QUESTION ABOUT RACING POSTURES

[FIVEINCH]

Why does the rider throw out a knee and shift weight long before the turn: is this for air-braking to slow the bike?

How does the rider get so low on the bike? I couldn't get quite so low as to see through the windscreen.

Are racing footpegs set farther back than stock? My elbows either hit, or overlap my knees.


I'm not racing, or running a track yet. I'm just curious.

[inspiron]

If you read Hough's book, he explains that it takes about 1/2 to 1 second to start turning once the bike has leaned over. The transfer from the forward forces to the side forces takes some time to be completed. So, when travelling at 100+ mph, you're covering alot of ground in that second. That's why it looks like they throw the knee out so early. By moving over to the side and throwing out the knee, you move your center of gravity and make it easier to lean the bike - and then wait for the forces to shift and the bike will start turning into the curve.

I honestly don't think that any rider would use bodily air resistance to slow down from racing speeds.

(Of course, this is all theory to me - I am definitly not a racer. Janis, Nut, what do you guys think ???)

[FIVEINCH]

Thank you for the answer.

I figured the weight shift had to do with centripetal force, I just didn't know why they had to start so early. The high speeds make good sense, though. I guess I didn't notice how fast they were moving. Those camera angles are pretty deceiving.

[Janis]

Originally Posted by inspiron

If you read Hough's book, he explains that it takes about 1/2 to 1 second to start turning once the bike has leaned over. The transfer from the forward forces to the side forces takes some time to be completed. So, when travelling at 100+ mph, you're covering alot of ground in that second. That's why it looks like they throw the knee out so early. By moving over to the side and throwing out the knee, you move your center of gravity and make it easier to lean the bike - and then wait for the forces to shift and the bike will start turning into the curve.

I honestly don't think that any rider would use bodily air resistance to slow down from racing speeds.

(Of course, this is all theory to me - I am definitly not a racer. Janis, Nut, what do you guys think ???)

You are right almost on everything.
We do use body air resistance, at 120+mph it changes A LOT if you raise your body or not. So that's why we raise while braking (plus we need some arms' strenght during the braking).
Leaning our body on the same side of the turn lowers the center of gravity of the bike so that you do not need to tip your bike too much: With lesser inclination you get to turn at higher speed.
We start moving our body early because changing the position unsettles the bike a bit, so it's better to do it before leaning your bike.
If all the weights are set before the turn, the smoothest and fastest the turn will be. At those speeds and angles, you don't want to do sudden movements during the turn!

[FIVEINCH]

Sweet.

[tlwisner]

The racer wants the bike setup for the turn before entering the turn. Leaning off to the inside lowers the center of gravity even further than just the extreme lean of the bike - which results in better cornering.

Also, they want to look cool!

[Gixxerman]

Cool is good. Word up dawg