Countersteering

[AlanDB]

The counter steering explains why if you ride too close to the edge of a sidewalk or paved trail and try to turn back toward the center of the path, you almost always run off the edge you are trying to turn away from.

 

[m@Robertson]

As long as we're talking about cornering

 

[PCeBiker]

As long as we're talking about cornering

Yeah that's how I rode my dirt bike, by leaning the bike over.
He mentioned that it helps keep your weight above the tires, but it also helps if your tire starts to wash out.
You can straighten your bike up from under you to regain your traction.
You'll take the corner wider than you intended, but you are far less likely to fall over.

 

[Kayakguy]

Most on this forum that have spent alot of time on motorcycles do this intuitively I would suspect and is worth paying attention to while riding any two wheeled vehicle, especially at speed.

The MSF course puts quite a bit of emphasis on counter steering, and I have wondered how this might work on a bike. If you stand astride a motorcycle and push down on the handlebar, the bike will lean in that direction, and thus steer (if you were moving) in the opposite direction. It seems that the same principal would work with a bike.

 

[JRA]

Cornering master class. See how much weight he puts on the front end to initiate the turn and how he sets up to ride the apex.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Cornering master class. See how much weight he puts on the front end to initiate the turn and how he sets up to ride the apex.

Talk about being one with your machine!

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Cornering master class. See how much weight he puts on the front end to initiate the turn and how he sets up to ride the apex.

In (frighteningly small patches of) Rubber We Trust!

One slip on an outside curve, and he'd be flying off the side of the mountain toward a very bad outcome. Used to do similar things on Japanese sport bikes (motorcycles) on mountain roads all the time -- with only a few square inches of rubber on the road to keep me alive. Crazy in retrospect but sure was fun!

 

[Rich W.]

In (frighteningly small patches of) Rubber We Trust!

One slip on an outside curve, and he'd be flying off the side of the mountain toward a very bad outcome. Used to do similar things on Japanese sport bikes (motorcycles) on mountain roads all the time -- with only a few square inches of rubber on the road to keep me alive. Crazy in retrospect but sure was fun!

Post 29 was a result of one of those occasions. I’m still waiting to go bald to show off the scars. That was a road bike of course, primitive by today’s standards, but with drop bars and I remember pulling up on the oposite side to make turns - felt kind of like down-hill skiing - fun till it wasn’t. Of course I knew nothing of counter-steering back then. I was simply indestructible and rode like it. Same with horses and the associated broken bones.

 

[linklemming]

Good to see people start talking cornering technique.

This video totally transformed my cornering technique on loose surfaces this year and this is after 40+ years cycling (came from a roadie background, turned MTBr in the 90s). Its amazing how much faster I take corners now. If I do start to slide, I am centered over the bike.

There is ALOT of good advice in cornering technique on youtube videos. This video just worked for me.

For anyone wanting a book to improve their skill, I really like this book.
https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Mountain-Skills-Brian-Lopes/dp/1492544493/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2OXOX9CDG8331&keywords=mastering+mountain+bike+skills&qid=1677036778&sprefix=mastering+mountain+bike+skills,aps,132&sr=8-1

Interesting that Lee McCormack actually states in this book that you should never countersteer(which I dont agree with). His rational is to lean the bike hard underneath you to engage the side knobs. I have met Lee and watched him ride here (Valmont bike park in Boulder CO) and his skills are incredible to watch.

Like many, I was also into sport bike riding and attended the Keith Code riding school and religiously used his books to improve my technique when carving in the mountains of California.

Here is another interesting video, yeah its about motor bikes but still worth a watch

The original video, I dont believe addressed 'really slow' riding...like 2 or 3mph doing something like negotiating a tight uphill switchback. I am totally on board with countersteering but just dont see how it applies here.

In the end, just have fun and do what works for you, I use all sorts of techniques, sometimes just for variety, riding two wheel machines is so awesome