Twitching

spooner68

Hi there, as I am approaching a life milestone and have retired from cricket I took up cycling. Got an FCR 3 as a starter on and off road and loved it so much I got a Trek 1.7C. The compact was a bit of a no-no as my knees are very creaky and Northumberland is pretty hilly. Should have got another triple.

Anyway, my problem is I find the bike a bit unstable. I've had it professionally set up but if I take my mind off it I weave or twitch. Last year a wasp got in my lid and stung me, I kind of shook my head a bit much and ended up coming off. Cue broken elbow and 7 weeks unable to work.

I'm not nervous about the riding but when I get above 40mph I dont feel that I can push it for more. Is it all in the head or could there be something going wrong.

I'm 6'2", ride a 58cm frame and can barely touch down when I stop.

micken

Thought you might have been suggesting dropping the cycling and taking up birdwatching

lemoncurd

Or the involuntary leg muscle twitches after a hard ride

cornerblock

Hi Spooner, sorry to hear about the broken elbow and the resulting 7 weeks off work. That's a right downer (no pun intended). So you have recently taken up cycling and feel a bit nervous when you get above 40mph!!!! I am assuming this is downhill, in which case you could slow down a bit until your bottle (confidence) is more in keeping with your ability. Why you need to keep pushing it over 40mph is another story, seems quick enough. Obviously cricket had lost it's thrill and excitement! :roll:

DCowling

I think being nervous and twitchy whilst doing 40 mph on 2 wheels 22mm wide of which only about 12mm is touching the road is a perfectly natural response.
as soon as my bike hits about 37, I get a hum running through the frame or wheels , first time it happened I nearly cacked myself as I thought it was about to dismantle itself now I just try and ignore it or dampen it with my knee

p.s. I don,t go that fast very often so I am no expert, just wanted to try and help. but 40 is a scary ( in a roller coaster way) thrill

micken

When you say professionally set up do you mean you had a bike fit?

My first thoughts in relation to your comment about you not being able to touch down when you stop are that you don't have much standover above the top tube, in which case the frame could be big in relation to your inseam measurement. The 1.7c does have a slightly sloping top tube though.

In relation to the other issues I'd go with the comments above and cycle within your comfort zone and you will become steadier with practice and experience.

Also in relation to your accident your brain will adjust with experience too and not nag you as much.

Bobbinogs

Yepp, stick with it and resist the temptation to change the anything (including the bike) for now would be my humble advice.

My bikes (all 4) are all set to the correct saddle height (as per bike fit) and I can only just touch the ground on tippy toes if I stay seated. I just stand off the saddle when I need to touch the ground more.

Regarding the twitching, one of my bikes has a long wheel base (well, about a few centimetres more than the others) and this does make it feel very planted but my retro bike is more of a racier frame (tight angles, short wheel base and a lower front end) and this makes it twitchier than Bill Oddie. However, I have learned to just adjust my style when riding it and now do this without even thinking about it. I love riding the bike, in fact I love riding all my bikes and they all have characters such that I seem to know which one I am on just by the feel. Looking down at the bike also helps though

I often hit 40mph, probably on nearly every ride because of the lumpy area and just try to loosen up and not make any exagerated movement, feathering brakes, leaning gently into corners, looking well ahead for possible risks like manhole covers, etc. I do take it easier with my twitchy retro bike but that is because I don't have 100% confidence in aluminium forks although I still happily hit 40. Just practise all the technique at 30 and build your way up gradually, which is what I did if that helps.

If not, what the hell. My wife loves cycling and probably hasn't topped 25 (due to confidence) and she has no desire to change a thing.

Oh, great stuff for getting back to it. A broken elbow sounds bloody painful, ouch!

Zoomer37

Once you face up to the fact that if you come off over 40mph your not going to have much skin left, you can then start to relax and get on with it.

Just get down in the drops and go bananas

Brommers76

I would say 40mph on a bike is fast and a healthy dose of apprehension and an uneasy feeling is fine. Personally, both of my bikes feel rock solid at 40mph plus but the first few times was concerning.

Or do what Zoomer says

Monty Dog

Confidence will come with experience and learning to relax - holding the bike in a 'death grip' at high speed can actually increase probability of a speed wobble - by relaxing your body and grip, it can damped the effects.

Improve your experience by riding familiar roads e.g. a long, fast downhill with a smooth surface, good visibility and a long run-out. Letting go of the bike 'safely' and seeing how it feels / responds will help significantly. Trying the same on unfamiliar roads with sharp corners and blind junctions is less suitable!

Regarding feet on the floor (tippy-toes) whilst in the saddle is the same for all bikes when correctly sized.

spooner68

Bobbinogs wrote:

I often hit 40mph, probably on nearly every ride because of the lumpy area and just try to loosen up and not make any exagerated movement, feathering brakes, leaning gently into corners, looking well ahead for possible risks like manhole covers, etc.
Oh, great stuff for getting back to it. A broken elbow sounds bloody painful, ouch!

I'm not that new to cycling and the twitching is defo within the bike. I only really press on above 40 when its a good smooth(ish) downhill where I know i dont have to do anything complicated at the bottom. The twitching is more at lower speeds. Probably under 15mph or even 10. The geometry doesnt feel that stable for me. I ride as often as I can and do regular 30+ milers averaging 14 - 15mph. Its lumpy around here too. I have a short (11miler) which is my filler when I can only just nip out for 45 mins. It climbs 1100ft.

I have ridden in groups no problem (apart from being slow) and I've been told theres nothing wrong with the way I ride. Cant blame the bike as a poor workman....etc etc. Must just be me.

Snapped head off ulna, not to be recommended.

spooner68

Actually I've been thinking about it, the bike is awesome at anything above 15mph. Feels back end shaky above 40 when the power is on. And cack at low speeds. I dont have that problem with the FCR or Rock. Makes no difference on the drops or hoods but switching from drops to hoods at higher speeds is an art.

andrewjoseph

Maybe wheel balance at high speeds? Frame alignment?

Poor slow speed handling is sort of to be expected in a race style bike, but you should be used to it by now.

Is the bike mechanically sound? Wheels true and tight, is it soft around bottom bracket when pushing hard?

If you are used to riding bikes and this one doesn't feel right, get it checked, if you can't trust the bike to ride, then riding is no fun.