Does your bike track well? - Page 2

07-17-2004, 09:30 AM

On 17 Jul 2004 17:03:42 GMT, Hunrobe <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:

>> Badger_South [Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
>
> wrote in part:
>
>> I've ridden with no hands, pedalling and just coasting frequently on
>> my last bike many, many years ago, cro-moly road bike, but on this
>> Trek hybrid (7500FX), I'm having difficulty doing it at all. I'm
>> barely able to coast with no hands, but if I pedal the front wheel
>> wobbles like crazy - iow, none of that little bit of gyroscopic
>> resistance to wobble to help you get going.
>
> Others can probably explain it better than I but what you describe is
> likely
> more a function of bike geometry than any gyroscopic effect. If your
> older bike
> had greater trail than your hybrid- a distinct possibility since many
> older
> road bikes had very slack head tube angles and/or highly curved forks-
> then it
> will always be easier to ride hands free on it than on your hybrid no
> matter
> how often or precisely you true the hybrid's wheel.
>
> Regards,
> Bob Hunt

Since tracking has been brought up I have a question to add. My bike, a
lowly Huffy, rides OK with no hands but I have to lean it about 5 degrees
to maintain a straight ahead ride. The wheels are true,I did them myself,
and flipping the front wheel 180 degrees does nothing, so I am wondering
if the frame itself could have something to do with hands off riding.
My reason for hands off is that after about ten miles it is relaxing for
my hands to just sit up and pedal for about a mile before getting back
on the bars. I ride mostly country roads so cars are not much of a problem,
maybe one car every two minutes or so. I ride up to 80 miles a day, so far,
on a combination of pavement, potholes, gravel, rocks, and even foot trails
that I have to drag the bike up, so it is an MTB with 26 x 1.75 (1.95?)
street tires.
No laughing, it gets me there and back.
Any ideas on why the lean?
Bill Baka

07-17-2004, 10:04 AM

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 10:30:07 -0700, Bill wrote:

> Any ideas on why the lean?

Your frame ain't straight. For giggles, wrap a string tightly around the
head tube and tie the ends to the dropouts. Now measure the distance
between the string and the seat tube.

I'm off by a couple mm on my road ride after I cold set my frame to accept
a wider hub--still better than when I started, when it was 5mm off. No
hands is wobbly on this bike too, but doable--and I've got a fairly
generously raked circa 1979 tange "racing" fork on it.

07-17-2004, 10:04 AM

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 10:30:07 -0700, Bill wrote:

> Any ideas on why the lean?

Your frame ain't straight. For giggles, wrap a string tightly around the
head tube and tie the ends to the dropouts. Now measure the distance
between the string and the seat tube.

I'm off by a couple mm on my road ride after I cold set my frame to accept
a wider hub--still better than when I started, when it was 5mm off. No
hands is wobbly on this bike too, but doable--and I've got a fairly
generously raked circa 1979 tange "racing" fork on it.

07-17-2004, 10:04 AM

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 10:30:07 -0700, Bill wrote:

> Any ideas on why the lean?

Your frame ain't straight. For giggles, wrap a string tightly around the
head tube and tie the ends to the dropouts. Now measure the distance
between the string and the seat tube.

I'm off by a couple mm on my road ride after I cold set my frame to accept
a wider hub--still better than when I started, when it was 5mm off. No
hands is wobbly on this bike too, but doable--and I've got a fairly
generously raked circa 1979 tange "racing" fork on it.

07-17-2004, 10:04 AM

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 10:30:07 -0700, Bill wrote:

> Any ideas on why the lean?

Your frame ain't straight. For giggles, wrap a string tightly around the
head tube and tie the ends to the dropouts. Now measure the distance
between the string and the seat tube.

I'm off by a couple mm on my road ride after I cold set my frame to accept
a wider hub--still better than when I started, when it was 5mm off. No
hands is wobbly on this bike too, but doable--and I've got a fairly
generously raked circa 1979 tange "racing" fork on it.

07-17-2004, 10:04 AM

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 10:30:07 -0700, Bill wrote:

> Any ideas on why the lean?

Your frame ain't straight. For giggles, wrap a string tightly around the
head tube and tie the ends to the dropouts. Now measure the distance
between the string and the seat tube.

I'm off by a couple mm on my road ride after I cold set my frame to accept
a wider hub--still better than when I started, when it was 5mm off. No
hands is wobbly on this bike too, but doable--and I've got a fairly
generously raked circa 1979 tange "racing" fork on it.

07-17-2004, 10:09 AM

"Bill" <bbaka@syix.com> wrote in message
news

psbalkhtdq730am@news.syix.com...
> >
> Since tracking has been brought up I have a question to add. My bike, a
> lowly Huffy, rides OK with no hands but I have to lean it about 5 degrees
> to maintain a straight ahead ride.
..
> Any ideas on why the lean?

Fork ends not straight. See if Sheldon Brown's site has a how to.

07-17-2004, 10:09 AM

"Bill" <bbaka@syix.com> wrote in message
news

psbalkhtdq730am@news.syix.com...
> >
> Since tracking has been brought up I have a question to add. My bike, a
> lowly Huffy, rides OK with no hands but I have to lean it about 5 degrees
> to maintain a straight ahead ride.
..
> Any ideas on why the lean?

Fork ends not straight. See if Sheldon Brown's site has a how to.

07-17-2004, 10:09 AM

"Bill" <bbaka@syix.com> wrote in message
news

psbalkhtdq730am@news.syix.com...
> >
> Since tracking has been brought up I have a question to add. My bike, a
> lowly Huffy, rides OK with no hands but I have to lean it about 5 degrees
> to maintain a straight ahead ride.
..
> Any ideas on why the lean?

Fork ends not straight. See if Sheldon Brown's site has a how to.

07-17-2004, 10:09 AM

"Bill" <bbaka@syix.com> wrote in message
news

psbalkhtdq730am@news.syix.com...
> >
> Since tracking has been brought up I have a question to add. My bike, a
> lowly Huffy, rides OK with no hands but I have to lean it about 5 degrees
> to maintain a straight ahead ride.
..
> Any ideas on why the lean?

Fork ends not straight. See if Sheldon Brown's site has a how to.