Originally Posted by
Woodcraft
This is a question worth a lot more than a paragraph.....
#1) Traction. More grip=more speed. We all know this. Tires are one of the biggest factors....but there are many more. The biggest influence outside of your tires are your inputs on the bike (not just body position - which matters...how you squeeze the bars, where your pressure points on the bike are, weight distribution front/rear etc..), which can have a huge affect on grip. Two riders - same bike, same speed, same tires, same lean angle....one crashes and the other one doesn't. Has anyone ever seen this happen? ... I thought so.
90% of what happens out there is a result of rider inputs. This why some guys are able to go faster than others. The biggest limiting factor is what we do to the bike. The lessons on how to maximize grip with technique are endless....which is one reason racing is so addicting.
Methods. The first thing you need to do is to work towards maximum roll speed, as this affects everything. How can you figure out what the latest brake marker is if you have not established how fast you can roll through a corner?...this is putting the cart before the horse. Also, roll speed has a huge affect on how much you can roll on. The faster the bike is rolling, the more throttle input it can handle. So again, you need to get your roll speed up first in order to really establish what maximium roll on can be.
The trick is to couple maximizing roll, entrance and exit speed with smooth and effective body inputs that maximize grip and feedback. Doing everything as hard and and fast as you can without causing any rapid changes in tire load.... let the fun begin.