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A shimmy on my Swobo

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A shimmy on my Swobo

Old 08-11-08, 01:53 PM
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A shimmy on my Swobo

So I ride my Swobo Dixon pretty hard when I go to work. I'm always going as fast as I can and my Swobo is always ready for abuse.

But I've noticed that when I corner fast or even turn sharply at speeds above say 13mph, I can feel the bike "shimmy" or sway a bit.

It feels as if the rear tire has lost traction and is starting to slide...but of course, it hasn't actually lost traction. The tire is firmly planted in the ground and I never lose my grip.

It just feels as I'm about to.

I can't figure out what accounts for this phenomenon. I've got a rear basket with anywhere from 5-10 lbs of items inside (mostly clothes, newspaper, other stuff)and it seems to happen when I'm turning left or right. I have to be turning pretty fast and sharp to reproduce it.

What could cause this? Is the wheel itself loose? Or is the innertube under pressure or something and moving somewhat? Could this be a wheel true problem?

Thanks.
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Old 08-11-08, 01:57 PM
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If your tires have tread on the sides you might be feeling some extra buzz from those coming into contact with the road?
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Old 08-11-08, 01:59 PM
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hmmmm. not sure about that. The tires (Kenda Kwests) do have water channels on the sides.

I should be more precise. let's say I'm taking a tight right turn. I lean into the turn, turn the handlebars slightly to the right, and right at the height of the turn and at a higher speed, it feels as if the rear wheel is about to slide out to the left. But it never does. It's gotta be a weight issue or something.
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Old 08-11-08, 02:08 PM
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Could also be the opposite - you're rolling the tire onto its sidewall, resulting in a squirrelly feeling. Are your tires inflated to the recommended pressure?
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Old 08-11-08, 02:11 PM
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I have an old cannondale mountain frame with road wheels. The front wheel shimmy in corners with weight on the back. I think it is geometry....

Kev
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Old 08-11-08, 04:07 PM
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Did you check the the rear wheel bearings? Pull the top of the wheel side to side, any play?
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Old 08-11-08, 04:34 PM
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It's the tires. I have the same bike; and unless you keep the tires (kenda kwests) at 60-65 psi the rear end feels all wobbly. i have a sharp corner on the way to school and i noticed at 60-65 it was fine, two days later (after the tubes bled down to about 50 psi) i could feel the rear end walk out. The lower the tire pressure the more the sidwalls will flex and the tire will roll. It only takes about .25-.5 inches for us to feel it as well.

I have 26x2.0 schwalbe marathon supremes on there now at 55psi, the ride is smoother, it corners like a super bike with hot sticky dunlops, takes on curbs like a bmx, and looks way cooler. When you get some change i reccomend those or big apples.
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Old 08-11-08, 04:34 PM
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I have Kenda Kwests too, i don't ever have that problem...

are you leaning off the seat (into the turn)? since it's not actually slipping, you could just be throwing your weight so it feels like you're going to lose traction.
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Old 08-11-08, 06:59 PM
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I have the Otis and I've only noticed this sensation when the rear tire got a bit low (~50 psi), similar to the kraous.

I've been thinking of putting higher pressure tires on the bike, not that there is anything wrong with the way it rides now though :-).
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Old 08-12-08, 06:04 AM
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Originally Posted by krauos
It's the tires. I have the same bike; and unless you keep the tires (kenda kwests) at 60-65 psi the rear end feels all wobbly. i have a sharp corner on the way to school and i noticed at 60-65 it was fine, two days later (after the tubes bled down to about 50 psi) i could feel the rear end walk out. The lower the tire pressure the more the sidwalls will flex and the tire will roll. It only takes about .25-.5 inches for us to feel it as well.

I have 26x2.0 schwalbe marathon supremes on there now at 55psi, the ride is smoother, it corners like a super bike with hot sticky dunlops, takes on curbs like a bmx, and looks way cooler. When you get some change i reccomend those or big apples.
+1

If it is the tires, I second the Schwalbes, I run Big Apples, and it doesn't seem to matter what pressure I run. They track well and run smooth down to at least 30 psi.
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Old 08-12-08, 07:22 AM
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I have feeling that the rim width to tire size has a play in the tire sqwirm as well. If you put a large tire on a narrow rim it would seem more likely.I do not know the swobo's rim width or the tire size you are using but it would account for different people having different results from the same tire.
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Old 08-12-08, 08:30 AM
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Tire/rim combo are fine on the Swobos. I've never had this prob with mine,but I'm pretty religious about tire inflation and never ride them low. But it does sound like the tires. If your rear wheel wasn't straight you'd notice the handling prob all the time. This is my third bike to come with Kwests;they're ok,but when my Dixon comes in I'm swapping them for some Conti Sports.
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