Fighting residual wobblies

[Jeremy S]

My girlfriend and I did some work on her bike a while back (DF, single speed) which required removing the seat and post, among many other things. After we put it back together, she reported that the steering was weird. I tried riding the bike and found that it really wanted to weave back and forth in an unsettling way. After looking at it for a long time and going over every part we had touched, I noticed that the clamp on top of the seat post was flipped around, so the seat was inches farther forward than it used to be. I flipped the clamp back around and the bike handled like normal. Conclusion... bikes are scary magical things.

 

[Kenneth Jessett]

I find I wobble less if I only drink one bottle of scotch at night.

 

[Rampa]

You might try moving your seat back, and shortening the slider tube a bit. Be warned, f you move it really far back, you'll need to lean forward on starts because of less weight on the front (drive) wheel.

When I was starting out, I tried extreme back, and extreme forward. Now I have it just slightly back. It's a trick of finding your optimal weight distribution and optimal traction.

 

[bladderhead]

bikes are scary magical things

An utterly fascinating subject. And when you leave your DF in the shed and start looking for a 'bent you find out about the enormous variety of designs and how they handle differently. "Racer or MTB?" They both look the same to me, now that I am too busy comparing the Silvio with its cut frame, the original Silvio as I remember it, and the Grasshopper.

 

[super slim]

You might try moving your seat back, and shortening the slider tube a bit. Be warned, f you move it really far back, you'll need to lean forward on starts because of less weight on the front (drive) wheel.

When I was starting out, I tried extreme back, and extreme forward. Now I have it just slightly back. It's a trick of finding your optimal weight distribution and optimal traction.

For best handling AND front wheel drive the Silvio and Vendetta with fixed seats have a 50% front 50% rear weight balance

 

[Kenneth Jessett]

For best handling AND front wheel drive the Silvio and Vendetta with fixed seats have a 50% front 50% rear weight balance

That probably depends on whether or not you have a big bum. ;-)

 

[DavidJL]

Perhaps bike wobble has something to do with the body's center of mass continually shifting during pedaling. Regarding coasting on Cruzbikes, I find I have a tendency to have the left foot higher than the right foot. I could do it the other way, but most of us tend to favor one side over the other. Now that I also have a T50, I find that this bike is just so easy to ride, with or without hands, with or without cleats. Cruzbike is the "green eggs and ham" of the bike world.

 

[super slim]

That probably depends on whether or not you have a big bum. ;-)

I have an Aero belly, and lucky legs, at 6'1" 248 lbs 113 kg, and my Silvio V1.0 is 49% front 51% rear wheel loading!

 

[MrSteve]

Here's a tip:
Pretend that the roadway/trail that you are using is only 6 inches/15.2 centimeters wide.
Doing this takes a lot of concentration, in the beginning, so make sure that you are safe while you practice.

When you're wobble-free, you'll notice that some of your fellow road users will pass very close to you.
You're too skilled!
Wobble more!

Good luck and ride safely.

 

[Kenneth Jessett]

I have an Aero belly, and lucky legs, at 6'1" 248 lbs 113 kg, and my Silvio V1.0 is 49% front 51% rear wheel loading!

Good grief! Poor bike!

 

[Kenneth Jessett]

Here's a tip:
Pretend that the roadway/trail that you are using is only 6 inches/15.2 centimeters wide.
Doing this takes a lot of concentration, in the beginning, so make sure that you are safe while you practice.

When you're wobble-free, you'll notice that some of your fellow road users will pass very close to you.
You're too skilled!
Wobble more!

Good luck and ride safely.

The reason I am still riding in car parks is whenever I come across another rider on a trail I seem to go into extreme wobble mode. It's psychosomatic of course, but my head refuses to listen to reason and will not pay attention to my advice to 'stay the course'.

 

[RojoRacing]

The reason I am still riding in car parks is whenever I come across another rider on a trail I seem to go into extreme wobble mode. It's psychosomatic of course, but my head refuses to listen to reason and will not pay attention to my advice to 'stay the course'.

During my first 2 weeks of exclusive bike path riding I occasionally would catch riders I would needed to pass. The funny part was per normal the riders would be riding just to the right of center with about 4' of space to their left which in a regular bike would be plenty to pass on with a simple on the on your left. I would have to slow down, say hi to them as ask if they could move further right so I could pass. They would be a little puzzled until they looked back at what I was riding and I explained it was only my first couple rides on it. The saving grace was I was riding a dusk to after sunset so there were very few other users.

 

[Mathew Fy]

During my first 2 weeks of exclusive bike path riding I occasionally would catch riders I would needed to pass. The funny part was per normal the riders would be riding just to the right of center with about 4' of space to their left which in a regular bike would be plenty to pass on with a simple on the on your left. I would have to slow down, say hi to them as ask if they could move further right so I could pass. They would be a little puzzled until they looked back at what I was riding and I explained it was only my first couple rides on it. The saving grace was I was riding a dusk to after sunset so there were very few other users.

