Originally Posted by
OldRailfan
Friend and myself blasting down the hill at 80kmh (50mph) My friend yells "I have to slow down!!", his front wheel started oscillating in a big way.
Me: "so what happened?"
Him: "I had the bike in for a tune up ...... yesterday."
Me: "I like to do my own tune ups."
A great lesson imparted to me, decades ago:
Never do maintenance on a bike the day before a "challenging" ride.
Sure helps keep things safer, knowing it's been flogged at least a few times prior to being taken down rough descents, or across challenging XC routes, on a long tour far from telephones and fresh water ...
Of course, I've always been a bit of a cycling hill wimp, in a way. Only went down a ~4mi ~12-15% grade once. Didn't trust things enough to feel comfortable, on that road. Far too many cliffs off one side, too many occasional cars appearing in the "blind" corners, etc. Once was enough. Even with wheels that ran true.
Happier in my dotage puttering about on the upright "city" bike. No hair streaming behind me, or on fire, but I'm okay with that.