on 4/17/10 10:49 PM, Rene Sterental at orthie...@gmail.com wrote: > Going a bit fast on downhill slopes, about 16 mph, removing the hands from the > bars caused a shimmy. It was kind of a low frequency shimmy, gentle but > steady. The bike kept going straight, but with the shimmy. I have a Chris King > headset; is it perhaps a little tight? Read somewhere that someone fixed that > problem by loosening their headset a bit.
The fix I'm familiar with is actually the opposite - either slightly tightening the headset or using super heavy grease (like boat trailer bearing grease) in a loose-ball headset to slow down the response. Bear in mind that there are a _lot_ of variables in the shimmy equation - fore/aft weight distribution, friction into the tires, tire pressure, load positioning, weight, etc - I would see if you can replicate it again before trying anything. > The bike creaks constantly; there is some creaking when coasting, but I cannot > associate it with anything in particular. Perhaps the Berthoud fenders, > perhaps the BB. Then, when pedaling with my hands on the hoods, there was a > regular loud creak that towards the end I could replicate when stopped by > twisting on the handlebars. Both of my stem bolts are as tight as I can > tighten them by hand. This creaking superimposed on the rolling creaks as well > and created a cacophony (in my ears) that seemed to get worse towards the end > of the ride. Specially if I was pedaling harder or uphill. Creaks are crazy-making issues. Basically, remove the bolts, grease the surfaces, reinstall. Repeat until isolated. However, I will say that you might not want things "as tight as (you) can tighten them by hand". If you have a good bicycle mechanic nearby, you might pay for a half hour of their time (burrito and beer?) and have them show you how tight a properly torqued bolt should be. With greased threads (and threads are _always_ greased), it doesn't take everything you've got. It is very helpful to develop the "feel", and that comes from practice. (And I will say that if you don't get the 'feel' thing, be honest and get a torque wrench with inch-pound increments.) Squeaks are notoriously hard to locate while riding. Having someone alongside listening can help. Now, specific to your complaint: If you were just sitting and coasting and creaking: Saddle itself (silicone spray at the metal/leather interfaces) Saddle to rail connection (bolt threads, thin grease on rails) Hubs, freehub/freewheel, wheels not properly seated in dropouts Since you can replicate it by torquing the bars, I'd pull and regrease the stem, then the bars. It could also be a cable housing tip. If it's happening with a pedal stroke, then I'd suspect in order - pedals, pedal/crank threads, crank/spindle interface, bottom bracket threads. Hope that is of some help, - Jim -- Jim Edgar cyclofi...@earthlink.net Cyclofiend Bicycle Photo Galleries - http://www.cyclofiend.com Current Classics - Cross Bikes Singlespeed - Working Bikes Workshops of the iBob's Send In Your Photos! - Here's how: http://www.cyclofiend.com/guidelines "My nighttime attitude is anyone can run you down and get away with it. That's why I don't even own a bike light or one of those godawful reflective suits. Because if you've put yourself in a position where someone has to see you in order for you to be safe...you've already blown it." -- Neal Stephenson, "Zodiac" -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
