>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!
Last year, Jan and Lance descending together, Lance made it to the bottom, Jan dumped it, right in front of the camera.
I would have to agree that even on a solid, well built frame, shimmy could be a result of pilot error.
I took my 1979 Gios Torino on the Davis Double. While going down a really great hill, I pushed 55mph. Let's just say that when I put on the brakes to slow down, it was very interesting. No shimmy, but the bike did not feel as stable as I would have liked. Probably due to the fact that I do not live in that particular speed zone. My Masi feels more stable than my Gios on descents. Heck, for that matter, my Santana feels like it is on rails going down hill. My stoker and I can sit up and have a conversation at 55mph. I have not tried a major decent on my 71 Cinelli yet, but I bet it will be nice and stable. Admittedly I my bike handling skills are not as honed as the professionals, but on occasion, I have taken advantage of the old knee to the top tube maneuver.
Dennis Stover
Arleta, CA
(right next to hot hot hot NoHo)