Originally Posted by
xroadcharlie
If you read the sales pitch for the Trek Domane you will understand why speed wobble is more likely with the Domane then most other road bikes.
It's the IsoSpeed technology that gives it that smooth ride. It allows the frame to "move with the road". We know a stiff frame reduces the likelihood of speed wobble, And limits the amplitude as well, Sometimes enough to allow us to keep control. But too stiff makes for a jarring ride.
It might be prudent to limit your speed to 50 kph down hill. Perhaps have a 2'nd bike when you feel speedy.
I don’t agree. If anything the damper would limit oscillations of the frame and change the mechanical resonance. Think what happens if you were to put a rubber piece in the middle of a tuning fork.
The stiffness of the frame is not all that important as is the frequency of mechanical resonance is determined by lengths of tubing among other things. Everything on the bike is part of a system - frame, wheels, rider, location of mass etc… if it was as simple as a damper in a frame or not, or stiffness of a frame then solutions would be obvious and they simply aren’t.
You have to do a deep dive into Laplace mathematics and mechanical characterization and simulation to get this right. None of this is intuitive. In point of fact, intuitive solutions are as counterproductive as they are helpful.