won't be able to steer your bike well by keeping track of rapidly changing terrain and trail direction. Remember: as long as you believe in yourself, you can not lose control of the bike.
Now let's discuss an equally interesting question, which seems quite simple compared to the previous two: the passage of technically difficult turns on a mountain bike.

Turning technique
Indeed, everything seems quite simple from the outside, when you watch how another biker easily passes turns, as if there was nothing complicated in it. It is especially impressive how downhillers do it, which go through 90-degree turns with almost no loss of speed.
What is the secret to efficient cornering?
This question is especially interesting for those who participate in races or simply love high-speed rides.
Turning technique – тема настолько сложная, насколько она кажется простой. Even your life may depend on how familiar you are with the rules of entering a turn. Indeed, often the mountain bike track is a narrow and winding path, on which it is very pleasant to ride quickly, as if dodging trees that suddenly appear in front of you. However, it is also important to be careful and aware of how to properly tilt the bike, choose the speed, choose the right trajectory of movement.
But let's start the discussion on the topic of cornering technique from the very beginning: let's talk about how to prepare for cornering.
To prepare for the correct passage of the turn, you need to evaluate the very complexity of the turn you are about to enter. Look as far in front of you as possible - this rule applies not only when you want to overcome a climb or go down a good descent, but also when you want to go through a difficult turn without falling and at the same time without losing speed. By evaluating how difficult the turn is, you will be able to understand which trajectory you should take. Perhaps your attention will be attracted by potholes and stones on the way through the turn, which you want to go around.
If you have chosen a trajectory, now it is worth sticking to it. Trajectories can be conditionally divided into three types: internal, external and average. At first glance, it seems that at the same speed, the turn can be most quickly passed along the inner radius, however, this is not always the right decision. In practice, it often turns out that if you do not slow down when passing the turn on the inside radius, you can lose control of the bike. Therefore, it is worth remembering one rule: the smaller the turning radius, the lower the speed of its passage should be. If you chose the outer trajectory, then you can safely afford to quickly pass this turn.
However, the physics of cornering is such that if you go through a corner twice as fast, then the centrifugal force will act on you four times stronger. The centrifugal force increases with the increase in speed, and this dependence is subject to the law of geometric progression.
All motorists know the simple rule of cornering: the speed must be reduced before cornering, and after passing the middle of the turn, you can start to increase speed. On a bicycle, you need to take turns, guided by the same rule.
However, the question is: how to slow down before entering a turn? Sometimes, чтобы снизить скорость недостаточно просто перестать крутить педали. Some convulsively begin to slow down, both before entering the turn, and at the time of its passage. However, when reducing speed, it should be remembered that it is extremely important to maintain the grip of the front wheel with the road, since the quality of cornering depends on it (the grip of the front wheel). Therefore, in no case do not block the front wheel at the moment of cornering. It would be more correct to say: "Forget about the fact that you have a front brake for the duration of the corner!".
If you are using the rear brake, try not to lock up the rear wheel. Although if this happens, then just release the brake, a rear wheel skid is much easier to survive than a front wheel skid.
It is equally important to be able to tilt the bike in the direction of the turn. If you do not know how to do this, then you will not be able to pass the turn at speed. Yes, at low speeds it is not always necessary to be able to tilt the bike in the direction of the turn, you just need to turn the steering wheel where you need it. However, if you try to go into a deep corner at high speed by turning the handlebars, you may fall over. Leaning the bike is also necessary because in this position the front tire has much more grip on the ground and therefore less slips. Of course, sometimes it's a little scary to lean the bike the way you want. However, by doing this you will go through the turn much cleaner. Only apply all these tips only when you are confident in your tires.
If the turn is too tight, you can put your foot out, perhaps this will make it more comfortable for you to turn, knowing that in case of a slip you will not fall. It would be useful to remind you that the pedal, which is on the side closest to the turn, should be in the 12 o'clock position.
What is the safest way to pass a turn? Before entering the turn, you need to slow down, keep your eyes on the selected trajectory, lean the bike in the direction of the turn and go through the turn at the selected speed.
And although it seems faster to turn inside the corner, we would advise you not to do so, especially in unfamiliar terrain. Do not try to show your skills to others when you are on a new track for you.
Now let's talk about seating and weight distribution when cornering. It's no secret that on mountain bike trails the turns are very sharp and the trail is often narrow. In order to be successful in these technical corners, you need to know the basics of aerodynamics. It is no secret that aerodynamics increase when the moving physical body experiences less resistance. For example, racing cars are made with a very low seating position, which increases their aerodynamics. Passing turns, you also need to take into account physical laws. In order to go through a high-speed corner, you need to sit very low, then your center of gravity will be lower. You need to lower everything that is possible below: head, shoulders, heels. Bend your elbows. As with downhills, when cornering, you should keep your body balanced by choosing the optimal position on the bike. What body position is optimal?
You will understand this when passing the turn. If the front wheel does not have enough traction, it means that you need to move your body weight forward a little. In the event that you feel that the rear wheel is not stable enough, redistribute your weight back a little. The front wheel is more important when cornering, because it determines how you enter the turn. So feel free to load it with your weight.
When distributing weight, you need to load the bike. The term "load a bike" may not be very familiar to you. Knowing how to load a bike means pushing it into the ground when you need it, with those parts of it that are most responsible for good grip. How can the bike be loaded? With the efforts of the legs and arms, you can increase your real weight on the bike by directing efforts where necessary. This is especially necessary when passing technical, high-speed turns, which are dirt paths, where you can easily lose traction and skid. In this case, you need to be able to tilt the bike. Body tilting in this case is not necessary, otherwise you will overload the bike.
You will load the pedal, which is external to the turn. The other leg, which is on the side closest to the turn, should be taken to the side of the turn. Remember where the knee of motorcyclists is pointing at the races.
It is also necessary to load the steering wheel. This will help increase front wheel traction. It may seem strange to you that you need to load exactly the inner point of the steering wheel in relation to the turn. The outer handle will need to be pulled towards you. Although it seems that this can lead to a skid, remember that you are loading the pedal from the outside. This means that on the one hand, you must lean on the outer pedal with your whole body weight, and on the other hand, pull the grip located on the same side towards you with your hand.
It is better to first try to do it on a quiet track, at low speed.