Glorian Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 Right so the other day riding up to ipswich from colchester via backroads (Ardleigh/manningtree etc) i tried sticking my knee out to the side as i went around corners. Now im not sure if it DOES affect anything or if it was a placebo effect just making me think it was easier. but i could corner at much faster speeds and a lot easier?Feel free to call me a noob on this one but just want to see if anyones had experience with this and if im being crazy ^-^ Quote
littlecat Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 this could be a fun thread knee down is not necessarily about the actual action of sticking your knee out...that alone will have very little effect...its the fact of shifting your weight off the side of the bike , which in turn enables the bike to remain more upright and have a larger contact patch on the tyre , which some say makes for faster safer cornering.( or rather safer fast cornering)...thought tbh in most public road conditions its hardly likely to be necessary.however, moving around the bike can make you commit better to the corner , and therefore improve your cornering, whether it makes it faster or not...there is a psychological effect,having said that I have also seen people hanging off like an ape get passed on the outside of a corner by guys sitting bolt upright , so I shall now sit back and enjoy my popcorn Quote
fq-craigus Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 I tend to put my knee out and hang off when roads are wet and greasy so the bike stays upright but I can still get round the tight corner at a srnsible speed rather than holding up traffic and maybe some cage driver trying to push past because tgey r in a rush Quote
Stuno1 Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 Sticking your knee out and not shifting your body wont do anything fella. You need to shift your body over to help the bike lean more easily. Sticking the knee out is just a gauge to know you are close to the ground and possibly about to stack it!If it makes you feel better then carry on doing it!Stu Quote
Tango Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 It's all about aerodynamics.....stick your knee out and it causes more drag on that side of the bike which assists with cornering.......so, the more you stick your knee out the more drag and more cornering assistance......and it looks incredibly cool too..... Quote
Bogof Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 Sticking your knee out and not shifting your body wont do anything fella. Stu It'll shift the CofG, and allow cool air to access your groin which is not always a good thing. Quote
Tango Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 Sticking your knee out and not shifting your body wont do anything fella. Stu It'll shift the CofG, and allow cool air to access your groin which is not always a good thing.Bit of cool air round the Betty's can be nice on a hot day....... Quote
littlecat Posted March 3, 2014 Posted March 3, 2014 Sticking your knee out and not shifting your body wont do anything fella. Stu It'll shift the CofG, and allow cool air to access your groin which is not always a good thing.Bit of cool air round the Betty's can be nice on a hot day....... whats one of them then Quote
Glorian Posted March 4, 2014 Author Posted March 4, 2014 Sticking your knee out and not shifting your body wont do anything fella. Stu It'll shift the CofG, and allow cool air to access your groin which is not always a good thing.Bit of cool air round the Betty's can be nice on a hot day....... Was about to say that myself haha!I think for me it's more a psycological thing makes me feel more in control so i will carry on for now iuntill i find something better to try Quote
Joeman Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Try shifting the bum cheek on the inside of the turn off the seat too, and lowering the inside shoulder. Feels odd to begin with, but you soon get the hang of it.Thinking about your positioning on your bike is really good. Most just sit there like a lemon!! Quote
mattycoops43 Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Come on, we all know knee down is SO 2012! It's Shoulder down now! I do it on my commute all the time! Quote
Mr Fro Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Come on, we all know knee down is SO 2012! It's Shoulder down now! I do it on my commute all the time! This year I'm going to work on getting my helmet down. Quote
Glorian Posted March 4, 2014 Author Posted March 4, 2014 Come on, we all know knee down is SO 2012! It's Shoulder down now! I do it on my commute all the time! This year I'm going to work on getting my helmet down. I thought we tried to avoid that? Quote
littlecat Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Come on, we all know knee down is SO 2012! It's Shoulder down now! I do it on my commute all the time! This year I'm going to work on getting my helmet down. I thought we tried to avoid that? yes, definitely avoid that... I got knee, elbow, shoulder and helmet down once....not fun, not pretty, ripped the entire seam out of a perfectly good pair of leather trousers and needed 2 innocent bystanders to lift the bike off me......sooooo not cool when said bike is a 125 marauder lol Quote
Bogof Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 This year I'm going to work on getting my helmet down. "> 1 min 10 Quote
Tango Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Bit of cool air round the Betty's can be nice on a hot day....... whats one of them then Betty Swollocks..... And they normally come in pairs..... Quote
Chrissb6 Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Try shifting the bum cheek on the inside of the turn off the seat too, and lowering the inside shoulder. Feels odd to begin with, but you soon get the hang of it.Thinking about your positioning on your bike is really good. Most just sit there like a lemon!!Mike Hailwood for me one of the greatest riders ever never moved or hung off the bike.Master class here "> Defiantly no lemon. Quote
Bogof Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 Mike Hailwood for me one of the greatest riders ever never moved or hung off the bike.Master class here "> Defiantly no lemon. And how much faster do today's riders lap the same circuits? Quote
littlecat Posted March 4, 2014 Posted March 4, 2014 tango , my whats one of those was in reference to the 'hot day' :P Quote
Tankbag Posted March 5, 2014 Posted March 5, 2014 Try shifting the bum cheek on the inside of the turn off the seat too, and lowering the inside shoulder. Feels odd to begin with, but you soon get the hang of it.Thinking about your positioning on your bike is really good. Most just sit there like a lemon!!Mike Hailwood for me one of the greatest riders ever never moved or hung off the bike.Master class here "> Defiantly no lemon. I have mixed feelings about this, on the one hand it does enable a bike to have less lean angle & useful to have in your rider toolbox, on the other hand, within my large biking mate circle I have a few bike plod mates who never do this & yet will leave you for dust,,, Quote
Chrissb6 Posted March 5, 2014 Posted March 5, 2014 Mike Hailwood for me one of the greatest riders ever never moved or hung off the bike.Master class here "> Defiantly no lemon. And how much faster do today's riders lap the same circuits?lol Mate, his lap record on the IOM stood for 8 yrs on a bike that many people thought was unrideable. Quote
Joeman Posted March 5, 2014 Posted March 5, 2014 Try shifting the bum cheek on the inside of the turn off the seat too, and lowering the inside shoulder. Feels odd to begin with, but you soon get the hang of it.Thinking about your positioning on your bike is really good. Most just sit there like a lemon!!Mike Hailwood for me one of the greatest riders ever never moved or hung off the bike.Master class here "> Defiantly no lemon. I have mixed feelings about this, on the one hand it does enable a bike to have less lean angle & useful to have in your rider toolbox, on the other hand, within my large biking mate circle I have a few bike plod mates who never do this & yet will leave you for dust,,, Its an interesting debate as hanging off does reduce bike lean angle, however the greater the lean, the larger the tyre contact patch with the road and so the greater the level of grip. Quote
Mr Fro Posted March 5, 2014 Posted March 5, 2014 ...the greater the lean, the larger the tyre contact patch with the road and so the greater the level of grip.I think it depends on the profile/pressure/temperature of your tyres as to any change in contact patch size - obviously until you roll off the edge of them!Buckle up chaps, this could be a long one. Quote
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