bike tending to go left when no-handed riding
11-19-12, 01:02 PM
#26
Mechanic/Tourist
Funny that you bring this up at this time Andy because I have exactly the same issue - this is falling to left with no hands. Davidad's link seems to answer the problem for me. I turned the bike over and ran a string from back wheel to front wheel. The string would not lie parallel to the wheels, being off about 3 to 4 mm. This is a carbon fork so there is no way to bend it as a steel fork can be bent. The "out of line" does not cause any serious or even noticeable problem other than not being able to ride without hands on the bar.
11-19-12, 01:18 PM
#27
Mechanic/Tourist
Yes, well aware of that - I'm not invested in him coming back - my comment was more directed to pointing out the importance of troubleshooting logically rather than a shotgun appproach. It's too bad for others when OP's don't come back to complete the loop, as the opportunity is missed to see how the process works.
While I'm at it I wanted to mention that it's sometimes helpful when asking the "What happened at the same time or before?" question that one not constrain the answer by providing closed ended options up front - such as did you have an accident, did you put the wheel in crooked, etc. (Yes, I actually did provide some possibilities above so that I would not have to ask a followup - compromises have to be made when not in-person). The reason for doing so is that one cannot always anticipate what may have caused a problem, and one could get a "false positive,"
As an example, I was troubleshooting a slow FIOS Internet speed issue on the phone Saturday. "Everything" had been checked that could be done remotely, but it was still slow. It happens the customer had IP over coax (MoCA). I asked the customer if anything in the home had been changed or moved, or if anything else unusual had happened on Thursday when the speed issue first occurred. He mentioned that a person delivering bottled water had dropped the empty jug near where the coax came into the premises. Problem solved - coax had been damaged, and although TV was OK MoCa is more sensitive.
While I'm at it I wanted to mention that it's sometimes helpful when asking the "What happened at the same time or before?" question that one not constrain the answer by providing closed ended options up front - such as did you have an accident, did you put the wheel in crooked, etc. (Yes, I actually did provide some possibilities above so that I would not have to ask a followup - compromises have to be made when not in-person). The reason for doing so is that one cannot always anticipate what may have caused a problem, and one could get a "false positive,"
As an example, I was troubleshooting a slow FIOS Internet speed issue on the phone Saturday. "Everything" had been checked that could be done remotely, but it was still slow. It happens the customer had IP over coax (MoCA). I asked the customer if anything in the home had been changed or moved, or if anything else unusual had happened on Thursday when the speed issue first occurred. He mentioned that a person delivering bottled water had dropped the empty jug near where the coax came into the premises. Problem solved - coax had been damaged, and although TV was OK MoCa is more sensitive.
Last edited by cny-bikeman; 11-20-12 at 07:44 AM.
11-19-12, 01:29 PM
#29
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I just posted a reply to another thread Fork Steerer Alignment. Is there a simple test? which explanes how to check a fork's alignment with simple tools. Andy.
11-20-12, 01:17 PM
#30
Funny that you bring this up at this time Andy because I have exactly the same issue - this is falling to left with no hands. Davidad's link seems to answer the problem for me. I turned the bike over and ran a string from back wheel to front wheel. The string would not lie parallel to the wheels, being off about 3 to 4 mm. This is a carbon fork so there is no way to bend it as a steel fork can be bent. The "out of line" does not cause any serious or even noticeable problem other than not being able to ride without hands on the bar.
11-20-12, 02:35 PM
#31
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Thanks for all the advice on this forum.
The bike is about 2 months old, un-crashed, no recent changes made.
Ive been too busy to have a look at it yet but im going to try with the easy stuff first like check the wheel mounting.
Thanks again
The bike is about 2 months old, un-crashed, no recent changes made.
Ive been too busy to have a look at it yet but im going to try with the easy stuff first like check the wheel mounting.
Thanks again
11-20-12, 04:19 PM
#32
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ksisler, the string was attached to the rims so that if the bike were sitting right side up, that attachment point would be between the axle and the ground so as to clear the spokes as they spread towards the axle. With the string just off the rear wheel less than a mm, the string could not be located parallel to the front wheel at the same distance. It would be parallel at at 3 to 4 mm off. If I were to use two strings, one above the wheel axle and one below, This would tell me if the headset were off a bit. As I said, it is barely noticeable so I have not bothered to extend my diagnostics. Maybe I will if it gets too snowy and icy around here to ride. I hope my explanation clarified the issue.
11-21-12, 06:11 AM
#34
Mechanic/Tourist
If that way from the beginning you need to be taking it back to the store where you purchased it. If you got it mail order and mounting turns out not to be the problem then you need to get agreement from the seller to an evaluation by a shop to determine the exact problem. Once you know what the problem is the seller needs to resolve it to your satisfaction and at no cost to you.
Last edited by cny-bikeman; 11-21-12 at 06:56 AM.
11-21-12, 11:54 AM
#35
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Since this is a new bike with no history of crashing, the problem is related to either the design geometry, a flaw in construction, or a screw-up in assembly. As far as the geometry goes, some bikes are harder to ride straight hands free. In this case, the pulling to the left is probably related to the road, how you are leaning, or what you are carrying. It would just as easily pull to the right if the factors changes. Construction issues are possible, but I would guess that they are infrequent. Assembly issues are a different story as there are a lot of things that may affect this behavior. As others stated, if this was assembled by a bike shop, you need to take it back to them. If you assembled it, then you may want to have a reputable mechanic look it over to see if it's right. Also, post some pics of your bike. We may see something obvious like this:
