I was interested to see what effect mildly self-centring steering would have on my Quest. To do this I hooked two 12mm diameter bungees to the seat support and attached the other ends to the handlebars. Initially these were just hooked around the handlebars above the grips. When I decided to continue the experiment I tapped a couple of wooden plugs into the handlebar ends and screwed in a couple of vine eyes. I could then easily hook and unhook the bungees. These were set so that with the front wheel pointing straight ahead the bungees were both under light tension.
.JPG)
The effect was subtle and did not upset the way that I have learned to ride the bike. When holding the handlebars I don't think that I could feel any difference. When either coasting or pedaling hands-free the bike had a slightly different and improved feel. The ride felt a little smoother and safer with the wilder wobbles rounded off somewhat. It felt like the bike more wanted to stay upright.
I tried doubling the strength of the self-centring by attaching two bungees to each handlebar end but this did upset my learned riding skills when riding hands-free so I did not continue with this.
A beneficial side effect was that the front wheel no longer wanted to flop sideways strongly when pushing or parking the bike.
Although I prefered the ride with them on, due to the practical considerations of the bungees interfering with my seatbag and the bother of clipping them on and off when mounting the bike for short journeys I have removed them for now.
To sum up, I would say that mild self-centred steering changes the feeling of the bike from being neutral to being gently benign.
The effect was subtle and did not upset the way that I have learned to ride the bike. When holding the handlebars I don't think that I could feel any difference. When either coasting or pedaling hands-free the bike had a slightly different and improved feel. The ride felt a little smoother and safer with the wilder wobbles rounded off somewhat. It felt like the bike more wanted to stay upright.
I tried doubling the strength of the self-centring by attaching two bungees to each handlebar end but this did upset my learned riding skills when riding hands-free so I did not continue with this.
A beneficial side effect was that the front wheel no longer wanted to flop sideways strongly when pushing or parking the bike.
Although I prefered the ride with them on, due to the practical considerations of the bungees interfering with my seatbag and the bother of clipping them on and off when mounting the bike for short journeys I have removed them for now.
To sum up, I would say that mild self-centred steering changes the feeling of the bike from being neutral to being gently benign.
