornering, pumping turns, and left hand turns? Is there anything beneficial to adding this drill to practice time or does it just get trumped by figure 8’s?

Mahalo,
Keoni



I often include slalom drills in my clinics — especially for roadies. Victoria takes a break from her Triple Bypass training to rip my vintage GT cruiser.

Hey Keoni,

Awesome question. So much more satisfying than “Which shock should I put on my frame” or “my brand new DH brakes make my back tire skid — what should I upgrade to?”

Both figure 8s and slaloms are valuable.

They teach you different, but complimentary, things:

Figure 8: Long, drawn out turns. Deep lean angles. Expanding your range of motion. Huge, exaggerated transitions. Think of that extra-tight switchback on your favorite trail.

Slalom: Quicker, flowier turns. Faster transitions. Pumping. Carrying speed. Imagine flitting through the woods like a forest pixie. A badass one.

A well rounded rider can rip both types of turns.

Mix it up!

— Lee


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10 replies
  1. Alex says:

    Why not just do a slalom drill, but turn all the way around at the last cone, coming back the way you came? That way, you get both the quick turn practice of slalom and the long, deep turn practice from figure 8s.

  2. Colin says:

    Are these drills still do-able using off-road tyres like Maxxis Swamp Thing 42a. I guess they will wear quickly on tarmac but will they reduce the effectivness of the drill ? Also, I have 2 bikes a 6in travel Enduro and an 8in travel Uzzi. Is there anything I should do differently with a full sus bike ? My first attempts at figure of eights on the Uzzi caused the front tyre to wash wide. How can I tell if its because of not leaning forward enough or turning the bars too much ?

  3. leelikesbikes says:

    – Swamp Things are mud tires. They will feel wallowy and vague. And they’ll wear out fast.

    – Pumping with suspension takes longer, slower timing and a lot more body movement.

    https://www.leelikesbikes.com/pumping-with-suspension.html

    – Many big bikes like that have a rearward weight bias. You’ll need to shift some weight onto the bars.

    https://www.leelikesbikes.com/figure-8s-on-dirt-weighting-the-front-end.html

    – Make sure you are NOT steering. Let the bike’s lean do everything.

  4. leelikesbikes says:

    – Swamp Things are mud tires. They will feel wallowy and vague. And they’ll wear out fast.

    – Pumping with suspension takes longer, slower timing and a lot more body movement.

    https://www.leelikesbikes.com/pumping-with-suspension.html

    – Many big bikes like that have a rearward weight bias. You’ll need to shift some weight onto the bars.

    https://www.leelikesbikes.com/figure-8s-on-dirt-weighting-the-front-end.html

    – Make sure you are NOT steering. Let the bike’s lean determine the angle of your steering column.

    Say Braaap!!!

  5. leelikesbikes says:

    This just in from Keoni:

    — — —

    Hey Lee,
    Just wanted to say thanks for the advice on cone slaloms. I’ve added them to my drill sessions and they rock. It also feels like my figure 8’s have improved because of them.

    I set my cones at 4 paces on a slight grade to make it interesting. The first time I tried it was kind of awkward but I found that a couple of rounds while seated helped me get a feel for them.

    Oh yeah, I played around with the figure 8 spacing and found that 8 paces is rad.

    Keoni

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