General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Front wheel oscillation Rss Feed  
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2012-06-08 12:54 PM

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Subject: Front wheel oscillation
In boulder for tough mudder Sunday.
Morning swim 2300m
Then rode the wall route! With a local triathlete I met yesterday. Took us about an hour fair bit of climbing with one scary as hell descent. Got up to almost 60 mph before I kinda freaked out and got out of aero thinking I'd have more control. That's when the wheel started oscillating on me and man did I think was going down for sure! Scary stuff but fun too!
Does anyone have any info on how to stop the is oscillation from occurring? Cause I don't want to do that again. Found this article online that says basically it was all due to the death grip I was holding on the handle bars and brakes. Just want to get some others takes on the matter.
Here is said article:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/shimmy.html


2012-06-08 1:15 PM
in reply to: #4252057

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Subject: RE: Front wheel oscillation
Ive only had it happen once, but I have had it feel like it might start a few more times.  I usually associate it with changing position on the bars at high speed.  Trying to relax and putting a leg on the top tube also is supposed to damp the oscillation once it gets going.
2012-06-08 3:59 PM
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Subject: RE: Front wheel oscillation
Hopefully it never happens again cause it's scared the you know what outa me! Will hopefully be able to remember the leg thing if it does happen again. The article I linked references that as well
Thanks
2012-06-08 4:34 PM
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Subject: RE: Front wheel oscillation

HUSKRFJ - 2012-06-08 3:59 PM Hopefully it never happens again cause it's scared the you know what outa me! Will hopefully be able to remember the leg thing if it does happen again. The article I linked references that as well
Thanks

1. Speed up a little

2. Slow down a little

3. Clamp the top tube between your knees

Some bikes do and some don't. It will probably occur at a certain speed range when all the right conditions are met. I had a bike that would do it at 24 mph coasting but not under effort-pedaling and it would stop at 25. My current road bike has never done it up to 55 mph descending. My tri bike has not shown any signs but I haven't had it that fast yet.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/shimmy.html

2012-06-08 9:05 PM
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Subject: RE: Front wheel oscillation
Yeah it had never happened before but I've neer been going 55mph on my bike before! I am sure I made the situation worse! We were descending a road I didn't know and saw a curve sign coming up and got scared and am sure I made matters worse. Should've just rode it out and seen how fast I could get going ;-) but wow had I lost it at that speed it would've been ugly!
2012-06-09 1:13 AM
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Subject: RE: Front wheel oscillation
Oh man, that is scary stuff. It's happened to me twice. After the first time a few years ago (on a road bike), I did some research and saw the same kind of article you noted where it says to loosen up the grip on the bars. The second time was just recently at IM St. George (on a tri bike). I was going about 50 and did the same as you mentioned - I got up off the aero bars and that's when it happened. I figure the combination of moving up to horns one hand at a time momentarily left unbalanced weight on the bars (one hand on the horns, the other still on my aero bars) and that's when it started. I thought I was toast but I tried to just relax and slowly ease up the pressure on the bars while sitting up as much as I could to become a human parachute. Once I slowed down a bit the shimmy stopped quickly. Of course, it took much longer for the adrenaline to subside. Next time I'll either go into the hill up on the horns or stay in the aero bars. No more switching at high speeds for me.


2012-06-09 11:01 AM
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Subject: RE: Front wheel oscillation
Driving into mountains today even gives me goose bumps after that! And im in a car!
2012-06-09 11:03 AM
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Subject: RE: Front wheel oscillation

has only happened to me once so far.  but i knew what it was immediately and let the bike correct itself.  i don't know what i would have done if i didn't know what it was; probably gone into cardiac arrest.

this happens frequently for motorcycles too.  a guy i worked with once said he almost had a heart attack the first time it happened on his motorcycle, did some research and found out all he had to do was let go of the handlebars and maybe slap them.

2012-06-09 7:30 PM
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Subject: RE: Front wheel oscillation

When you came out of aero you shifted weight back on the bike.  This caused less pressure on the front wheel  freeing it to wobble.  You probably felt it going up some of those hills when you are up pushing hard on the the cranks and pulling on the bars.

I've done 50 on my steel bike but my carbon shakes at 45mph or so. 

2012-06-10 11:52 AM
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Subject: RE: Front wheel oscillation

insane.  i've gone 40+ on my road bike, and felt fine.  i've hit 40+ on my tri bike in aero with hed h3's, and i can't get comfortable.  so nervous of what the rider i'm overtaking might do or what might pop out.

descending on my road bike was scary that i would hit curves too fast and end up in the opposite lane.  luckily no cars.

have read that clamping your knees to your top tube will held subside.

2012-06-10 12:45 PM
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Subject: RE: Front wheel oscillation
Every structure, bikes, cars, buildings, bridges, glassware, etc, has a natrual frequency.   The frequency is related to stiffness and mass.   If you match the natural frequency of the structure it goes in to resonance, wobble or vibration in the case of bikes.   By speeding up, slowing down or by clamping you leg to the frame (changes the mass)   you change the frequency and move away of the resonance frquency.  If you speed up on the bike and the wobble stops at a faster speed you will experience the wobble again once you start to slow down to the speed that started the wobble in the first place. 


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General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Front wheel oscillation Rss Feed