Improving balance

[phutureproof]

I've never had particularly good balance. Being 6'5" might explain a bit of this I guess, but I am wondering how to improve.

The places I struggle are along trails where I am in a narrow rut. Anything narrower than around 7 or 8" wide and I just struggle to keep balanced and straight. So often I wobble out of the line with my front wheel, and then my rear wheel follows at an awkward angle and looses grip as it attempts to follow the front wheel up out of the rut at a shallow angle.

Practice is no doubt the best advice, but I wonder if using a slightly longer stem might help? I'm on the stock stem which is around 35mm. Would increasing that to 60mm make any noticeable difference would you say, or is that just pointless? My bike is an 'XL', but I am probably on the upper limits of what it is designed for.

Any advice?

 

[Alexbn921]

I'm the same height as you and have always used a 60mm stem on bikes with under 500mm reach.
Super long bikes with short rear stays don't weight the front wheel enough thru your feet and higher handlebars makes this worse.

First things first, watch the pink bike how to bike series and take some time to practice. How you ride is the major portion of getting better.


Setup is import and I can help you, but it's a no where near as important as practicing specific skills and taking good lines. What bike do you ride and what is your current shock/fork setups?

Ankle flexibility plays a huge roll in balance on a bike. Get or build a Slant Board.
XXhttps://www.amazon.com/Professional-Stretcher-Resistance-Adjustable-Fasciitis/dp/B07HF7RMGW

Don't lean back.
Always look to the next part of the trail before you clear the current obstacle.

 

[phutureproof]

My bike is a 2022 Whyte e150RS. XL. Reach is just over 500mm according to the specs. I've got my saddle pushed as far back on the rails as I'd like to go, but I only have the stock stem which is pretty short at 35mm. Shock/Fork setup was done for me at the shop and still seems ok as far as sag is concerned. I must admit I haven't messed with any other settings on the suspension front.

The situations where this happens is on pretty tame tracks so I wouldn't say there are really any obstacles to watch out for. Next time I am out on one of these sections I'll perhaps video it so you can all have a laugh!

 

[Mikerb]

I may be interpreting your issue wrong but you mentioned riding in narrow ruts and losing balance and I suspect what is happening is that you are actually looking down at the trail instead of looking forward and possibly going too slow because you expect to veer awkwardly out of the rut. The slower you go the worse the less momentum the bike has.............the more you focus too close to your front wheel the more likely you will not ride through the rut without an issue. I dont think it has anything to do with with the bike!!

 

[RustyIron]

often I wobble out of the line with my front wheel,

Wobble? Pick up your speed.

Thrown off your line? So what. You're on an eMTB. Use your power to bulldoze your way through whatever you've gotten yourself into.

Poor balance skills? Practice your track stands. Every time you come to a stop, turn it into a track stand. Waiting for everyone to catch up? Turn it into a track stand. Pretty girls checking the bulge in your lycra shorts? Amaze them with a track stand. Track stands directly translate into better low-speed control.

 

[urastus]

I broke my ankle, lots of little bones in my foot etc - surgeon said it was like a bomb went off inside. Nearly lost the foot. To a degree my toes still don't touch the floor - it's amazing how much stability you lose without a big toe. The physio gave me a balance cushion - it's easy to use anywhere (watching tv etc). My balance went through the roof - better than most people who don't work on it. Note: if you get good at it wearing trainers, progress onto bare feet which is more of a challenge. I'm not sure how transferrable this is to mtb though.

 

[steve_sordy]

@phutureproof Can you stand on one foot? Easier with shoes on. It gets easier if you improve your core strength.

 

[slippery pete]

Weighting the front wheel. The brain's a funny thing. When you fear you're going to fail because of prior experience, your subconscious prepares you for failure in a way that pretty much prevents you from applying good technique. To change that, you have to consciously override your reactions in the situation. Can you consciously persuade yourself to keep weight on that front wheel? Do you need to exaggerate your position? Do you need to concentrate on something simple like "elbows out" to elicit the change? Only you can tell, but the main thing is to consciously try to achieve a different result compared to prior experience.

