i agree with chuck's assessment of my assessment. e-RICHIE chester, ct
On Tue, 09 Jul 2002 14:59:27 -0700 Chuck Schmidt
<chuckschmidt@earthlink.net> writes:
> Richie Sachs wrote:
> >
> (cut)
> > ya' know what i think the real issue is? some people don't
> > have balls. they don't know how to go down a hill without
> freezing
> > up. period. i MEAN, do you ever here of guys descending in
> > the pyrenees, in the pro ranks, on factory built bicycles...do
> you
> > ever hear about these guys losing it at 62mph? no! because they
> > have honed their bicycle handling skills. for the rest of us,
> when
> > it comes to the issue of shimmy, and descending speeds, and the
> > related issues, i say it's all pilot error.
>
>
> I agree. The first time it happens it scares you to death! But all
> it
> takes to stop the shimmy is your knee against the top tube. I have
> seen
> riders totally freaked and almost go off the road and down the side
> of a
> mountain the first time it happens.
>
> If someone doesn't clue them in that all bikes will shimmy if their
> natural vibrating frequency is initiated by a shiver, being too
> tense
> hitting a small rock in the road etc. their opinion is that they
> have a
> "killer" bike. Then they start looking at the headset, wheel
> construction, etc.; all the wrong things. They even sell the bike
> and
> bad mouth the builder!
>
> Sometimes the frequency of the frame is beyond the speed you ride,
> sometimes not. My '60 Mercian Superlight road/track bike will start
> to
> slowly shimmy if I ride no hands at 15 mph. All I have to do is
> lean
> forward and it stops.
>
> Ride smoothly and relax on those hair raising descents and you'll
> be
> fine. And be ready to put that knee against the top tube if you
> can't relax...
>
> Chuck "if I was any more relaxed I'd be asleep" Schmidt
> SoPas, SoCal