"John Clarke" <
[email protected]> wrote in message news:<
[email protected]>...
> I read the review on the Optima Stinger, and saw the term "tiller effect". Can someone explain
> this to me.
>
Hi, John. I wrote that review. The sailboat analogy in the previous reply is correct, but I will add
that tiller can be adjusted, depending on the bike and the steering setup, along with a couple of
other comments.
Basically, the farther the handlebars are from the steering axis (the line that runs through the
headset), the more tiller there will be and the more you'll have to move the bars sideways (as
opposed to rotating them about their center) to steer the bike. At normal riding speeds, this is
not really noticeable, but at very low speeds where more steering correction is needed you will
notice it. Also, the farther back on the bike the center of gravity is relative to the wheelbase,
the more noticeable the tiller will be, because with the weight far back over the rear wheel, more
correction is needed to get the bike to track (remember, the bike rotates around its center of
gravity, therefore with the front wheel far from the c.g. it needs to turn more in order to make
the bike rotate).
Regarding adjustment, with a flip-it type stem you can raise the bars up (within limits...
eventually they get in the way of your eyes and/or knees), thereby reducing the distance between the
steering axis and the bars, and therefore the amount of tiller. In fact, I replaced the adjust bolt
on the stem of the test bike with a longer one so I could do this, and it did alter the handling of
the bike slightly.
As I said in the review, it's really a personal preference thing. Lots of people have bikes with a
lot of tiller and it doesn't bother them. I prefer to stretch my arms out.
BTW, the bike is for sale for well below dealer cost if you know anyone who's interested.
Andy Douglas Bentrider Online
