Steering pressure

[lebedo]

I did a really enjoyable ride today. Not a long one. Just enough to focus on my upper body position and input. At first I feeled tense, sensing that my inside arm was pushing the bike underneath me. I wasn't happy with that,so I tried to move around the bike by using my ankles and knees. I could feel it was better, I was less stressed on the handlebars. But still, I wasn't happy with what I was doing. So I remembered the " Move your helmet one width to the inside " and give it a Go. As I tried to move it, I steel was tense ans could feel I was moving using the handlebars. So I tried to move my helmet with my knee and ankles until I could feel  a bend in my inside elbow. Tension was gone from my both arms and I was ready for countersteering.

[lebedo]

Of course for transitions I was using my outside knee and ankle. Don't know if I did the right way but the ride was safe and enjoyable. No pressure on the bars so I could move without upsetting the bike. I really pulled my helmet inside the turn until I could feel there was no tnesion in the elbow. Basically my helmet was kissing the mirror. 

[Jaybird180]

Once a rider has accepted the idea that it is the handlebars that turn the machine, things begin to fall into place. Kissing the mirror retracts the pushing arm, usually stabilizing the lower body so the rider can get the leverage to use a smart push on the bar to countersteer. This, you've no doubt discovered and mimics some of the merits of the "power steering" technique (given another name) Mr. Code mentions in Twist of the Wrist II (book).

If you don't have it, I definitely recommend picking up a copy. It's a good read and a reference book. You won't regret it.

[Cobie Fair]

2-step, let's dig into that a little.  What's your understanding of the first of the 2 steps, how do you accomplish doing that?  This first part is often misunderstood, so just fill in what you take is on the first step, and how you go about it.

(I'll be in the office most of the next 2 weeks, a good time to catch up on the forum 😀).

Best,

Cobie

[lebedo]

Thanks guys for your help. 

Jaybird I do have ATOTW 1 and 2 . They're like Bibles to me !

Cobie: I initially thought that the First step was where I would steer the bike. I spot it as soon as possible then ride the bike to it and steer thee bike once on it. But after rereading page 99 and relooking Andy Ibott's video on that particular drill. For now, I think it's a more a reminder to look into the turn rather than a turning point. 

Hope that makes sense.

[lebedo]

My typo is awful... I mean " after rereading...and relooking..., I know think it's more...

Sorry for that...

[lebedo]

Argh... I now think it's more...

[lebedo]

So I did some homework today. Cool thing is that for me, homework is riding...

I focused only on my First Step : how do I find it ? How do I use it ? What am I doing once I reach it ? What benefits does it give me ?

I find my First Step by looking as soon as I can at the outside of the turn . Then I let the bike go as straight as possible doing nothing except reducing speed if needed .

I don't use it intentionally as a TIP . Sometimes it will be , sometimes I will have to push it away into the turn . I mean it's not a fixed TIP for me as I approach it .

I turn my head into the turn when I'm close to it ( speed was not high as I'm riding on public roads ). Usually at this point, when I turn my head , the road is broader . 

I found that by using this First Step , it gives me more room to turn into , a better view onto the turn, a line to go into the turn . When not having this First Step I start the turn sooner and slower and spend a lot of time leaned over . Line is also saccadic as the eyes move step by step into the turn and the bike follows that saccadic line . View is restricted a few meters in front of me .

I would say that I use this First Step as a reminder to look into the turn . It gives me more room and more time to choose a line . 

Hope this makes sense.

[lebedo]

Of course, the main benefit is confidence. I know where I am at the entrance of the turn : it'as a choice I made not something imposed by the turn . So I can focus on my next point , where I want to be in the middle of the turn before being into the middle of the turn . It gives me Timing and actions to do before they're imposed to me. It's the start of a Plan . 

[Cobie Fair]

👍

[lebedo]

Thanks Cobie. So my First Step is OK. Now I will focus on my Second Step.

[lebedo]

Last weekend I went canyon riding on unknown roads. Focusing only on the vanishing point I found myself confused with poor lines. In some long uphill left hander turns I had 50pences lines. Then I started to focus on my first point and things got better, even in these long left turns or in blind right ones. Having a turn point gave me confidence. 

[Hotfoot]

On 5/20/2024 at 3:19 AM, lebedo said:

Last weekend I went canyon riding on unknown roads. Focusing only on the vanishing point I found myself confused with poor lines. In some long uphill left hander turns I had 50pences lines. Then I started to focus on my first point and things got better, even in these long left turns or in blind right ones. Having a turn point gave me confidence. 