 

[rod9301]

I may be interpreting your issue wrong but you mentioned riding in narrow ruts and losing balance and I suspect what is happening is that you are actually looking down at the trail instead of looking forward and possibly going too slow because you expect to veer awkwardly out of the rut. The slower you go the worse the less momentum the bike has.............the more you focus too close to your front wheel the more likely you will not ride through the rut without an issue. I dont think it has anything to do with with the bike!!

Yes, look way ahead and your balance will improve dramatically.

It's not the stem.

 

[Gary]

For improvement in balance simply trackstand and wheelie EVERY time you ride your bike until you're compitent enough to wheelie a few hundred meters and trackstand for minutes. (manualling helps too but may be a little advanced if you haven't mastered the former skills)

Balance is not actually all you need for riding ruts well though. To ride ruts better keep your head up looking further ahead than you currently do (but scanning the immediate ground). And stay super loose. Speed is actually your friend here (to a certain extent)

Your height shouldn't be an issue unless you lack flexibility/mobility. Lower your COG through squatting down lower and bending your limbs.

 

[Gary]

I'd ignore any off the bike balance routines unless you're recovering from an injury or simply can't get out and ride often . My balance while standing is fairly shite but on a bike its really good. Eg. I can trackstand, wheelie and manual all day as well as ride ruts well.
But I spend far more time riding than walking. Always have.

 

[Gary]

Also. Simply weighting your front wheel more isn't particularly great advice. Remaining neutral and able to alter your weight bias and moving your limbs with the bike to match the terrain is what you should be aiming for.

 

[Alexbn921]

Also. Simply weighting your front wheel more isn't particularly great advice. Remaining neutral and able to alter your weight bias and moving your limbs with the bike to match the terrain is what you should be aiming for.

If your super tall and on a bike that has an out of balance weight distribution, then weight defiantly needs applied to the front wheel in a deliberate fashion.

Staying fluid on the bike is the main goal.

 

[Husky430]

My advice would be to try and stay out of said ruts, looking far ahead for points to criss-cross them at an acute angle rather than dropping in to them and let them do your steering for you. Not that I'm any expert, just my personal technique.

 

[Gary]

If your super tall and on a bike that has an out of balance weight distribution, then weight defiantly needs applied to the front wheel in a deliberate fashion.

At times yes. And in a balanced manner.

Which was my entire point.

 

[B1rdie]

I’d rather have the front end wobbling from side to side while the rear rails the bottom of the rut than the opposite, since having the front end at the bottom as the rear escapes and climbs the sides results in OTB. That is the reason why it seems to be more difficult to keep balance in a rut, the fear of stalling the front end drives the eyes to look at it while looking farthet ahead is most important.
It is normal to have the front end of the mtb wobble, just that out of a rut it does not feel so dangerous.
When riding through a feature in a rut, pick a line and focus on driving the rear wheel trough it, keep the front end light but assure the arms are bent enough to allow some play from side to side and front to rear.

 

[Alexbn921]

This might seem weird, but aim for the rut and use it to stabilize yourself instead trying to stay out of it. We have some ruts like that on a super steep trail and there is no way to ride the top so you just have to use it to your advantage.

 

[RickBullotta]

Slow riding - seriously. Try to ride as slow as you can. Do this for a few minutes each day. You'd be amazed how many muscles get activated and how your balance will improve.

 

[steve_sordy]

The ruts I hate are the ones that are too deep for the bike, ie the pedals catch. So I have to ride on the top of the rut. The top of the ruts round here are mostly narrow, convex and worst of all clay soil! The slightest moisture and the top of the rut becomes super slippy and the front wheel drops into the rut. The rear wheel follows, the pedals catch and game over. At least for this non-superstar rider.

 

[RickBullotta]

The ruts I hate are the ones that are too deep for the bike, ie the pedals catch. So I have to ride on the top of the rut. The top of the ruts round here are mostly narrow, convex and worst of all clay soil! The slightest moisture and the top of the rut becomes super slippy and the front wheel drops into the rut. The rear wheel follows, the pedals catch and game over. At least for this non-superstar rider.

Just ride a manual down the rut and you can keep those pedals out of harms way. ;-)

 

[steve_sordy]

Just ride a manual down the rut and you can keep those pedals out of harms way. ;-)

HaHahahahahahah. I said that I was NOT a superstar!

 

[RickBullotta]

HaHahahahahahah. I said that I was NOT a superstar!