Was that Day 1 & 2 for you, Jason?
I followed your first posting with excitement before buying my own Vendetta. I was just looking back at that thread and lamenting that all those great pics are gone.

 

[Suz]

The reason I am still riding in car parks is whenever I come across another rider on a trail I seem to go into extreme wobble mode. It's psychosomatic of course, but my head refuses to listen to reason and will not pay attention to my advice to 'stay the course'.

So true! I get annoyed when cars slow way down behind me and take forever to pass because I go into wobble mode.
They are being safe and I'm annoyed - go figure.

 

[RojoRacing]

Was that Day 1 & 2 for you, Jason?
I followed your first posting with excitement before buying my own Vendetta. I was just looking back at that thread and lamenting that all those great pics are gone.

Whole first week and part way into the second week for sure. On my first group ride on week three I had my water bottles mounted under my seat and one of them was coming loose. As I was dropping back through the group after taking a pull the last rider said my bottle was going to fall out. I said ok as I waited for him to pass me so I could grab it. Two more times he said my bottle was going to fall and I said ok as I continued to drop off the group but he kept riding my wing. Eventually I got frustrated and sharply told him to pass me so I could free up hand and grab that bottle without crashing into him.

 

[ratz]

Eventually, Wobble will become Wiggle; with my head on the headrest it's pretty hard to wobble these days, lift my head off the headrest and the back is much more loosely coupled to the seat and I get get a nice Wiggle that lets me lay down more power to the road. While riding today and thinking about this thread I'm starting to wonder if some of our Wobblers are people that don't quite have the head rest dialed in yet. If you're a wobbler make sure that when firmly in the headrest your head is tipped forward give you a nice double chin. If you are looking skyward your head rest is pushed in too far, yep in to far back it out a bit so you head can tip forward and anchor you to the bike.

 

[RojoRacing]

I'd like to consider my low speed skills to be quite good given the bikes quirks and at the risk of sounding arrogant I'd guess I'm maybe the best when it comes to high speed skills. I would like to make it to one of the retreats where we could setup an obstacle course and put on display just how good the wielder of the rubber mallet and the Parker family are at controlling these bikes. I'm not talking about a simple weaving between a few cones though, I'm talking a maze of 100 cones setup to make you put that foot down. Beside it giving most of us a good laugh, it would be cool to compare where some of are and where we could possibly end up with even more practice.

 

[ratz]

I'd like to consider my low speed skills to be quite good given the bikes quirks and at the risk of sounding arrogant I'd guess I'm maybe the best when it comes to high speed skills. I would like to make it to one of the retreats where we could setup an obstacle course and put on display just how good the wielder of the rubber mallet and the Parker family are at controlling these bikes. I'm not talking about a simple weaving between a few cones though, I'm talking a maze of 100 cones setup to make you put that foot down. Beside it giving most of us a good laugh, it would be cool to compare where some of are and where we could possibly end up with even more practice.

That was done as a relay race last time at the retreat. The race aspect maybe wasn't the best choice. Qx100's with 26 wheels were used to ensure everyone looked the fool on a bike not dialed in for them. I'm pretty sure we secretly erased all the smart phone recordings.

This does tend to be all over the map. Maria and Larry wobble (and by that I mean they don't ride razor tight lines) especially going up hill, but both are in total control. Jim, Kevin, and my wife are arrow straight. I'm pretty steady if I'm paying attention; I tend to goof off a bit too much.

 

[bladderhead]

I have not the slightest chance of beating any of you record-breakers, except maybe in the slalom.

But I would need my own modified Silvio and no other species of Cruzbike. This bike pirouettes like dancer. This bike has spent most of its life in the traffic jams and parks of the London suburbs, which has taught it about this kind of riding.

 

[Kenneth Jessett]

Eventually, Wobble will become Wiggle; with my head on the headrest it's pretty hard to wobble these days, lift my head off the headrest and the back is much more loosely coupled to the seat and I get get a nice Wiggle that lets me lay down more power to the road. While riding today and thinking about this thread I'm starting to wonder if some of our Wobblers are people that don't quite have the head rest dialed in yet. If you're a wobbler make sure that when firmly in the headrest your head is tipped forward give you a nice double chin. If you are looking skyward your head rest is pushed in too far, yep in to far back it out a bit so you head can tip forward and anchor you to the bike.

I agree that when I push my head back onto the rest - still not properly 'dialed in' yet though, I find the wobble mostly goes away. The thing is though I still don't have the headrest issue fixed. Working on it though! The sponge didn't work so back to plan, um, F at this stage I think.