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Re: Sharp Cornering Bike?

Started by Peter Cole · · Last activity · 5 posts · 503 views

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Cycling Equipment
Published
6 August 2005
Last activity
7 August 2005
Original author
Peter Cole
Posts
5
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Public discussion
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Topics
Handlebar widthTitanium frames

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  1. Original post
    Peter Cole
    Archived post
    #1
    C Wright said:

    The latest issue of Bicycling Magazine (Sept. 2005) has a review of a
    Pinarello F4:13 and, among many other things, they comment that "it's also
    one of the sharpest-cornering bikes we've ever ridden - your could
    practically rub your hip on the road and not worry about blowing a turn."
    That got me to wondering if, by design, one bike can really corner better
    than another and, if so, why? If cheap entry level bikes are excluded and
    the comparison is limited to bikes with high quality aluminum, carbon or Ti
    frames and a reasonably good set of wheels why would one bike be able to
    corner better than another? Or, would the major factor simply be tire
    compound?
    Chuck

    Pretty much it (tire compound). The excerpt doesn't go into details, but
    the impression is that they're talking about lean angle and slipout.
    From a practical (what an idea!) perspective, as Jobst often points
    out, nobody corners to the limit deliberately, which, in the absence of
    reasonably sophisticated (hint: not found at Buycycling magazines
    facilities) equipment, is the only way to determine slipout angle. In
    other words, they are talking out of their asses, something they're all
    too well known to do. That bike and tire combo might be out-cornered by
    a Schwinn Paperboy and they'd never know.

    Report
  2. Leo Lichtman
    Archived post
    #2

    "Peter Cole" wrote: (clip) Schwinn Paperboy (clip)
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    I drive a Subaru "Outback." and ride a Dahon "Boardwalk," but I am not
    familiar with that particular model of Schwinn.

    I think part of the discussion on the differences in bicycles' ability to
    corner has wandered across into different territory, about differences in
    maneuverability. I know, on theoretical grounds, and also from experience,
    that differences in fork angle, trail, wheelbase, etc, can have a marked
    effect on the way a bike handles. Bikes that are designed for riding fast
    on the road are designed differently from enduro or trials bikes. It's like
    comparing a limo to a Jeep. It could be said that a Jeep turns faster (is
    more nimble) but doesn't corner faster (spins out easier or rolls.) on high
    speed turns

    I think there are two topics here, and we're not all talking about the same
    thing.

    Report
  3. C.J.Patten
    Archived post
    #3

    "Leo Lichtman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
    news:[email hidden]...

    Quoted message said:


    "Peter Cole" wrote: (clip) Schwinn Paperboy (clip)
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    I drive a Subaru "Outback." and ride a Dahon "Boardwalk," but I am not
    familiar with that particular model of Schwinn.

    I think part of the discussion on the differences in bicycles' ability to
    corner has wandered across into different territory, about differences in
    maneuverability. I know, on theoretical grounds, and also from
    experience, that differences in fork angle, trail, wheelbase, etc, can
    have a marked effect on the way a bike handles. Bikes that are designed
    for riding fast on the road are designed differently from enduro or trials
    bikes. It's like comparing a limo to a Jeep. It could be said that a
    Jeep turns faster (is more nimble) but doesn't corner faster (spins out
    easier or rolls.) on high speed turns

    I think there are two topics here, and we're not all talking about the
    same thing.

    With you Leo.

    The fork on my last bike had really deep, forward facing drop-outs with
    bolts to adjust how far forward or back the front axle was. Somewhere around
    an inch of adjustment possible.

    I remember experimenting with this from time to time and noted a marked
    difference in handling depending on how this was set.

    Full forward, the bike tracked very straight but took more effort to turn
    the wheel at speed.
    Full back and the bike felt comparitively twitchy but was easier to maneuver
    in tight spaces.

    When I read the original post on this topic, that was the type of handling
    description I thought was implied by the article, not some magic that caused
    tires to stick any better...

    Report
  4. Werehatrack
    Archived post
    #4
    Leo Lichtman said:


    "Peter Cole" wrote: (clip) Schwinn Paperboy (clip)
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    I drive a Subaru "Outback." and ride a Dahon "Boardwalk," but I am not
    familiar with that particular model of Schwinn.

    You're probably not old enough to have seen one in use, and few
    survived the tender mercies of their users.

    Quoted message said:

    I think part of the discussion on the differences in bicycles' ability to
    corner has wandered across into different territory, about differences in
    maneuverability. I know, on theoretical grounds, and also from experience,
    that differences in fork angle, trail, wheelbase, etc, can have a marked
    effect on the way a bike handles. Bikes that are designed for riding fast
    on the road are designed differently from enduro or trials bikes. It's like
    comparing a limo to a Jeep. It could be said that a Jeep turns faster (is
    more nimble) but doesn't corner faster (spins out easier or rolls.) on high
    speed turns

    I think there are two topics here, and we're not all talking about the same
    thing.

    Raw cornering speed is mostly a matter of traction, yes. The
    hard-to-quantify "feeling" of the steering is a different matter, but
    the steering deflection of a bike in cornering is quite small. I
    rather suspect that bar width will have as much to do with the user's
    impressions in that area as anything else.
    --
    Typoes are a feature, not a bug.
    Some gardening required to reply via email.
    Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

    Report
  5. Peter Cole
    Archived post
    #5
    Leo Lichtman said:

    "Peter Cole" wrote: (clip) Schwinn Paperboy (clip)
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    I drive a Subaru "Outback." and ride a Dahon "Boardwalk," but I am not
    familiar with that particular model of Schwinn.

    I think part of the discussion on the differences in bicycles' ability to
    corner has wandered across into different territory, about differences in
    maneuverability. I know, on theoretical grounds, and also from experience,
    that differences in fork angle, trail, wheelbase, etc, can have a marked
    effect on the way a bike handles. Bikes that are designed for riding fast
    on the road are designed differently from enduro or trials bikes. It's like
    comparing a limo to a Jeep. It could be said that a Jeep turns faster (is
    more nimble) but doesn't corner faster (spins out easier or rolls.) on high
    speed turns

    I think there are two topics here, and we're not all talking about the same
    thing.

    I don't know what you were talking about, I was talking about the
    magazine excerpt.

    Report

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