Bikeskills.com: How to Handle Switchback Turns

Uphill and Downhill Switchbacks Hi, I am Joe Lawhill from Bikeskills. I am going to show you how I ride a switchback. If you find yourself riding in the mountains, you will surely come across these often misunderstood sections of trail. Today, I am going to show you some basic techniques so you can conquer any switchback you come to. Uphill Switchbacks When approaching an uphill switchback, it is essential that you size it up as quickly as possible. Choose a gear that will allow a constant power to the ground. When entering a switchback, line choice is very important. Aim you front wheel to the outermost edge of the switchback. Do not let yourself get sucked into the mainline. This does not allow enough room to complete a comfortable turn. As you enter the switchback, you should up your cadence and be perpendicular to the ground with you bike and weight forward. As your front wheel follows the outermost edge of the trail, keep your front wheel out there all the way around the switchback to the last quarter or so. Do not be overly concerned with the path of your rear wheel. Counter-balance the bike by favoring your body to the uphill side of the trail. Your outside arm will be extended while keeping pressure on the bars. Your inside arm will be bent with your weight leaning into the handle bars. Your head should hover over your inside hand. If your back tire starts to lose traction, pull back on the inside grip to put a little more weight on the back tire. As you enter a right hand switchback, the outside or the cliff side will be on your left. When you exit, the outside cliff side will now be on your right. You will want to exit on the new downhill side of the trail. Adjust your lines so that you cross the main line and it is important to shift your weight back over the bike to the uphill side. As long as we keep our front wheel tracking around the outside of the switchback to the last quarter of the turn, we should be able to roll through the exit, looking on down the trail to the next obstacle. All right, let us see that piece together. Downhill Switchbacks Let us lower our suits and work on some downhill switchbacks. Overall, the concept is similar to the approach on an uphill switchback. While in the attack position, do the majority of your breaking before the switchback. Shift your weight back to keep from skidding or going over the bars. Avoid unnecessary skidding that will cause extra trail ware. Ride from the downhill edge of the trail at the entrance and aggressively cross the main line to the new outside of the trail as a switchback makes its turn. Make sure to keep your front wheel perpendicular to the ground. To do this, you have to lean your body to the inside of the turn while counteracting your weight by pushing your bike to the outside of the trail. Just like in an uphill switchback, you will need to turn the bars to make the turn rather than leaning your bike into the turn. Your outside arm will be totally extended and unlike in uphill switchbacks, your outside hand will be the guiding force controlling your turn. Your head will again be over your inside hand. While keeping your front wheel tracking around the outside edge, feather you breaks to maintain a constant speed. At approximately the last quarter of the turn, adjust your line towards the middle of the trail. Determining the outer most edge you can ride is a judgment call you have to make based on trail conditions. Be careful not to use too much break. Using too much break can cause you to lose your balance and possibly fall. Now, let us see what happens when you do not set up your lines properly. So that is it. Those are the basics of riding an uphill and a downhill switchback. Watch for more in-depth “how to” videos in the future from Bikeskills.