Originally Posted by jitensha_de_go!
you got that backwards. the less rake you have, the quicker the steering.
Originally Posted by baxtefer
dabern is right.
Actually both are right. There are may factors that come into play with regard to 'twitchiness' and rake/trail etc. Not the least of which is speed. We discussed this last June and this was my response then for what it's worth:
jimv wrote in June:
Track bikes tend to have alot of trail (and little rake). I think that 'large trail' bikes tend to be more stable the faster you go. In the Jan. 2004 Rivendell Reader there is a short and somewhat cryptic article about Marc Muller's (Waterford) ideas on the subject. While working for Schwinn, he was tasked with creating bikes with a consistent steering feel regardless of head tube angle, tire size and rake. His efforts led him to conclude that there was another factor which he termed 'steering angle'. This is the angle formed by a line drawn from the front axle to the point on the ground where the steering axis is projected and is measured relative to the line dropped straight down from the front axle. It's hard to explain so I added it to the drawing. See below.
Anyway I found it interesting and as a point of reference, he says that a steering angle less than 9.5 degrees results in a twitchy bike. The upshot is that it may be a mistake to place too much stock in rake and trail. Anyone else read this article?
Jim