Involuntary pedal steer wobble when changing gears

[Shahmatt]

When changing gears on my internal gear hub conversion there's always that momentary lapse in power as the new gear cogs slots in place.

The power loss from the lapse causes some involuntary pedal steer and a slight wobble.

I've learned to be cautious when changing gears in heavy traffic by reducing power and stiffening my arms. But the wobble is still quite difficult to avoid.

I'm guessing this must also occur with derailleur setups, but maybe less so as the power steps are smaller.

The wobble can probably be completely avoided with the Nuvinci hub. So +1 for the Nuvinci's.

Anyway are there any better techniques in dealing with this?

 

[Andrew 1973]

No idea

I can't say I've experienced this, but it sounds like something that would go away once you've put in some long miles on the bike.

 

[richa]

What kind of IGH?


With the SRAM 3 speed IGH (standard on Quest) you aren't supposed to be pedalling when you shift it. Not sure about others.

Rich

 

[chrisblessing]

Changing gears

I use the Nuvinci N360 on my 20" folding conversion, and love that I have no steps or jumps. No ride here of any length here is without some steep climbs, and with my original ?derailleur I was frustrated by the same issue as you. The Nuvinci can shift under load, but you won't get the full 360 ratio unless you can afford to let up momentarily, but you'll get most of it. I wouldn't warrant that involuntary pedal steer or wobble will disappear for you, but I haven't experienced it since installing this hub.

That said, as Andrew hinted, you likely would learn in time how to compensate for this. Further noted, this hub is not for the weight-concious.

Chris

 

[Jeremy S]

I always stop pedaling (or at

I always stop pedaling (or at least drastically reduce the load) while I shift my FD, otherwise I risk the chain falling off the gears.

 

[Shahmatt]

Rich,
Shifting can be done

Rich,

Shifting can be done without pedaling, but on starting again in the new gear there's just that little bit of "give" before the gear engages - a slight loss of pedal resistance. This "give" is the problem as it can cause a brief loss in control. I'm sure the SRAM IGH should behave like this as well. I wasn't sure about derailleur's but Chris testifies that he found it troublesome.

As Chris confirms, the Nuvinci's continuously variable transmission should have no power lapse and hence steering should always stay true whenever the shifter is adjusted.

Maybe Cruzbike should consider incorporating the Nuvinci n360 into the Sofrider and Quest. The thing maybe heavy, but wobbling on a steep hill or in traffic is just not comfortable. It would be more suitable for commuter models.

Andrew,

Hopefully you are right and the problem lessens with time.

 

[Charles.Plager]

I always back of a little bit

I always back of a little bit when shifting, but I've never noticed it. I ride without hands and shift all the time, so my guess is that this is something that will (mostly?) go away with more experience.

 

[1happyreader]

internal gear hub

Shamatt,

Your new picture looks good !

I would like to know what kind/brand/model of internal gear hub are you talking about in your post ??

 

[Shahmatt]

1happyreader,
Thanks.
I use a

1happyreader,

Thanks.

I use a Shimano Nexus 7 internal hub (SG-7R46 minus the roller brakes).

 

[Vargas]

FD and RD

I have no experience yet with IGH, but soon will with my new Quest.

To shift my FD at my Sofrider, or any other bike you MUST ease on the pedals,this is because the upper part of the chain is under tension. To shift the RD you don't need to reduce power since it is not under tension.
Anyway I always reduce power when shifting. i like to have the gears engage smoothly.

The wobbling will definitely disappear when you get more used to the bike.

SRAM says you can shift the DD pedaling or even standing still. But as I said, I have no experience with it yet.

 

[bladderhead]

So, cplager, you ride without

So, cplager, you ride without hands and shift. How do you shift?

The mind boggles.

 

[Eric Winn]

Well fudge, I thought you

Well fudge, I thought you were maybe a telekenetic and I could call you to recover my car keys when I dropped them between the seat and the transmission tunnel.

-Eric

 

[Charles.Plager]

I've got trigger shifters, so

I've got trigger shifters, so I just looked the right button with a finger.

Edit: "looked" should be "poked". Don't know how auto correct screwed that one up...