sickz

applying front brake while you're in the middle of headshake would have catastrophic results. especially since a remedy for the problem is to unweight the front wheel.. either way a skid proved to be a reliable solution even though that technically calls for unweight the rear wheel.

and i have been fitted properly for my bike. the way it's set up on the street hardly deviates from my ideal fit.

just because you're incompetent when it comes to controlling a fixed wheel bicycle w/ no hand brake does not mean others are. besides if i threw a front brake on my bike, i would never use it since i'm so used to riding without one.

dutret

Yes they're riding on the hoods of their levers and if you have road drops and brake levers to grab maybe you'd be able to control your bike. You're reading comprehension is pretty ****ing low so let me spell it out for you. Unless you're in the drops whenever you need control or leverage track drops are ****. Unwrapped steel drops are always ****. Road drops with road levers are nice. Road drops without levers are less nice but better than track drops.

This isn't about comfort it's about being able to safely control your bike.

Erzulis Boat 

You are afraid of the bike. Don't "deathgrip" the bars in terror, just relax.

The bike is getting the front end loaded, and it is reacting. By tensing up, terrified out of your mind, you are translating the headshake rearward, only making it worse.

I suggest a bicycle confidence course at your local YMCA.

captsven

to the OP:

Is this a new issue or has it always done this?

clink83

Your bars are too low, and too farforward. Anyone with any knowledge of bike fit knows its jacked up.

bbattle

+1 on not holding the bars in a deathgrip.

When you feel the shimmy starting, squeeze the top tube with your legs, keep a relaxed grip on the handlebars, shift weight back. Lower your center of gravity.

Once the oscillation starts, it'll get worse till you crash unless you take action.

And Captsven raises a good question: if this is a new thing, have you crashed or changed any components just before this started?

On the Roadie forum, this issue has been raised many times. Usually comes down to the replacement fork not being the same rake. Larger frames are more affected by shimmy.

I've been lucky not to experience it but a riding buddy would get it at ~40mph and it would scare the bejeebus out of him. He got a new bike and no more shimmy.

dookie

there's your problem right there...sloppy road and probably sloppy form.

so why ask us why?

.001" eh? that's crazy precise. can you describe the procedure and instrumentation?

40mi! no way...

hell ****ing yes...and you ain't helping.

pardon me if i seem a bit confused by all this, but as i read it you've got all the answers, a perfect fit on an absolutely precise frame, and legs of steel, yes? so why is it again that you care what us returds think? you shouldn't even have a problem, and none of our bull**** is relevant. right?

if you ask for opinions, you're going to get them. and speaking as a former pro wrench, you've gotten some good suggestions. if i might make one of my own, it would be to first take your head out of your ass and consider some of the things that have been said here. double-check all the **** you think to be true. oh, and be nicer to the folks genuinely trying to help...karma is a total *****.

that said, assuming it is the original fork and the bike has never been crashed, i would suspect an alignment issue first...fork blades fore/aft or vertical (paint in a dropout? wheel slightly askew? crabbing?). yes, yes...you've looked at all that. 0.001". second, form and/or position. what kind of crank rpm are we talking about? with your feet off the pedals, does it wobble? how about with your shorter/higher bar/stem setup? third, bearing play in either the headset or the hubs. fourth (we're reaching now), perhaps spoke tension...esp. up front.

glad we could help.

sickz

i never asked what induces headshake. i asked for methods to combat it when it occurs so it'll subside.

nonetheless you bring up some good points about possible alignment issues regarding every possible part on the bicycle... just about every moving part has an effect on the bikes alignment... you're right. for the most part, everything you've fired off has been thoroughly checked. but riding on the street does knock things a bit out of askew.. especially over time... i will take a look at the wheel bearings specifically.

and yes i've ridden 40mile rides...

and i repeat again.. my bike is not uncomfortable. maybe for many it is, because they ride through every bump and pothole around and have limited hand positions (e.g. risers)... and if that's your strategy for the road, then you'll definitely feel all of it w/ a stiff frame.

but thanks for the insight, i do appreciate it, as unappreciative as i might sound.

JackD

Try one of these:

filtersweep

And how do you squeeze the TT riding fixed?

The OP has a strange issue, since pedaling through it will almost always get rid of any frame oscillation (since in the road world, many riders tense up, weighting the saddle and BB as well as using a heavy grip).

My general opinion is that "high speed" shimmy is usually rider induced (the death grip, etc.). Track geometry shouldn't be an issue, considering the speeds of sprinters at the track.

captsven

Asking for help with controling headshake is the wrong question. You should being more interested in finding the cause.

You have an 80's Pinarello. That bike was built for 30+ mph. There should not be much difference between the track and a road downhill. A violently shaking headtube should not be associated with that bike.

My guess is someone here has already come up with the correct solution. Try a few things and let us know what happens. I am very interested in finding out what ends up being the problem.