Stem length, handlebar width and tyre width also have a role to play by modifying the response of the front wheel to input from the rider, as does the gyroscopic effect of the wheel itself.
Bike Stem Rise Calculator Free For EveryoneEvery supporter makes CyclingTips better for all and keeps it free for everyone.Now there are dozens of specialised bikes on the market and the distinctions that separate them are often related to the way that they perform and behave, which in turn, is dictated by the geometry of the frame and fork. This is something that we started to decipher with our original article on the topic in 2011, and now, Matt Wikstrom revisits it to delve even deeper into the parameters that influence the handling of a bike. ![]() Thats because they influence the way that the bike handles, be it on the ground, in a corner, up a hill, or even in the air. Its an issue that is important to the safety of a rider as well as their confidence, and in some instances, it can assist their performance, too. If nothing else, when a bike is easy to control, it will elevate the riders enjoyment of the sport. There appears to be a hierarchy of sorts, because some parameters have a bigger impact than others, but in every instance, these effects can be traced back to one single mechanism, and that is the steering of the bike. However, any effort that was made to stop the handlebars from turning ultimately proved futile because the bike would always capsize. The trick was in learning how to steer into, not away, from every fall, because that is what makes a bike remain upright. As long as the bike is moving quickly enough to catch the falling mass, the bike will rise every time. Its a process that is akin to balancing a broomstick on your hand: as the stick starts to fall, the hand must be moved in the same direction to stop it from toppling over. While this might sound like a terrifying prospect, there is no way to corner without it. That is why a bike, and the rider, always lean into a corner, because they are in the process of falling. Once again, it is the steering of the bike that is critical to the riders ability to control the fall and right the bike as they exit the corner. This can be seen in the way that a bike will swerve erratically at low speeds, because the rider cannot control the direction of the bike while they are struggling to keep it upright. Indeed, any time that a rider is having trouble controlling the direction of a bike, it is a sure sign that they are trying to stop it from falling over. This is something that every rider intuitively understands, and with a little practice, steering with the handlebars becomes a subconscious process for both guiding the bike and staying upright. Anybody that has ever guided a bike with the saddle while walking behind it will understand this notion: when a lean is initiated from the saddle, it prompts the handlebars to turn in the same direction. The same thing happens when riding no-handed: a bit of body English is all that is required to control the direction of the bike. Employing the two steering strategies seems to be an instinctive process, though its clear that practice will improve a riders skill at both. This all starts with the head tube angle, but as will be explained below, this is subject to the rake of the fork, which dictates the amount of trail and wheel flop.
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