Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - 96er wheel flop

The only way I can describe it is "wheel flop". I recently converted a 26 in. mtb into a 29 in. front, 26 in. rear 96er (or 69er, which ever way you want to look at it) and noticed that in slow turning the front wheel seems to want to pull down more into the turn, whichever way you are turning. Now is this due to the different diameter wheels or the fact that the front end is now higher (more relaxed head tube angle), and just needs to be used with a shorter crown to axle fork length to eliminate this wheel flop feel? Thanks.

It's because the fork rake is now shallower than it used to be. The wheel is laying over more instead of twisting. Think of what a chopper wants to do during a turn.

you have also increased the trail of the frame and made it incumbered and weird to handle

Thanks guys. Will a shorter cown to axle fork length correct this?

I would think so, but a shorter fork may entail a shorter front wheel. :)

you would need to modify your frame to correct this entirely but I would try a non suspension corrected fork and or with no rake

The only way I can describe it is "wheel flop". I recently converted a 26 in. mtb into a 29 in. front, 26 in. rear 96er (or 69er, which ever way you want to look at it) and noticed that in slow turning the front wheel seems to want to pull down more into the turn, whichever way you are turning. Now is this due to the different diameter wheels or the fact that the front end is now higher (more relaxed head tube angle), and just needs to be used with a shorter crown to axle fork length to eliminate this wheel flop feel? Thanks.

If you use a 29" fork, that changes the fork rake drastically. The solution is to fit a 29" wheel into a 26" fork so your geometry remains the same as before. And you may have to lower the stem to compensate for the bigger wheel now in the front.

there is agood article in the most recent dirtrag about doing this....

If you use a 29" fork, that changes the fork rake drastically. The solution is to fit a 29" wheel into a 26" fork so your geometry remains the same as before. And you may have to lower the stem to compensate for the bigger wheel now in the front.

geo still changes if you can even fit it

I have the same problem with a time trial funny-bike I converted to a 700c front. It doesn't pose that much of a problem if you pay attention to it, but it's definitely weird.

looks like dirtrag writes magazine articles specifically for you:

http://www.dirtragmag.com/print/article.php?ID=860&category=features

I did this with a road fork to create the ugliest cross bike you've ever seen. Somehow, the handling came out unaffected. It's definitely a rake/trail issue, and I got lucky.