This is a good example of looking too far ahead, which can result in feeling a bit lost. It is important to get the visual sequence and timing right; jumping to your third step (do you remember the 3-step drill from Level 2?) before your first and second step can result in uncertainty about where to turn and where to apex, which can lead to feeling lost, or visual scanning, and various Survival Reactions that create riding errors.

[Jaybird180]

@Hotfoot does 3-step become automatic where the rider no longer spends much attention on it? Is there a way to describe and perhaps quantify when this happens for most students in their progression?

[Hotfoot]

1 minute ago, Jaybird180 said:

@Hotfoot does 3-step become automatic where the rider no longer spends much attention on it? Is there a way to describe and perhaps quantify when this happens for most students in their progression?

One would like to think it becomes automatic, but I have to say that our L4 riders, and also accomplished racers, and very experienced road riders, still spend a lot of time working on this skill when trying to make riding improvements. Our brain and body and survival instincts predispose us to NON optimal visual habits. 😕 Unless we actively work to give them another job, our eyes look for danger, get stuck on things they shouldn't (or linger on the right things too long), try to dart around, or are distracted by other riders. 
 

It definitely gets easier to do and requires less effort and attention, but my opinion is that understanding proper visual sequence and getting good reference points (and the right number of them) does more to help it become more automatic than time and experience. 

[Hotfoot]

I will also add to the above - that even when you generally have good visual habits, there are lots of things that can disrupt that, such as fatigue, dehydration or overheating, distraction, pushing too hard for speed (especially before you have found good reference points), or anything that triggers Survival Reactions - like an animal suddenly jumping out in front of you.

An example is going to an unfamiliar track or road, riding with a group and feeling pressured to "go fast". Have you ever felt this way, and found that your riding sort of fell apart? That you make errors that you normally don't, and felt clumsy and frustrated with your riding?

We see it at the school; sometimes riders to try to push for too much speed - especially on corner entries - before they have had a chance to learn the track, and find good reference points. This triggers a variety of Survival Reactions that cause riding errors (choppy or mis-timed control actions, over or under braking, tension on the bars, etc.)  and visual errors (target fixation, tunnel vision, scanning, looking too far ahead or too close... any of these sound familiar?). However, if a rider is willing to back the pace down a bit, to a speed where they feel comfortable, they can avoid those SRs and have enough free attention to look for references and work on their visual timing (or on other drills or techniques)- and they soon find they are going even faster than when they were "trying" to go fast, but without the tension and errors and frustration.

[lebedo]

Thanks Hotfoot. That's exactly what happened. I was trying to ride at a too fast pace for me. Then I focused on my body, then my eyes. And I agree : eyes need to be educated.

[Jaybird180]

On 5/21/2024 at 2:48 PM, Hotfoot said:

However, if a rider is willing to back the pace down a bit, to a speed where they feel comfortable, they can avoid those SRs and have enough free attention to look for references and work on their visual timing (or on other drills or techniques)- and they soon find they are going even faster than when they were "trying" to go fast, but without the tension and errors and frustration.

I found this to be an amazing concept!

I recall breaking a new barrier...something new happens and my brain goes "What was that?!?"... "Oh, I get it, I have to do X for Y to happen for me to experience that again..." and by then I've accepted that I've gone faster than I previously had in that section. I recount the first time I felt the front end come up over wheelie hill at NJMP...scary and exhilarating at the same time! For me it became an indicator of a good exit drive from the previous corner, being setup correctly for the next, and being light on the bars.

[gpounce32768]

Also borne out by my experience at Level 1 NJMP.   By the 3rd session I was getting a bit frustrated by errors compounding on errors and being on all kinds of awkward and scary lines, so just started going slower and slower until I could get to something like a reasonable turnpoint, turn the bike onto a line that I could see and wasn't scary, get to the gas and ride through- which made all the difference.   After a session or so of that I started getting the corners more easily, speed increased a little but the track was wet so not much.   I contented myself by being visually comfy on exit from one turn and entrance to another, keeping up with others in the corners and letting them go on the straights.  

Light on the bars was critical- once I started getting weight properly off the bars I found the actual steering motion was quite small and subtle.   Very easy to miss that when all bunched up on the bars doing a lot of pushing up and down mixed in with the actual steering movement.

In the weeks after I've found my interesting corners are much less scary.   Its a commuter route so there isn't a lot of room for more speed, but I'm starting to work on choosing better turnpoints for quicker throttle at least.   I'm definitely faster on my slow sharp corners though, lean is less scary too.

 

[Hotfoot]

Good observations and good results! Well done. 

[Cobie Fair]

If you guys watch the current MotoGP footage, you can see the 3rd step happening a lot.  It's most visible to me on the camera that is mounted to the back of the bike.

Watching Joe win yesterday it was obvious to see him (and others) doing it.