Riding technique rear wheel offset: Hairpin bends: The hairpin bend battle
Long before the froriders in British Columbia were dropping into gravel pits and igniting the freestyle spark in mountain biking, mountain bikers only wanted one thing: to move the rear wheel in tight hairpin bends. A manoeuvre that combined elegance with efficiency. It was the only way to master tricky bends on alpine trails if you didn't want to dismount. And bikers never wanted that - not today, not then. "In the 1990s, dismounting was seen as surrendering to the trail, more so than today," remembers Lake Garda veteran Hans Voglsamer. Those who bravely gripped the front brake, let the rear rise into the air and steered around the corner with a swing of the hips also lent elegance to the manoeuvre and proved their riding skills. Hans Rey believes that the technique was invented by trial bikers. "I saw the manoeuvre back in 1982, long before the MTB boom," says Rey. He was one of the first to explain in magazines how the move works on a mountain bike, inspiring bikers all over the world. You could see this in BIKE 12/91.
There were several variations of this kingly manoeuvre. The trialers hopped, the flatland bikers heaved in several steps and the so-called vertriders let the rear end rise so high on steep trails that they only stopped just before the tipping point. "Back then, with the short geometry and steep steering angles, it was even easier than it is today," says Christoph Malin from Vertrider in Innsbruck. In the mid-2010s, enduro racers discovered the move for themselves. However, it took them too long to bring the front wheel to a standstill, so they developed a technique in which they rolled into the bend using the nosemanual and swivelled the rear wheel to the side just a few centimetres above the ground before bringing the bike back up to speed.
Jérôme Clementz, EWS winner in 2013, achieved this in an impressive manner. Shortly afterwards, the flow wave swept over the sport of mountain biking - both in terms of track construction and riding style: the highest good was now the flow of riding. "Nobody wanted to stop the front wheel in corners anymore," Malin remembers. Alpine bikers like Harald Philipp, who had previously been known for their particularly skilful rear wheel offsets, now showed that it was possible to ride almost any hairpin bend. The jet turn came into fashion, where you try to tilt the bike into the bend as much as possible in order to get round the corner more smoothly - without one wheel coming to a standstill. "It's crazy how you can master even super-tight hairpin bends this way," says Harald Philipp. Since then, the rear wheel offset has been labelled a dusty manoeuvre by many bikers. Nowadays, anyone who locks the front wheel in a tight bend and starts swinging their hips is vilified as a "stamp knight". Rightly so? We wanted to experience the fascination of the rear wheel offset in a new way and set off in search of a suitable trail.
You can find out more about riding technique here:
The hairpin bend duel
Competitions awaken ambition - especially among brothers. That's why Dimitri and I chose a particularly technical trail. The trail is narrow, steep and has over 60 hairpin bends over almost two kilometres. Our rules are: Offset the rear wheel in every bend; if you slip up and put your foot down, you get a penalty point. The rider with the fewest "foot-offs" wins.
Ascent - The trackwalk
Laurin: First we push the bikes, then we shoulder them. This is also where we go back down afterwards. I go ahead and use the ascent as a track walk while Dimi and photographer Max chat - about campervans, polyamory, tyre inserts and whether brown eyes are a red flag. I have a good feeling about the hairpin bend battle, but I'm annoyed that I haven't practised.
Dimitri: Of course, I also scan the terrain, look at every bend - phew, there are some nasty ones: steep, riddled with root loops and chopped up by steps - it's going to be difficult. What's more, my technique is rusty, it's been a while since I've ridden hairpin bends. In the past, yes in the past, I could do it, even dynamically with the front wheel still rolling. But now?
The mental aspect
Laurin: My brother Dimitri is 18 years older and I think some of his movements are becoming more angular, as is the case with age. That gives me confidence. I'm sure he hasn't trained as much as I have. But mentally he has nerves of steel. Whether it's table tennis, deadlifting or ice bathing - I buckle, while he doesn't let himself get rattled even when he's behind.
Dimitri: Yes, my self-confidence is bomb. I'm not easily rattled. I know that I'll do the right thing spontaneously, whether I'm skydiving, when the parachute doesn't open like this summer or during this hairpin bend battle.
Final preparations
Laurin: I let the air out of my front tyre and press on Dimi's tyre to test it. Far too much pressure - what a beginner! Photographer Max is following behind us and is not only supposed to take photos, but also act as a referee. He says we can only move once. So no second correction move. I think it's a good idea, but Dimi grumbles and says the trail is challenging enough as it is.
Dimitri: Only move it once? I have no idea how I've done it so far. But I'm not Danny MacAskill. So: Leave the church in the village! Getting round without putting your foot down is the rule; that's challenge enough on these hairpin turns. Deflate your tyres? We didn't do that back then either - if you can do it, you can do it. High or low tyre pressure.
Game on!
