Originally Posted by
tFUnK
Today on a different bike I switched out my 32mm front to a 50mm front and felt the steering become noticeably heavier. But this was just a driveway spin at slow speeds, so I'm now thinking it's the added mass concentrated at the rim is introducing a gyroscopic effect. Does my physics check out? Anyone else notice this when going to a deeper front wheel?
How fast was your driveway spin?
You can check this by holding your front wheel in the air and turning the bars left and right, then spinning it as fast as you can and turning the bars left and right. I can spin my front wheel with my finger up to 3 or 4 revolutions per second. If the wheel has a circumference of 2m, that's something like 6 to 8 m/s, or maybe in the 15mph range, give or take. While it's spinning, is turning the bars easier, harder, or about the same as the wheel wasn't spinning? Is it easier, harder, or about the same as when you were in your driveway "at slow speed"?