I once asked my dirt bike coach, Steve Hatch, how to get through tight trees at speed. He proceeded to wheelie, tilt the front wheel/bars 45 degrees, and fly through. I laughed. I cried. NFW.

 

[Zimmerframe]

If you have heavy enough wheels and tyres ... and go fast enough .... you can't fall over ..

 

[Mikerb]

One area of woodland near me has been used a couple of times a year for MX races. The areas they worked their way through to make the course were largely inaccessible before and typical of MX courses have some horrendous climbs and drops...............so obviously we try to ride the MX course. Now those of you who have done MX will know that 100 odd bikes running on soft forest floor on trials no wider than 2 meters between trees and thickett will create ruts often only MX tyre wide and up to half a wheel diameter deep. As @steve_sordy said a bove, often the ruts are too deep for any pedal clearance so have to be high sided with the risk of sliding in with front or back tyre. So all in all a bit of a challenge!! So there are sections where you need to ride in the rut and for those keeping up a reasonable speed and focusing well ahead is the best tactic. Where the rut has to be high sided it often pays to almost trials ride through those sections..........by which I mean going slow, even track standing, and choosing a place to hop or lift the front wheel over a rut to the other side. Often the trickiest section is where there is a need to high side but that high side has a negative camber ( away from the rut in the shrubbery!). Another is rut full of water so you cannot tell how deep it is. All good fun for a challenge but very tiring!!

 

[Giff]

Great thread and some good advice. Thanks.

 

[Janc]

I'm 6'4" and on XL. I have found dropping the saddle down when riding more technical stuff and keeping low , mobile elbows bent etc as others have mentioned, also heels down a bit makes you much more stable. In fact I only ever have my seat up on max for long smooth climbing. Most riding is done with the seatpost down some to max. Not sure how old you are but balance seems to fade with age and needs to be practiced more - like stepping into your pants with the opposite leg every time you put them on! I'm having to practice baland, core strength and interestingly glute strengthening to help prevent injuries as well as improve my sports.

 

[sdcoffeeroaster]

I too struggle with this wobble thing and I echo all this good advice especially looking ahead not down. Practicing track stands are a big help for me too. I try to do tighter and tighter figure eights in my sloped driveway to practice. A 35mm stem is great if your bars are perfectly straight. One thing to check is if you draw a line from the middle of one grip to the other with a string, where is it in relation to the fork pivot point? If it's say 25mm forward, then that's your effective stem length and probably stable at slower speeds. If you have a 35mm stem and bars that comfortably have some angular back sweep then this value could be very small, zero or even negative which will lead to more slow speed wobble. Short stems have their place but you need to consider the entire "system". Their of course are other geometric considerations like fork angle, offset and the resulting "trail" values.

 

[Mikerb]

Did you know..............(Michael Cain!!)
You cannot turn right on a bike unless you (slightly) turn left first? And vice versa. If you do not do this you will lose balance. It is very slight and very quick and has to do with the fact that you cannot turn a bike just by steering.....you also have to cant over ....even if that is only slight.

Left to its own devices a bike will actually self steer and bike geometry has at least to ensure that ability is not compromised ( by ensuring the front axle is in front of the steering axis)................ and variation in bike geometry can increase/decrease to an extent that necessity with different headset angles and fork offset. ( the slacker the headset angle and the longer the offset, the more stable/directional the steering becomes)

These things are not specifically known about by anyone that learns to ride a bike, the skill comes naturally after a while.

But what these emphasise for learners is :-

Dont grip the bars too rigidly.........be relaxed and use bent elbows as shock absorbers and automatic adjusters of steering angle.

Relax the upper body so that you bend naturally at the waist both for and aft and side to side.

Keep your centre of gravity low........lower saddle height......take more weight on your feet on the pedals rather than on your bum.

All of the above will help you be more mobile on the bike and allow it to breathe.

 

[Gyre]

Agree with the trackstand advice. I'd just add that trackstanding is a lot more challenging the more suspension movement you have in the mix, so anything you can do to reduce that motion will help you brain lock on to how trackstand balancing works.

 

[Gary]

No it's not.
Whatever bike you practice on most will yeild the same results whether FS, front sus or fully rigid.
On an FS bike you can actually use the suspension to save the bike from flopping to one side. Simply preloading the bike's suspension to reset the balance.