Rear Wheel Slipping

I've been having a problem where my rear wheel slips. It only happens when I am out of the saddle,
most frequently when I am climbing steep grades, but sometimes when I am sprinting also. I have two
bicycles, and it happens with both of them, although less-frequently with the heavier one.

Obviously, if I had more weight towards the rear of the bicycle when I was out of the saddle, then
the wheel probably would not slip. But I have asked several riders, and they all seem to think I
look perfectly normal while riding out of the saddle. I weigh less than 130lbs, which I am sure
contributes to the problem. I am not sure how to proceed in fixing the problem. If it is purly a
center of gravity issue when out of the saddle, I'm not certain of the best way to go about changing
it . . . when the rear wheel does slip, I end up doing a lot of work to make up for it, not what you
want in the middle of a race! Any ideas?

Thanks,

Eric Lambi [email protected]

 

"Eric Lambi" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> I've been having a problem where my rear wheel slips. It only happens when I am out of the saddle,
> most frequently when I am climbing steep grades, but sometimes when I am sprinting also. I have
> two bicycles, and it happens with both of them, although less-frequently with the heavier one.
>
> Obviously, if I had more weight towards the rear of the bicycle when I was out of the saddle, then
> the wheel probably would not slip. But I have asked several riders, and they all seem to think I
> look perfectly normal while riding out of the saddle. I weigh less than 130lbs, which I am sure
> contributes to the problem. I am not sure how to proceed in fixing the problem. If it is purly a
> center of gravity issue when out of the saddle, I'm not certain of the best way to go about
> changing it . . . when the rear wheel does slip, I end up doing a lot of work to make up for it,
> not what you want in the middle of a race! Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Eric Lambi [email protected]

Assuming your position is indeed OK, it may just be a function of your frame geometry. At under 130
lbs, I'm guessing you're not a big guy, and many small frames have very short (56-57cm)
front-centers, often coupled with longish (41cm+) chainstays. The result is that when you get out of
the saddle, the forward weight transfer is excessive and you get rear wheel hop/slip. You probably
have trouble with the rear wheel locking when braking hard on descents as well.

You can compensate somewhat by altering your riding style and trying to pedal more smoothly, but the
real solution is probably a different frame; one that will give you better weight distribution
through a longer front-center and/or shorter chainstays. There's more to good fit than seat
angle/top tube/stem length, but a lot bike builders seem to ignore the effect of weight distribution
on handling. I'd suggest measuring your two bikes to see if the one with the shorter front/longer
rear is the one more prone to the problem. If it is, there's your path. If not, look more closely at
your relative position on the two.

 

Eric Lambi wrote:
> I've been having a problem where my rear wheel slips. It only happens when I am out of the saddle,
> most frequently when I am climbing steep grades, but sometimes when I am sprinting also. I have
> two bicycles, and it happens with both of them, although less-frequently with the heavier one.
>
> Obviously, if I had more weight towards the rear of the bicycle when I was out of the saddle, then
> the wheel probably would not slip. But I have asked several riders, and they all seem to think I
> look perfectly normal while riding out of the saddle. I weigh less than 130lbs, which I am sure
> contributes to the problem. I am not sure how to proceed in fixing the problem.
>
You answered your own question at the beginning of your second paragraph. Put more weight towards
the rear. This either means staying in the saddle or moving your centre of gravity back when you are
out of the saddle.

 

Two choices:

1- sit down, or...

2- if you must stand, don't stand over the bars. Keep your hips back, and bend at the waist to keep
the front wheel down.

[email protected] (Eric Lambi) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> I've been having a problem where my rear wheel slips. It only happens when I am out of the saddle,
> most frequently when I am climbing steep grades, but sometimes when I am sprinting also. I have
> two bicycles, and it happens with both of them, although less-frequently with the heavier one.
>
> Obviously, if I had more weight towards the rear of the bicycle when I was out of the saddle, then
> the wheel probably would not slip. But I have asked several riders, and they all seem to think I
> look perfectly normal while riding out of the saddle. I weigh less than 130lbs, which I am sure
> contributes to the problem. I am not sure how to proceed in fixing the problem. If it is purly a
> center of gravity issue when out of the saddle, I'm not certain of the best way to go about
> changing it . . . when the rear wheel does slip, I end up doing a lot of work to make up for it,
> not what you want in the middle of a race! Any ideas?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Eric Lambi [email protected]

 

"Scott Hendricks" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Two choices:
>
> 1- sit down, or...
>
> 2- if you must stand, don't stand over the bars. Keep your hips back, and bend at the waist to
> keep the front wheel down.
>
When I'm trying to climb on the mtn bike and have rear wheel traction problems, I try and "row" the
bike. Basically, I'll pull back and down on the bars as I'm powering standing up. Seems to drive the
rear wheel into the ground, keeping things from spinning.

Its not the smoothest thing, but it gets me up the hill.

Mike

 

[email protected] (Eric Lambi) wrote in message
news:<[email protected]>...
> I've been having a problem where my rear wheel slips. Any ideas?

Yeah, you're hopping around when you climb out of the saddle.