Steering with your Hips

[telegirl]

THANK GOODNESS no one was with me, Ruth! Because I was actually singing my mantra LOUDLY to whatever happened to be playing on my ipod.....

I tried again last night....and it seems to be making me better at rolling when I fall, but not at cornering!

K.

[velogirl]

Okay, lots of excitement about the concept of steering with your hips, but I think there's also a bit of confusion, too. Let me try to clarify.

Steering-- Steering refers to minute changes in direction. Steering is not cornering. Steering also includes the ability to ride in a straight line. When I refer to steering with your hips, this means that the bike will move/point in the direction your hips are facing. This assumes that you don't correct this motion with your hands. So, if I drop my hips and point them to the right, the bike will naturally move to the right. When I point my hips in a given direction, my core and shoulders will also point in that direction. Ideally, your head also points in that direction (also referred to as looking where you want to go). The focus, however, is your hips. If you point your hips, your body will follow. If you point your head, your body might follow. Tricky, eh? when I teach this skill, I ask riders to let their pelvis roll off the side of the saddle. I also ask them to unclip their feet so they don't try to counter-steer (see below). Your feet should be completely weightless when you do this.

Cornering -- to corner the bike, we use a skill called counter-steering. Counter-steering is a complex skill, but the corner-stone of being able to corner and descend with confidence. It looks something like this:

• Assuming a right turn, I place my left (outside) leg down and stand on it. This weights the leg and allows the bottom bracket to flex. I'm still seated on the saddle, but you might see a little daylight between my right glute and the saddle. I'm also able to steer by pushing the nose of the saddle with my left (outside) thigh.
• My hands are in the drops and I weight or push the right (inside) hand. You can also unweight or pull the left (outside) hand.
• I allow the bike to lean to the right (inside). This increases the contact patch on the tires which makes the bike more stable. The more you lean, the faster and tighter you can turn. The faster you are turning, the more you need to lean.
• I lean my body to the left (outside), countering my weight on the bike so I'm still over the bottom bracket. If you don't lean to the outside, the bike could slide out from under you.
• I lead with my right (inside) knee. There are actually two schools of thought here. I teach to lead with your knee because this opens up your hips (ie pointing with your hips as in steering). Old school coaches will teach that you grip your right knee against the top tube. This second method just doesn't make sense to me.
• I look around the turn with my entire head (not just my eyes). I refer to this as looking with my chin or leading with my chin. The more you look, the tighter the bike wil turn.

Differences Between Road and Mtn -- The skills we use are essentially the same, however there are some subtle differences between road and mountain, mostly because the terrain is different. For example, in mtn biking, you might make a very tight turn (switchback) that you would probably never do on the road. Most of the differences are really defined by the speed at which you ride (see next bullet).

Speed -- The speed at which we perform a turn really determines how we do it. At slow speeds, we definitely use the bar to assist with steering and cornering. This is because the bike doesn't have enough momentum to corner without using the bar. This means that most times when we're climbing on the mountain bike or the road bike, we use the bar to control direction. When we're descending quickly on the mountain bike or the road bike we would steer with our hips (minute changes in direction) or counter-steer (corners). If we're descending more slowly (ie tight, technical switchbacks) we need to use our hands/head much more than for fast descents.

[telegirl]

Does this mean no Salsa Bike Dancing, Velo?

Yes, I should use "cornering" and not steering - you are right that there is a definite difference. Again, I think that what I need is a coach WITH me, since I have read everything and just can't seem to master the concept of cornering downhill on tight switchbacks- I can practice what you are saying, but it just doesn't seem to stick. The hip mantra, however, seemed to help me quite a bit on the flatter, but more windy trails....

You really ARE a teacher, aren't you Velo? Who else would be able to put up with this ineptness with such patience???

