Ahh, washboard. I used to ride dirt roads in the NW Rio Rancho area of the ABQ metropolis, where large pickups -- heavy, torquey, rear wheel drive -- had washboarded may sections. I found the same -- wider tires and lower pressures help a great deal, but beyond a certain amplitude, you just suffer.
I also found that 700C tires float better than 559 ones with the same tires (in this case, 60 mm Big Apples -- the 622s seemed smoother even at slightly higher pressures); the bigger tires also seem to float over sand better. I recall 35+ mph downhill sections along a heavily graveled, old logging road up in the Jemez Springs area, riding the Fargo (stiff) on 60 mm Big Apple Liteskins at ~15/18 or 17/20 psi. The vibration was so bad that, literally, I could not inhale and my vision blurred -- these were, at those speeds, mercifully brief moments. The Noodles and long Tektro hoods, and SPDs, kept me in place. And this was while using my knees and elbows to their full extent as suspension! One of the most comfortable washboard setups was a 26" wheel mtb with Softride stem and early elastomer suspenion seatpost -- Coda? This despite stiff, narrow 1.95 tires. I agree that climbing in washboard is purgatorial. Sometimes it's easier to stand in a higher gear, if you can maintain rear wheel traction. Perhaps you will want to swap to full suspension, or to the new 36er. (Juuuust kidding.) You already have 700C wheels and supple tires. Beyond this, I believe that washboard is something to be endured, rather than something that can be ameliorated. [image: Inline image 1] On Thu, Mar 10, 2016 at 9:01 AM, Deacon Patrick <[email protected]> wrote: > Washboard is a frequent reality of country roads and this being my country > road riding season (as the trails haven’t melted yet), it is a reality of > my late winter, early spring rides. Some observations that perhaps your > experience can contribute to so we can collectively learn how to more > effectively ride these corrugated beasties. > > — Washboard is nothing but a frequency wave, the cumulative result of > traffic, weight, speed, and likely others. > — Randomly rough/rocky roads are easier to ride and smoother than equally > rough washboard because of the regularity of the washboard. > — Like on a river in the rapids, there is oft a ridge where the “waves” > cancel each other out. Ride the ridge! > — supple tires make a HUGE difference in smoothing out washboard, until > the wave “frequency” gets too large. > — Small range frequency washboard (tires absorb it, regardless of speed) > has a much larger range when riding supple tires that stiff walled and flat > protected tires. > — Medium range frequency washboard (greater than tires absorb, less than > requires significant slowing) is significantly smoothed out by riding it > faster so the bike skims along the top. > — Large range frequency washboard (too large for speed to “skim” over the > top) requires knees and elbows bent, seat off the saddle, and I’ve yet to > find a way to make it pleasant to ride. Fortunately, it is rare to find a > road that has greater than short stretches fully covered in width by this > range. But those quarter mile sections that do have it — UGH! > — Riding with speed into a section I thought (hoped, prayed) was medium > frequency but rapidly reveals it is large frequency, tests one’s ability to > grip the bar with three fingers and brake quickly with one. Factors that > contribute to this deception include cloud cover, angle of the sun, tree > cover, etc. > — Climbing up medium or large frequency washboard is one of the most > challenging types of riding I’ve experienced, requiring a mostly-unweighted > cranking on the pedals, with significant knee bend even at full extention > to allow room for the bike is flowing up and down beneath me. Fully in the > saddle and the full effect of the waves is maximized, full standing and the > effect of the waves is often magnified. As it is, every pedal stroke is > unpredictable, depending on if each wheel is heading down into the trough > or up out of the trough. > > Your experience and learnings? > > With abandon, > Patrick > > www.OurHolyConception.org <http://www.ourholyconception.org> > www.MindYourHeadCoop.org <http://www.mindyourheadcoop.org> > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews. By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching. Other professional writing services. http://www.resumespecialties.com/ www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/ Patrick Moore Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique, Vereinigte Staaten ************************************************************************** ************** *The point which is the pivot of the norm is the motionless center of a circumference on the contours of which all conditions, distinctions, and individualities revolve. *Chuang Tzu *Stat crux dum volvitur orbis.* *(The cross stands motionless while the world revolves.) *Carthusian motto *It is *we *who change; *He* remains the same.* Eckhart *Kinei hos eromenon.* (*It moves [all things] as the beloved.) *Aristotle -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
