Foot position when standing

Being new to bikes - 2 months in - I am after a quick tip - when I ride I stand on the pegs with the front of my foot - pretty much at the base of my toes. This however makes things difficult when braking or changing gears and I often find myself not being able to achieve the brake or change as smooth as I want.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers
Lance

A lot of people ride on the balls of their feet. I do a fair amount, but when headed downhill or going thru technical stuff the peg is in the arch of my foot so I can shift and brake.

Shewolf is probably right on this one. I think I do the same. Have bent my shift lever so many times, it's easy to stay kind of under it with my toe. The rear brake on the other hand is a pita to cover for any length of time. It's adj. all the way down, but still not enough.

SheWolf wrote:

A lot of people ride on the balls of their feet.

I'm one.

SheWolf wrote:

A lot of people ride on the balls of their feet. I do a fair amount, but when headed downhill or going thru technical stuff the peg is in the arch of my foot so I can shift and brake.

I have the pegs under the balls of my feet too... It was where they naturally gravitated to when I first started riding. Heading down a technical embankment however... If my bike is behaving and not trying to drag me over baseball sized boulders... I try to have the pegs in the middle of my feet... Then again since my bike seems to take pleasure in trying to kill me by not slowing down... EVER... My foot position is known to change, sometimes rather abruptly...

You have more control if you ride with the footpeg in the middle of your boot (on your arches), but I use a sort of modified stance.

I keep my left foot on the ball so my toe is away from the shifter. Nothing sucks more than an inadvertent downshift in the middle of a technical rocky section because you were standing on the arch of your foot and accidentally tapped the shifter under your foot. I keep my right foot's arch on the peg for better control and so I have access to the brake lever at all times.

Like I said, it's a little awkward to have each foot in a different spot, but I feel it gives me the best control w/o sacrificing braking ability or inadvertent downshifts.

Are you a particularly tall guy?

Maybe you need taller bars?

Krabill wrote:

You have more control if you ride with the footpeg in the middle of your boot (on your arches), but I use a sort of modified stance.

I keep my left foot on the ball so my toe is away from the shifter. Nothing sucks more than an inadvertent downshift in the middle of a technical rocky section because you were standing on the arch of your foot and accidentally tapped the shifter under your foot. I keep my right foot's arch on the peg for better control and so I have access to the brake lever at all times.

Like I said, it's a little awkward to have each foot in a different spot, but I feel it gives me the best control w/o sacrificing braking ability or inadvertent downshifts.

This is exactly how I do it, wasn't really a conscious decision, either. Just sort of evolved that way.

thanks for the awesome input all - I look forward to trying the new stance when I get my bike back together again!

I am also getting some risers so that may make the whole thing come together even better...

great advice and thanks

Lance

The Yeti wrote:

Krabill wrote:

You have more control if you ride with the footpeg in the middle of your boot (on your arches), but I use a sort of modified stance.

I keep my left foot on the ball so my toe is away from the shifter. Nothing sucks more than an inadvertent downshift in the middle of a technical rocky section because you were standing on the arch of your foot and accidentally tapped the shifter under your foot. I keep my right foot's arch on the peg for better control and so I have access to the brake lever at all times.

Like I said, it's a little awkward to have each foot in a different spot, but I feel it gives me the best control w/o sacrificing braking ability or inadvertent downshifts.

This is exactly how I do it, wasn't really a conscious decision, either. Just sort of evolved that way.

I was going to say that too, just couldn't spell staggard so didn't, (but I ride with feet switched oppisitly for long, standing, boring sections.)

*crap, now i got two words I can't spell. Maybe I should just leave my first post?

It also is a good idea to point your toes inward which helps to keep your knees gripping the tank.

Probably a personal preference and discretion with regard to balance and control access in varying conditions.

Frankly I never think about it.