Laurin: Dimi rides ahead, I ride behind. He takes the first hairpin bend too sharply, the rear wheel comes up nicely, but he has to counter-steer to avoid losing his balance. It looks funny and is frowned upon by bike climbers. "Ugly," I shout after him. It's a good thing he can't see what I'm doing. Because it's hardly any better. At the next hairpin bend, I realise that left-hand bends are my favourite. Now I manage a picture-book variation. I grab the front brake and as the rear rises, I push the rear wheel smoothly to the side with my hips. Photographer Max is behind me and gives me "props". I also manage the next hairpin bend. Then there's a rumble behind me. I turn round and see Max lying on his stomach, buried under his photo rucksack - point deduction for our man behind the camera (see picture below).
Dimitri: Yes, I want to be the first to go, so I can concentrate better and also bring some dynamism to the descent. If it gets too static, mistakes creep in. My brakes irritate me, the pads are old and glazed. The annoying squealing disrupts my flow. I wish I'd looked after my equipment beforehand.
The first slip-ups
Laurin: I slowly get into the flow. I manage some hairpin bends well, others not at all. Dimi feels the same way. He complains that his brakes don't have enough power. Then he makes a mistake for the first time and puts his foot down. 1:0 for me. And again shortly afterwards. I'm just behind him and understand his anger, because he didn't have to put his foot down. The trail zigzags further downhill. I'd like to experiment more, but I don't want to risk my lead.
Dimitri: A really nasty turn ahead of me. I turn in, place the front wheel on an edge of the ground, swivel the rear and release the brakes at the right moment, which is a good thing, because now the momentum is carrying me through a root rodeo, the bike bucks and lurches, threatening to tip over, only to catch itself at the last moment. Wow, that was close, I could see myself going over the handlebars. Laurin could never do that! The thought was still in my head when it happened: My foot is down! How stupid, it wasn't the actual danger spot but a boulder after the turn that tripped me up on the straight traverse.
Laurin: The longer we drive, the better the transfers go. If it weren't for the photo stops, which kill the flow of the journey. Photographer Max is constantly shouting from behind: "Stop, photo!" Then it suddenly happens, without a bend. I hit a root the wrong way on a straight and have to put my foot down at full speed. My lead shrinks to 2:1 - so unnecessary, so annoying!
Dimitri: We want to be honest! Everyone counts their own slip-ups, that's what we had decided. But I'm not counting the one that just happened to me. It had nothing to do with realisation! I'm sure you agree, don't you? Neither Laurin nor Max saw it. So shhhh... Don't give anything away!
The near fiasco
Laurin: In one of the following hairpin bends, Dimi makes the same mistake as at the start of the trail. His centre of gravity shifts outwards, but he has to counter-steer due to the sharp approach to the bend. Now I know why this technique is so frowned upon by bike mountaineers. It would have been fatal in high alpine terrain. The attempt to save the mistake with a lunge is unsuccessful. Dimi tumbles down the slope and takes the longest fall I've ever seen. Photographer Max only catches the beginning before Dimi staggers backwards several steps and only comes to a halt a few metres further down.
Dimitri: I hate this stupid counter-steering. It always happens to me when I'm too slow and my front wheel tips outwards instead of inwards. On top of that: I'm a poser and let my rear wheel rise much higher than necessary - for the sake of looks. This time: way too high! Once the tipping point is exceeded, you go over the handlebars. There's no rescue. OTB (over the bar) - I hurtle down the meadow slope and my instincts take over. In the end, my bike flies into my neck - but nothing happens, oh wonder! The other two can hardly believe it!
Showdown
Laurin: It's crazy how quickly you learn when you repeat the movement in quick succession. I'm now also rolling more often in the nosemanual in bends. I don't care that I fail twice because of this. It's enough for the win. At the end of the trail, I'm two insights richer: winning is fun and shifting the rear wheel is great fun.
Dimitri: Swinging through the turn in the bike park at full speed in the Scandinavian Flick or at full cornering speed in the Jet Turn - that's cool, that's new school. But swinging the tail around is also a hell of a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the hairpins here are so steep that the nosemanual version hardly works. Yet this is the best way to lever your rear wheel through the turn. My conclusion: The fascination is unbroken! And when the manoeuvre is beautifully harmonious, the move is a real eye-catcher. It looks cool! I can hardly believe that I lose in the end (and I even missed a slip-up). But I can live with it.
... in the end 5:3 in the hairpin bend duel
Dimitri put his foot down five times, Laurin only fluffed three times and thus snatched victory. Photographer Max, here behind the lens, took part in the battle out of competition and made it into the midfield with four blunders.
The fascination of the hairpin bend
For me, shifting the rear wheel is more than just a riding manoeuvre. It's a trick that demonstrates a sure instinct and can be used to crack almost any Alpine trail. - Stefan Herrmann
I have a different view of riding technique to Stefan. Turning your hips can be deadly on alpine trails. Instead, you have to lean into the inside of the bend and roll on the front wheel. - Harald Philipp
Trialers invented it long before the MTB boom. Later, bikers also discovered the manoeuvre for themselves. They had no other choice, as they only had hiking trails and these were peppered with hairpin bends. - Hans Rey
Laurin Lehner
Editor
