<<What size tires on the Cannondale? >> A mixture of 700cx35mm Continental Top Touring for loaded tours and Michelin Axial Pro 700x23 for Centuries, riding with the club, etc. For the past 2 years I've discovered that 700x33.3333 Jack Brown Greens serve both purposes. Bike feels equally stable with all of 'em, but even more stable with weight in front low-rider panniers.
<<Just to confuse the issue, my Atlantis can develop wobbles going fast downhill if loaded more heavily in the rear than front.>> Actually, I would expect this. The recommendation in article after article in Adventure Cyclist magazine (especially the writing of technical editor John Schubert) is if you are going to be substantially loaded, a good luggage weight distribution is 60% front, 40% rear. There's a reason that a lot of people crash with BOB trailers, and that many who do long distance loaded touring prefer low- rider racks w/ panniers, not front baskets. <<One other piece of evidence, earlier on the ride I had hit my brakes fairly hard on a short downhill (I thought I heard something bounce off the bike) and the rear wheel skidded sideways, which also surprised me and made me wonder about the tire. >> I would expect this too -- could have just been the right conditions, not the tire's fault. On Aug 8, 7:12 am, MichaelH <[email protected]> wrote: > Lots of interesting thoughts and suggestions here. I haven't heard > from anyone who thinks the very narrow tires might have contributed to > it. It is true that I was going "really fast", but I have gone even > faster with no issues in the past. The road surface was chip & seal > in good condition; I wouldn't have gone anywhere near that fast if I > thought I might hit broken pavement. I also wasn't aware of any wind, > but I was pretty sweaty from the climb up, and the temperature was > cool enough in the morning to feel pretty cold at that speed, so I > might not have noticed a small gust. > > The idea of lowering the bars a bit is interesting. My bars are set 2 > cm below the seat, and I'm not anxious to change my set up. I will > take off the front rack and bag and try this again, but will miss the > front map and the next two weeks at work don't look like they will > leave me any time for rides up to the altitudes that can generate 45+ > mph speeds. If the change in front load doesn't change the outcome I > might buy some wider tires (Grand Bois Green Cerf?) and try that. I > still wonder if the smaller front tire, with 100 lbs of pressure > wasn't loosing contact with the road as I shifted my weight > backwards. Then, it seems to me, cross air pressure could trigger > some shimmy. Unfortunately I did not put my knee against the TT so > don't know what that would have done. > > One other piece of evidence, earlier on the ride I had hit my brakes > fairly hard on a short downhill (I thought I heard something bounce > off the bike) and the rear wheel skidded sideways, which also > surprised me and made me wonder about the tire. > > michael -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
