Steamroller Handling After Changes
 

I bought a Surly Steamroller a while back and have never really enjoyed the handling for street or path riding even. I understand the idea behind track geometry and why frames are built that way to work on the track, but the Steamroller's less severe angles have always been described as more road than track and after a bit of research and test rides, i thought I would be ok with the Steamroller set-up I had.

I recently bought these new bars from VO: http://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...ar-config.html and after installing them, noticed the bars really altered the overall handling, making turning feel super twitchy and touchy. I didn't like the super sensitive resulting feeling and quickly switched them out.

Can anyone explain the physics of what causes this? Is there any way to change the existing components (keeping the frame) that will make the handling less twitchy, more closely resembling a road bike? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

that's an odd choice in handlebar for the steamroller... IMO. My roller handles very well... maybe a lil sensitive, but whatever i like it like that.

Since your hands are futher away from the fulcrom(the steer tube), each degree of movement will be amplified compared to if they were closer. So to get the same amount of wheel turn, you will have to turn you hands less.

Take a pencil and hold one end down, and turn the other. The other end of the pencil will travel further than the middle, same idea.

those bars made your bike seem twitchier? You don't have the 2011 steamroller that came with the mustache bars, do you? That's what I bought, I switched out to risers two months ago and have slowly been shortening the ends. The original bars were ridiculous and definitely not anywhere near twitchy.

As Kayce said, the closer your hands are to the steer tube (assuming that's what it's called, still learning names), the twitchier the feel will be. Wider bars will feel smoother, narrower will give you less control.

I'd disagree with Kayce, at least where he says your hands are further away from the head tube. The porteur bars usually put your hands right about level with the head tube, which causes the effect he was describing.

Compounding that, your weight would be shifted back a good bit with those more upright bars, leaving the front wheel feeling lighter.

The problem could actually be the length of your stem OP, maybe it is too short....

But we really have to stop calling all stock Fixed Gear bikes, Track bikes. The Steamroller is not a track bike with track geometry. The larger ones(56cm plus) do have a 74 degree head tube angle but the fork is 38 degrees with room for 35c or 38c tires, I can't remember which. BTW OP, I am thinking of getting similar bars for my IRO Mark V Pro, to give me more of an upright position to make it more comfy for my son when I carry him in the baby carrier on my chest or back. They are similar to the bars on my Mama-chari(shopping bicycle) which are ugly as hell but great for an upright position.

yeah, i am starting to realize that i am not super-fond of track geometry for street riding. i realize the steamroller's geometry isn't as severe as true track frames, but it is also not as relaxed as a road or cross bike. the overall geometry and fork rake make the bike a totally different feeling ride than my other 3 bikes.

and more specifically, the difference in handling is very real and noticeable. it looks like there is some confusion above about the physics of it all, and as a result, still some confusion for me. Kayce said that the further one's hands are from steering tube, the more amplified small movements will be, whereas keatonandrew said the CLOSER one's hands, the more twitchy.

i didnt buy the 2011 steamroller with mustache bars, mine came with drops. anyways, just hoping to see if there was a way to remedy this, or if ultimately the frame wasn't ever really going to feel solid with the type of riding i do. I certainly don't have too short of a stem, if anything maybe a hair long (110mm).

Things that would help here: Pictures of your setup, pictures of your other bikes, a better description of what kind of riding you do.

OP, I've been running this through my head for the last hour while doing some chores. I think I can explain.

There is much geometry involved with the questions you are asking, right down to how long your arms are and where they pivot etc. But without diving too deeply into geek territory, some of the answers have already been mentioned.

-"the closer your hands are to the steer tube...the twitchier the feel will be. Wider bars will feel smoother, narrower will give you less control"

I believe keatonandrew is referring to the WIDTH of the bar. If your arms are spread apart really wide on the handlebars, it isn't comfortable to rotate the fork as far, or as abruptly as with a very narrow grip with the hands touching either side of the stem. A Wide grip will require more arm movement to achieve the same number of degrees of rotation at the fork.

-The porteur bars usually put your hands right about level with the head tube, which causes the effect he was describing.

Compounding that, your weight would be shifted back a good bit with those more upright bars, leaving the front wheel feeling lighter."

I agree with fuzz2050 on this. When your bike had drops on it, the length of your stem and the shape of your drop bars put your hands out over the point of the wheel that contacts the road. Now with the new porteur bars, the point at which your hands contact the bars is likely in line with the head tube. This will likely result in a more direct feel, more like a straight bar on an extremely short stem. The weight shift due to a change in riding position is probably more important that you think too.

Also, remember that your grip position is different than before too, as those porteur style bars require something of a hammer-grip. This will give you less pivot out of your elbows than before, which might cause some erratic control issues until you get used to the position.

So, what can be done. I wonder if a shorter stem would put those bars back a little more where the hand contact point would be further away from the fork pivot. This would require a bit more movement to make the same fork rotation and should smooth things out. This is assuming you don`t mind the bars back farther, and that you have a short stem knocking around to try out.

my $.02

less weight on the front wheel.

also, http://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ta-o.html#tiller

I had the same feeling of uncomfortable twitchiness with the Surly Open Bar on my Steamroller. Just switched to a riser MTB bar (Titec Hell-Bent Prolite) and it was quite the transformation. I think the angle of the grips is a big part of problem with the porteur and moustache bars. At least for me.