Why is it so important to stay loose on the bars?

[choneofakind]

As many know, we talk a lot about staying loose on the bars. Whenever someone has trouble with wind, or tired hands, or jerky turning, the first suggestion is usually relaxing the hands. But why do we always say this?

Well, we could go into a massive physics discussion, showing how a 2 wheeled vehicle likes to stay upright based on the rake angle and the weight on top and the lean angle, etc. But let's leave it at this: Bicycles and motorcycles naturally like to right themselves when they're moving forwards. Aka, if you stay loose on the bars and allow them to move the way they naturally want to, the bike will do the hard work for you and help you stay upright.

Below, I will show you two different examples of where staying loose helped.

Situation 1: Turn 8 at Mid-Ohio. I was a little faster than I was used to, had a nice adrenaline buzz going, and made a funny line. I rode right over a crease in the pavement at a bad angle, and the front started pushing and skipping.

Start at 2:41.

Link to original page on YouTube.
This has happened to me before. I loosened my hands, and it fixed itself.

Situation 2: Trail riding on a mountain bike. Having a great day on my favorite loop of single track, and I was a little tired and lazy on my lines. I clipped my right handlebar on a tree. The bicycle went all over the place. You can't see the tail, but it was almost sideways because the front went way left and both wheels were slipping badly.

Start at 0:44.

Link to original page on YouTube.
I released my fingers, my palms light on the bars, and relaxed my arms. The bike rode it out for me.

So what's the point of showing these two situations? To show the importance of relaxing your hands and arms. The bike will do all the thinking for you. Often times, riders are quick to blame the suspension when the bike feels funny, but the issue is not the bike, it's the sack of flesh holding the bars.

The MSF course drills the 4 parts of a turn into our head. Let's all say it together. Slow, look, press, roll. But I suggest we add another so we remember not to tense. I suggest we make the 5 steps of a turn. Slow, look, press, roll, relax.

Ride safe, relax those arms.

Please post your tips for staying loose. Do you do the chicken dance before a ride? Do you have a certain spot in your palm that you hold the bars with? Hold the weight in your knees? What works for you?

[csmith12]

I start with vision. If I am railing down the front fender with my eyes, I tent to be tighter. The farther (but not to far) I look out, the more relaxed I am.
Next I go for my grip. I almost never fully wrap my fingers around the grips.
Next I go for the shoulders. If I have to work to drop them, I feel tight.

I also try to NOT to hang off to much. Yes... you can hang off to much.

EDIT: I also rest my arm on the tank during cornering.
EDIT 2: Chicken dance @5:22 - same track and same day as chone's vid. I was fighting feeling tight on the left side all day.

Link to original page on YouTube.

[Runeknight95]

I thought you were asking haha!

Excess fatigue for street riding from gripping too hard too.


At the track i like to flap my arms before turns to make sure im loosey goosey!

[JohnnyBravo]

chOne I'd probly freak if my bike did that

[cuong-nutz]

Originally Posted by csmith12

Next I go for my grip. I almost never fully wrap my fingers around the grips.

^^^^ I do the same too.
Wearing earplugs for those that don't reduce the noise/distraction/fatigue.

I hum classical music and tv show tunes to relax.

[Motofool]

Great post, Chone !!!

[felo]

[menikmati]

omfGzzzz Tame Impala.

[fishdip]

I know its 2013 and all but do we really need gay music with the videos?

[JohnnyBravo]

CORRECTION... This is gay music

Link to original page on YouTube.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by fishdip

I know its 2013 and all but do we really need gay music with the videos?

Well if you watch the beginning of the video, you'll notice that my GoPro decided not to record audio during that session. It was either music, or a silent film


Anyhow, keep 'em coming! This thread is so people can get 'real talk' and help on how to relax. We've all read it, we've all heard people tell us to stay loose, but until I saw csmith12 ride last season, I never exactly understood what it meant. I'm betting I'm not the only one.

[felo]

[CycleCam303]

Do what the old school fast mx riders used to do... Smoke a bowl before the main lol.

[fishdip]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBravo

CORRECTION... This is gay music

Link to original page on YouTube.

Any music other then the sound of the motorcycle is gay.

[ally99]

I drop my inside shoulder when leaning into a tight curve. It helps loosen the entire upper body. I also wiggle the fingers and arms at times. The bike wants to stay upright, but human inputs sometimes screw up the physics if the rider is too tight or rigid with the bars.

[menikmati]

@csmith12 What's your ass-cam setup?

[csmith12]

Gopro with a 170 degree lens. Sticky mount on the tail without the extension arm, so it has a lower profile and vibrates less. 1 layer of black tape is over the mounting rib in the center. I forget the setting on the gopro, but it cuts the fov back a some and reduces the fisheye effect.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by csmith12

EDIT: I also rest my arm on the tank during cornering.
EDIT 2: Chicken dance @5:22 -

??? I saw nothing.

<hijack>Lately I've been experimenting with resting my arm on the tank during cornering. Feels great but I have yet to figure out what it's doing for me or why it should matter. My current hypothesis is that it gives me a fixed reference point for body position. All I really know is that i like it.</hijack>

[csmith12]

Well... yea, it was more like a flap or two of my right arm than the chicken dance. After looking for it more, I do it a few times in the video. I have to get a set of real clipons, uggggg.... And figure out why my audio through the camera sucks so bad.

Nice hijack though and another point of interest/reference in BP that is subtle and could help others. I notice in that video, my elbow only consistently hits the tank on the long corners.

For me, bows on the tank let me know that I am letting the bike do the majority of the hard work.

[choneofakind]

That's how I gauged if I was far enough down or not. Chin on the hand, elbow on the tank. It does help you to not transmit excessive inputs to the bars by steadying your arm a little bit during bumps/whatever vs trying to control all that with your wrist alone.

Good point!