Doge

What does "R." mean?

Miele Man

Herky jerky steering?

Are you saying that when you turn the handlebar to steer the bicycle that the turning itself is jerky as in something seems to be catching then letting go? That could be a too tight headset or damaged bearings in the headset or a bent steerer tube (where the stem fits in if a quill stem or fits over if a threadless stem. The handle bar and the fork should turn very smoothly.

Interestingly enough, if i ride a hybrid with upright bars after a long time away from one I find the front end feels very light compared to my road bikes and I feel as if the front tire of the hybrid is not pressing as hard against the surface as my road bikes do.

Cheers

Miele Man

Probably 'R' stands for 'Response'.

Cheers

chip1

Sounds to me the headset is too loose. I had a habit of over-tightening mine and when my LBS mechanic found out he loosened it way too much resulting in a twitchy ride. I had a short stem on it as well which probably added the effect. Try tightening up a bit and see if it helps. You also mention that 90mm stem was too long for you. What size bike do you ride? I'm suspecting you weren't fit properly.

PepeM

Those are nice tires, I would not ditch them. What pressure are you running? If the ride feels rough you might want to lower it a bit.

When reaching for your bottle, place your left hand on the tops as close as possible to the stem. That will solve the 'skittishnes' in that situation.

I agree with everyone who says to give it time. We are sometimes too eager to try to solve things via hardware change when in fact it is us who need to adapt. As you become more accustomed to your new ride you will feel more confident on it. Make sure you are not locking your elbows and that you are not gripping the handlebar too tight. Also, your weight should be carried by your core, not your hands.

sumbikerguy123

R. Means Reply or Response.

sumbikerguy123

Herky-Jerky is an adjective used to express the overly responsive steering I experienced.

There is nothing wrong with the headset, I presume it's just the characteristic of the bikes geometry that I either have to accept, get used to or get a different bike.

calamarichris

+1

sumbikerguy123

Bike size 48c. Bought the bike online.

Gweedo1

No mention of the old bike vs new bike's frame materials, BB size, weight, size, rims, geometry, crank length, etc. other than saying the WB is over 2 inches shorter...which is huge, considering only a few millimeters here and there can make big differences.

As was suggested earlier, your new bike is more responsive to you inputs, steering, pedaling, changes in riding position etc.

I agree with what many others have said...it's probably more of a matter of getting use to the new bike than anything else, including dialing in your position with time in the saddle.

Just ride more.

sumbikerguy123

R. Thanks!

Gweedo1

I recently purchased a new bike, after being off for 15 years. Previous bike was classic road geometry, 73/73 Italian sl/sp cromoly frame with Ultegra groupo, 58 cms. I'd still consider it a nice bike. Due to finances, could not afford a new Italian cromoly frame. Got a "modern" aluminum frame...very stiff, "race" geometry, shorter chain stays, huge BB, featuring Ultegra and 105, and 54 cm. Loved it at first, but then I thought I'd try jamming off the seat.....whoa....what a Keystone Cops routine that was. I was all over the place. I always had an easy time jamming off the saddle on my old bike...I mean I'd be positioned chin over frt axle and rocking that lovely lacquer red and chrome plated frame under me like we were professional dance partners. The new one...holy crap! WTF was going on?! I thought it was too small, wrong fit...yadda. Well...it wasn't the bike. The bike is so stiff and responsive, it was wayyy "ahead" of the rider. As soon as I thought about getting off the seat, with the slightest of body English, the bike had already moved to one side. Trying to correct it, only lead to exaggerated over corrections. What a slap stick routine it was...now...I'm almost "even" with the bike. When I can start riding again, (snow and ice suck)...I will get "ahead" of the bike, like I was on my old one.

sumbikerguy123

JT: Bikes can be built to provide different steering characteristics. Road bikes intended for criterium racing may handle quite differently from bikes designed for stage racing, which may handle differently from bikes designed for cyclocross, and differently than your hybrid. It all depends on what you expect out of the bike.

Wheelbase does not make as much difference as front-end geometry (think: "trail"), or even tires.

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R. Thanks! I definitely don't do any racing or cyclocross biking. I use my bike as my sole means of transportation, personal health & well being. Hopefully no one will run me off the road!

sumbikerguy123

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R. Sounds like what I experienced with my new road bike. Kind of a weird feeling after being on the same bike (hybrid) for 11 years. Took awhile to get used to standing over the saddle & being over the bars from a standing stop, just felt awkward & unstable. I experienced that even moreso on a race bike type geometry with a shorter head tube. It was just too aggressive for my wants & needs, so I returned it.

Especially taking off at a light/intersection and people are sitting in their vehicles watching you trying to take off & clip into your pedals like you need training wheels or something?

Definitely a re-adjustment learning curve.

But after I rode it on a few centuries, taking off from a standing stop off the seat to get some momentum going wasn't too bad, then I'm back in the seat pedaling.

But I was just curious if other, the majority or all road bikes had what seemed to me to be an overly aggressive/sensitive/responsive steering characteristic? Appears to be so and the more I rode the bike, it was still there, but after awhile I just got used to it and paid less attention to it.

As one poster mentioned, the bars on the hybrid bike are much wider than a road bikes bars. My hybrid handlebar grips end to end measure 25" across. The dropbar hoods end to end are 16.5", a 8.5" difference, which is huge. I presume the shorter turning axis of the dropbars has an effect on the responsiveness of the steering, making for that "herky-jerky" steering.

I also presume the wider hand position makes for a wider turning axis and a more relaxed steering on the hybrid, which I personally prefer.

My hybrid bars have sort of a S shape to them, as opposed to a regular straight flat bar. But I have them flopped forward to give more of a leaning forward riding style.

Thanks for all the reply's.

sumbikerguy123

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R. About 110lbs. PSI.

The reason I changed the stem was that I was leaning to far forward causing my elbows to be locked. Installing the shorter angled stem brought my arms back & up an inch, putting me in a more relaxed, slightly bent elbow position.

My hands do get a bit numb after riding for several hours on a Century, even with gel padded gloves. Might try some extra gel bar tape on the bar were the hands go for more comfort.

Your right, the more time I spent on the bike, the more accustomed to it I became.

The new bike sat unused for most of August/September/October due to seasonal rains. And it was getting close to the return cutoff date and I didn't have much riding time to make a fair determination whether to return it or keep it?

But the more I rode it, the more accustomed to it I became. Its kind of hard to find a Di2 bike for under $2,000.00. But they are on sale now with $250 off if anyone wants a Di2 bike.

Ride safe!

Gweedo1

Wheelbase will affect steering/handling characteristics re shorter chain stays making for stiffer/more responsive frame and the rear wheel closer to under the rider's butt for tighter cornering and generally a less stable feeling. Maybe not as much as the front end geometry, but it will make a significant amount of difference to how the bike handles/feels. A 2 inch/50mm shorter wheel base is huge.

a1penguin

This. The road bike has skinnier tires. Also, the it has narrower handlebars. It requires smaller hand movement on the narrower bars to effect the same degree of turning. It took me several hundred miles before I felt comfortable riding in the drops. As others have pointed out, bike geometry also affects handling, but I suspect that the skinnier tires and narrower bar have a greater effect than geometry.

99Klein 

I agree completely. You will get use to it though and find yourself carving curves before you know it.