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Front-end instability

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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Front-end instability

Old 10-01-19, 09:21 AM
  #1  
Bobf0074
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Front-end instability

I just bought a Electra Cruiser 7 , the front end to me seems very unstable is there anything I can do to improve that, I am new at this
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Old 10-01-19, 01:42 PM
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alcjphil
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First thing I would do is to check tire inflation, both front and rear. Next, I would check headset adjustment. A too loose or too tight headset can make a bike difficult to control. Is this a new bike? The dealer should be able to check it over for you

Last edited by alcjphil; 10-01-19 at 01:46 PM.
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Old 10-01-19, 04:24 PM
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berner
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When I first got my bike, I found it pulled to the left. After pondering this tendency for a while, I measured the alignment of the wheels using a string from front to back wheels. I found that they were misaligned. Further investigation showed that the front wheel dropouts were not inserted into the forks the same amount. The result of this was to throw the wheel out of plumb so that at the point of contact with the road, the wheel was a cm or so to the left. This was easily fixed by filing the dropout with a round file. The geometry of the wheel is such that if the axle is off by, say one mm, the wheel at the rim will be off by about four mm. It took longer to think about the problem than to fix it.
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Old 10-01-19, 05:05 PM
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What do you mean unstable? Your post requires a little more details...

Improper inflation, loose headset, loose spokes, warped wheel, etc.
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Old 10-01-19, 05:14 PM
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Bobf0074
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yes it's a new bike and I've been back to the dealer three times the first time the son of the owner told me that is not enough dirt in the bearings yet give it time the owner checked it out for the head being too loose it's okay and he finally told me that he thinks that I'm . Oversteering
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Old 10-01-19, 05:22 PM
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big john
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Maybe it's your fit/position on the bike? Should have your elbows bent, be relaxed, look ahead where you want to go, not where you don't want to go.
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Old 10-01-19, 05:23 PM
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Bobf0074
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It's tough to keep it in the straight line it keep wants to wander left or right God help me if I tried to do no hands
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Old 10-01-19, 05:25 PM
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Maybe he's right maybe I am trying to oversteer and maybe I will get used to it
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Old 10-01-19, 05:48 PM
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Your question may be better suited here in Beach Cruisers.

With that said, your description is exactly what I expect that bike to do. Long front end, high handlebars, seat way behind the crank. It is like a motorcycle chopper, the front wheel is going to flop. Hopefully you will get use to it.

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Old 10-01-19, 06:14 PM
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Originally Posted by blakcloud
Your question may be better suited here in Beach Cruisers.

With that said, your description is exactly what I expect that bike to do. Long front end, high handlebars, seat way behind the crank. It is like a motorcycle chopper, the front wheel is going to flop. Hopefully you will get use to it.
This. Slack/tall front end, with no weight over it = poor handling.

You'll most likely get used to, but don't expect to be railing corners anytime soon.
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Old 10-01-19, 07:31 PM
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See above.
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Old 10-02-19, 04:50 AM
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Thanks guys live and learn maybe next year I'll sell it by something different
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Old 10-02-19, 05:57 PM
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You'll get used to it. If you are riding it as intended, you'll be fine.
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Old 10-03-19, 05:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Bobf0074
Thanks guys live and learn maybe next year I'll sell it by something different
Good move, beach cruisers are made of puppy dogs' tails and fail.
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Old 10-04-19, 02:12 AM
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And maybe I won't
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Old 10-05-19, 06:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Bobf0074
And maybe I won't
That is so true. You may never like the feeling of that bike and it would be time to rethink what kind of bike you want. You can always keep it as a back up or sell it. Good luck with whatever you decide.
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Old 10-05-19, 05:53 PM
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Hold it up off the ground with the rear wheel higher than the front.
If the front wheel wants to sit to one side significantly, I will say it is the headset.
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Old 10-06-19, 12:03 PM
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Sy Reene
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Originally Posted by sumgy
Hold it up off the ground with the rear wheel higher than the front.
If the front wheel wants to sit to one side significantly, I will say it is the headset.
Good thought, as long as there's no bell, light, etc accessory mounted on one handlebar only.
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