Very interesting post. I was particularly struck by this: " Suffice to say that the effect of the front load on the steering can be harnessed to make a bicycle handle better with a front load than without, but only if the bike’s geometry is suitable for a front load. *Such a touring bike, fully loaded, handles as well as a good racing bike, whether cornering hard, riding no- hands (not recommended, of course), or climbing out of the saddle*." (Emphasis added.)
But on the Sam Hill -- he said expertly, having ridden with a light front load fully 6 miles -- just the opposite obtains: turns are harder to initiate, the bike wants to track wide, and it feels a bit squirrely in the corner; all this compared to a load (much heavier, too) on a very stiff and low slung Tubus Logo. So I conclude (to be confirmed, I will guess, by more front load riding) that the SH is best with rear loads and only light ones in front. We'll see. I know that touristo extraordinaire Craig Montgomery said onlist that a well designed and well loaded touring bike will handle impeccably (I am paraphrasing, not quoting); and perhaps the Sam Hill is just not the optimum tourer. But it will certainly do well enough. I am consoled that, on my two remaining Riv customs (fixies both), the butt-back, long rear-center, shortish front-center handling with skinny, short wheels, is wonderful. On Sun, Jul 11, 2010 at 10:14 AM, muckum <toddjeffr...@sbcglobal.net> wrote: > You may want to read this article on loads. It may help your > configuration. > > > http://www.adventurecycling.org/resources/display_resource.cfm?file=200906_MechanicalAdvantage_Heine.pdf > > > > > On Jul 10, 3:50 pm, PATRICK MOORE <bertin...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Inaugural ride -- yes, brief; 11-12 m rt to grocery store and PO and back > -- > > with, upon return, a total of 10 lb, including panniers themselves, slung > > low on the Tara. So: what is my initial impression after, granted, no > more > > than six miles? > > > > 1. 10 lb does not seem to materially help front end stability; the bike > > still has the slight "wandering" feeling so absent from my other Rivs. > This > > on the straight and levels. I did not have a chance to test it up a 12% > > grade in a sub 30" gear. > > > > 2. Turning is more cumbersome: one virtue of the Sam Hill is that, when > you > > lean, it turns. With the 10 lb, steering is definitely slower and > requires > > more conscious input. > > > > So, I assume that some bikes are just not as front load friendly as > others? > > I must add 10 to 20 more lbs in front to try out a real load. And, of > > course, put on more front loaded miles before I conclude with finality. > But > > I suspect that this bike, as my Motobecane, really prefers rear loads. > No? > > > > http://picasaweb.google.com/BERTIN753/BIKESMISCELLANEA#54924133109236... > > > > -- > > Patrick Moore > > Albuquerque, NM > > For professional resumes, contact > > Patrick Moore, ACRW at resumespecialt...@gmail.com > > -- > 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<rbw-owners-bunch%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > > -- Patrick Moore Albuquerque, NM For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW at resumespecialt...@gmail.com -- 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.
