Old 01-02-13 | 06:32 PM
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gearbasher
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From: A different place and time.
Fork offset (rake), trail and my eBay Titan.

I guess I should post this in the mechanic section, but being the bikes are C&V and I prefer the opinion here, I posted it here.

I purchased one of those eBay Titans a few years back. It has SLX tubing. I used a Cinelli unicrown fork. My complaint is that the handling is very twitchy. If that's the right term. If I'm riding in crosswinds the bike is all over the place. I don't have that problem with my Masi or Maza. There is a bridge with a metal-grated roadway in my area. I can hit that bridge with the Masi or Maza with no problem. Going over it with the Titan, I slow down and say a prayer, because I'm all over the place. Tires on all bikes are the same. Let me add, I can ride no hands for miles on the Titan. So, I don't think alignment is a problem. So, I figured it has to do with fork rake (offset) and trail. I measured all three bikes as best I could. All three have 45mm rake. The Masi and Maza have 60mm of trail. The Titan has 55mm trail. Can that little difference make that big a difference? If I change the fork to get more trail will it cure my problem? Or, is it just over-all geometry? Or, just a lousy frame?

Thanks for any insight.
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