The idea of a bike that shimmies would not give me confidence......but then I never ride without at least one hand on the bar. I remember getting the stink eye from a fellow rider on the local bike path because I rode without a helmet ( he mentioned I should have one on too) but he was riding with no hands on the bars.....less safe than riding sans helmet IMO.
On Monday, December 10, 2012 5:42:23 PM UTC-8, William wrote: > > Toshi > > I'm like you, I think. As I think you know, I've got a Hilsen and a > Rawland. Unlike people who say te he difference between high trail and low > trail is night and day, my experience has been a bit more nuanced. In > summary, I'm like Esteban, in that for me "they both work". > > The low-speed stability trick that I can do on my Rawland that no other > bike I've owned can do: I can ride up a >10% grade no-handed. I'm not > saying that's a critical enhancement, but it is for me an objective > empricism that tells me there is a difference in ultra low speed stability. > Take that for what you want. What I've noticed as well is that now that > the seed was planted in my mind that riding in a straight line up a hill is > possible, I find myself wanting to ride my Hilsen in a straight line up > hills as well. It forces me to keep my upper body very quiet with a very > light touch on the bars. I get leverage on the pedals with my lean, not > with a death grip on the bars. I think it's made me a better climber, and > it's helped me work on my flexibility. > > The other difference is that my Rawland does shimmy coasting no handed at > above 16mph or so and the Hilsen does not. Maybe I'll get a needle bearing > headset to try and get after that a little. My Hilsen is totally > shimmy-free. For long brevets if my neck and shoulders are getting tired, > being able to sit up on the Hilsen is really nice. Neither the Hilsen nor > the Rawland has ever had a rear rack on it, so whether there's a shimmy > difference with a rear load, I wouldn't know. > > They are both splendid bikes, and choosing one for a ride is like choosing > between a Les Paul and a Gibson (and no, I don't know how to play guitar). > > Bill > > > On Monday, December 10, 2012 5:18:20 PM UTC-8, ttoshi wrote: >> >> I dunno what this wandering is either. Is it like when you are >> stopping at a stop light and you are going nearly 0 miles an hour and >> you have to turn your wheel from side to side to keep your balance? >> Maybe the hill is so steep that your bike wants you to ride sideways >> to cut the gradient (Is that the bike or driver)? >> >> Sure, I always ride with a ~8 lb (klickfix) handlebar bag on my tandem >> and I've ridden up steep hills with my son and a little one in a >> trailer. Yeah, I've gone slower than the bike computer would recognize >> (maybe 2-2.5 mph) and yes, my front tire would wobble a bit, but it >> was like when I am trying to balance at a stop light, and I was never >> in any danger of falling. Would the rake of the fork potentially solve >> that wobbling? (I try to keep an open mind) >> >> Toshi in Oakland, CA, whose squirming children cause many more >> handling difficulties than the bicycle thusfar. >> >> On Mon, Dec 10, 2012 at 3:18 PM, soapscum <[email protected]> wrote: >> > I've never been on a bike that didn't wander a bit on climbs, and I've >> > always just internalized that as "I always wander a bit when riding up >> > hills". I guess once I get my technique dialed-in (I mean, I've only >> been >> > riding for 40 years or so), I'll start working on the bike... >> > >> > Shawn >> > >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/X8oisEd2FLkJ. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