...but in general (I think) when I am standing up (at speed) I am usually on the balls of my feet. The reason being is that when at speed I am not likely to be shifting as much and I can articulate my body fore-and-aft (bump negotiation) and weight the bike (left-Right) in the air more easily as my weight seems more direct (maybe it's more leverage being on the outside of the peg).

When in tight technical stuff that requires standing I center my foot for control access (here I am hugging the tank tightly with my knees continuously using that as the influence of leverage more so than the pegs)

For smooth left-right, quick turning, up-on-the-tank, sit-down stuff I also center my foot for control access.

Style and methods are all different. What works for some seems awkward for others.

I watch guys ahead of me seeming go through stuff that I feel challenges me ( just to be smooth and maintain absolute traction). ...and other times guys behind me said they don't understand how I ride through that stuff that fast and never seem to leave the seat.

Interesting responses. Food for thought.

I tend to ride on the balls of my feet no matter what bike I'm riding or where I'm riding.
On longer trips I actually tend to get calf craps at night because I forget to actually shift my feet in order to allow the muscles to rest. That's how much better in control I feel in that position. However, I also have not become proficient yet at shifting while standing, so maybe the staaagggggaaarrd thing is worth a try.

A thought on gripping the tank . . . it's fine if you are hauling ass down a fire road as it helps connect your weight to the bike making for a more stable ride. Heavier bikes go better in a straight line than lighter bikes.

For slow, technical riding you want your knees apart so the bike can shift around under you.

Knees apart - let the bike move . . .

+1 on foot and body position depending on conditions. I've always used the Krabill style of shakin' my booty in slow uneven ground, but now that I see how gay it looks I don't think I'll do it if someone has a camera nearby (or if I hear banjo music in the woods).

Like the photos Krabill. I was thining about how to post a related question: does anyone use a litte Stompgrip on the plastic on either side of the tank? Riding on dirt and mud (no rocks) on my X, I'm trying to hold the bike tightly between my thighs. That's my road riding experience. I thought some Stompgrip might help get some traction without squeezing so hard.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong?

Oh FWIW - road riding is strictly the balls of the feet on the pegs. You get the most control that way.

BluePill wrote:

+1 on foot and body position depending on conditions. I've always used the Krabill style of shakin' my booty in slow uneven ground, but now that I see how gay it looks I don't think I'll do it if someone has a camera nearby (or if I hear banjo music in the woods).

BAHHH HAHAHAHA

1moreroad wrote:

Like the photos Krabill. I was thining about how to post a related question: does anyone use a litte Stompgrip on the plastic on either side of the tank? Riding on dirt and mud (no rocks) on my X, I'm trying to hold the bike tightly between my thighs. That's my road riding experience. I thought some Stompgrip might help get some traction without squeezing so hard.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong?

Oh FWIW - road riding is strictly the balls of the feet on the pegs. You get the most control that way.

There are definitely times when a better grip on the shroud plastics would be nice. I have stomp grip on my track bike and my Ducati touring bike. I'm going to put it on my WR also.

Something to remember when positioning it though is that your knee position can vary significantly depending upon what boots you are wearing and sitting vs. standing. Seems obvious, but I made that mistake the first time I applied it.

Tibarus wrote:

SheWolf wrote:

A lot of people ride on the balls of their feet. I do a fair amount, but when headed downhill or going thru technical stuff the peg is in the arch of my foot so I can shift and brake.

I have the pegs under the balls of my feet too... It was where they naturally gravitated to when I first started riding. Heading down a technical embankment however... If my bike is behaving and not trying to drag me over baseball sized boulders... I try to have the pegs in the middle of my feet... Then again since my bike seems to take pleasure in trying to kill me by not slowing down... EVER... My foot position is known to change, sometimes rather abruptly...

"rather abruptly"...lol i know what you mean :)

BluePill wrote:

+1 on foot and body position depending on conditions. I've always used the Krabill style of shakin' my booty in slow uneven ground, but now that I see how gay it looks I don't think I'll do it if someone has a camera nearby (or if I hear banjo music in the woods).

lol wow cant stop laughing