I'm with Esteban here, and I'd venture to say that, on a new bike, with a new brooks, it is most likely your saddle. Grease the rails, and be sure to use whatever it is you use on top of the saddle (proofide, Obenauf's) on the underside as well. Get it in there between the rear plate and the leather (where the rivets are). This spot can be the source of a creak that resonates through the whole bike. You might loosen the tension a bit and then re-tighten after you've gotten some goo in there.
As for the front end shimmy: I used to call them speed wobbles when I was a kid on a skateboard. It's more to do with physics than anything. I get the same shimmy on my Bomba at medium speeds and no- hands. The shimmy has less (or nothing) to do with your super-nice headset, and more to do with the speed you're going, and the geometry of the Bomba's front end, specifically the rake (and trail) of the fork. This bike is designed as an off-road bike capable of heavy, loaded touring. I commute on my Bomba with a loaded rack up front, and it feels quite solid. When I take it for a jaunt sans front load, the steering feels positively twitchy (and responsive, as if ready to maneuver across a dry creek-bed strewn with rocks the size of soccer balls). I'd say, basically, don't sweat the shimmy. It has more to do with the function of your bike, not a dysfunction. Hope this helps... On Apr 17, 10:49 pm, Rene Sterental <orthie...@gmail.com> wrote: > Today was the Tierra Bella Century and I rode the 35 mile ride with the > Bombadil. You can check out some pictures here:http://tinyurl.com/y6nuxy2. > > I taped my handlebars and shellacked them. I think the result is > outstanding, my first ever experience with cloth and shellac. I also taped, > twined and shellacked the stand. > > The day was great, I'm out of shape but working on it. I get bad hot spots > on my left foot, seems I have a Morton's Neuroma on that foot. At least with > the platform pedals I was able to move my foot around. It seems worse when > I'm putting pressure to climb, subsides when I can pedal without applying so > much pressure on the foot. > > Amazingly, my bike seemed to be invisible to all the crabonites and > aluminites passing me on the left all morning long. The only guy who said > "Nice bike!" was a young guy riding a Bianchi single speed, wearing a beard > like Sheldon's and carrying his stuff in a messenger Timbuktu bag. Not even > at rest stops did anyone approach me to ask what kind of bike was I riding. > I guess that in their world, carbon is the ultimate and nothing else exists. > > I followed the tire pressure guidelines from the chart, and the bike felt > wonderful. I did, however, note the following problems and would like > feedback to solve them: > > - Going a bit fast on downhill slopes, about 16 mph, removing the hands from > the bars caused a shimmy. It was kind of a low frequency shimmy, gentle but > steady. The bike kept going straight, but with the shimmy. I have a Chris > King headset; is it perhaps a little tight? Read somewhere that someone > fixed that problem by loosening their headset a bit. > > - The bike creaks constantly; there is some creaking when coasting, but I > cannot associate it with anything in particular. Perhaps the Berthoud > fenders, perhaps the BB. Then, when pedaling with my hands on the hoods, > there was a regular loud creak that towards the end I could replicate when > stopped by twisting on the handlebars. Both of my stem bolts are as tight as > I can tighten them by hand. This creaking superimposed on the rolling creaks > as well and created a cacophony (in my ears) that seemed to get worse > towards the end of the ride. Specially if I was pedaling harder or uphill. > > Any help with suggestions on how to fix these problems will be appreciated > as always! > > Thanks again! > > René > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group > athttp://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