[Mimosa]

If you got the technique then in my opinion it is just a matter of 'doing it' at high speed (but a flat road). For example, this year I did one real road race at a local club (after 10 years no racing). I was just passing by during training when the girls doing the ride almost pulled me onto the course to join in (they only had 10 competing so every girl was one extra). When the pack hit the first corner I almost wet my pants because we were going so fast and I really pulled the brakes way to hard. Still I knew I could do better and the next corner I eased up on the brakes and I made it through without running of the course The bike just stuck to the tarmac though my belly did some flip-flops. Gradually through the course I got some confidence back but still fear hit when we came up a curve at a really high speed. But that's more of another problem, one of the reasons I stopped al those years ago is that I hit the tarmac really hard a couple of times in 1 season and I really grew (and still have) a fear for going to fast into the corner (I still carry the scars to prove that).

What I am trying to say, you can't expect that fast downhill turns are just a matter of technique (sure that's where it all starts). Part of it is also between the ears, the more confident you are that the bike will stick to the tarmac, the more you will lean into the curve with your body and the more you will grow into it. It takes time and a lot of trying before you grow into it.

On a side note, when doing tonights training I tried to see how I go into the curve (which technique do I use). And I came to the conclusion that indeed it must have something to do with weight distribution. I think 'go left' and my body shifts (upperbody leans over to the left) and the bike goes that way. And allways look where you are going, look for the point where you want to end, that 'automatically' balances out the weight distribution.

[velogirl]

Does this mean no Salsa Bike Dancing, Velo?

Funny you mention dancing. When I teach this, the first thing I do is have everyone get off the bike and stand next to it with on hand on the saddle and one on the bar. Then we do this sweeping hip grind (can't describe it) from side to side. When I teach the women, they all get it immediately. When I teach the men, they kinda nod from side to side -- no swivel in the hips with them!

BTW, the two exercises I use to teach steering I call the Bump & Grind and Hula Hips.

[Crankin]

No wonder I can't corner a right turn on a descent... you have to be in the drops?????? It's a miracle if I can get in the drops on a straight road, going a moderate speed, when no cars are around. I am hopeless. I have the leg down thing, trying to look with my head, which is not natural for me. I am not sure how I can lean my bike right if I am leaning left.
Oy. After 6 years I am still a newbie.

[velogirl]

No wonder I can't corner a right turn on a descent... you have to be in the drops?????? It's a miracle if I can get in the drops on a straight road, going a moderate speed, when no cars are around. I am hopeless. I have the leg down thing, trying to look with my head, which is not natural for me. I am not sure how I can lean my bike right if I am leaning left.
Oy. After 6 years I am still a newbie.

For leaning, I always visualize pushing my bike in one direction and pulling my body in the other. You're actually pushing the bike away from you.

Now, the drops. If you don't feel comfortable in the drops, it might be bike fit. But if your fit is good, you should start practicing. Take 5 minutes each ride and get into the drops (on a flat road). Start increasing that time incrementally.

Regarding looking, try this sometime. When you're in your car, try looking at the road right in front of your hood. See how uncomfortable that feels? We look down the road when we drive. We should do the same thing when we ride. Don't look down at the front of the bike. Your bike will roll over 99% of what might be in the road (stones, cracks, holes).

[DebW]

VG, can you clarify some things.

For steering with hips, are you talking about rotating the hips in the vertical or horizontal plane?

I googled countersteering a couple weeks ago and mostly found stuff about motorcycles, describing how, for a right turn, the handlebars need to go left to initiate the lean of the turn. Is that true for a bike as well, and at what point in your description do the handlebars move, however slightly?

[Mimosa]

But if your fit is good, you should start practicing. Take 5 minutes each ride and get into the drops (on a flat road).

That's why my trainer allways used to say "Get your hands of the top and put then in the drops. Otherwise your body will never learn to ride like that."

Tonight it was wet (and thus a bit slippery on those narrow tires) outside so I rode most of the way with my hands in the drops because then you are more stable and have more control over the bike.