[rola643]

So I have had this ongoing issue with my bike that is driving me batsh**! If I sit up and ride no handed to do something like put on or remove shades my bike darts to the right. It caught me so off guard I almost crashed the fist time it happened! I wrote it off to the crown in the road and dismissed it until it happened again!. I did a general visual inspection and found nothing out of order and grabbed and pulled a few things to make sure nothing was obviously loose but nothing!

I started thinking I noticed after I had put on a new set of tyres...could it be? My new Conti's giving me trouble, did I get it mounted funny or something? Nope, removed tyre from wheel and resented...no change! Tried again and replaced the tube in case it was something freaky with the tube- yea I know what's the chances right? Well again it was not. Next thought was maybe it was the tyre itself so with just over 600 miles on them rotated them...guess what no change!

Started seriously checking the headset and stem tightness again but nothing. So I'm down to one thing right? The wheel must be tweaked. Yup there it was! Spin the wheel in the forks and it's out of true, not much but enough to see the wobble! KOOL! I have a spare wheel set so I put that on and down the road I go....no change!!

WTF am I missing??? I have no idea what else to check. I even went back to make sure I was getting it ( the wheel and tyre ) seated in the dropouts squarely and asked someone else to look and make sure.


ANY suggestions out there?

 

[qmsdc15]

Maybe check wheel dish. Frame/fork alignment?

 

[rola643]

Maybe check wheel dish. Frame/fork alignment?

I would have to say something in the frame/fork as I changed wheel sets and tires. I'm not sure how I would go about checking that. Straight edge across the forks to check parallel ?

No crashes/falls or potoholes so I'm lost as to what might casue an issue like that....unless something is cracked Maybe I should look closely at the headtub?

**Side note**

I took the opportunity to swap stems while i was going over it today and went from a 90 RL to a 110 RXL Bontrager stem, totally in related but...

 

[qmsdc15]

I don't know, just guessing until someone who does know comes along...

Bike shops have special tools to check frame alignment.

Ride straight through a puddle and see if your tires leave one (good) or two (bad) tracks on the dry pavement after the puddle.

 

[davereo]

Check your brake cables. If one side is longer than the other coming out of the tape and entering the cable stop it could cause your bike to turn slightly opposite the longest cable.

Learn to steer with your saddle. If you are drifting right apply pressure on the left side of your saddle with your inner thigh to correct.

Lift you bike off the ground by the top tube. If the front always turn right try shortening you brake cable or rewrapping your bar.

May be nothing wrong at all with your bike. Im betting on this.

 

[kneedrachen]

Dis be troof.

 

[Industry_Hack]

I think your right ear is larger than your left, and is causing an imbalance.

 

[rola643]

Check your brake cables. If one side is longer than the other coming out of the tape and entering the cable stop it could cause your bike to turn slightly opposite the longest cable.

Learn to steer with your saddle. If you are drifting right apply pressure on the left side of your saddle with your inner thigh to correct.

Lift you bike off the ground by the top tube. If the front always turn right try shortening you brake cable or rewrapping your bar.

May be nothing wrong at all with your bike. Im betting on this.

Appreciate the input! I'll have to check those those. I may try lessening the pull where it goes thu the brake calliper. It just seem odd that it would start out of the blue. I can steer with the saddle and have no problems riding no handed but I'm telling ya this pulls so hard to the right it's crazy! It's not a drift or just kinda lazily goes to the right, when you let go it turns right....right now!

 

[rola643]

I think your right ear is larger than your left, and is causing an imbalance.

Holy cow my secret is out - Englaremous Earlobeimous

 

[Poolie]

Too strange. What else is there to check? Davereo's comment about the cables is about all that's left. Maybe you're bike has been watching too much NASCAR.... but they turn left don't they.

 

[rola643]

Well, it appears it's a brake cable issue! I backed it off today and it's 99% gone! I don't get it! THANX for the suggestion davereo. Now if I can just figure out why it happened to begin with

 

[SixtyPlus]

Of course, Rola, things shrink when they get old!

 

[Industry_Hack]

Of course, Rola, things shrink when they get old!

And cold.

 

[rola643]

Of course, Rola, things shrink when they get old!

And cold.

Use guys just fill me full of hope !!

 

[Andy2302]

I was going to suggest your ears, too. Hearing loss can cause staggered walking, why not drifting @ no hands. I'm practicing no hands. Wetting my whistle without stopping is a goal.

 

[bmohan55]

verring to the right should return after November....

 

[Hazy]

Glad that got resolved and even happier we can all learn from this. Never would have occurred to me to look at that.

 

[rola643]

verring to the right should return after November....

Again it couple a few moments to comprehend this one, NICE!

 

[cderalow]

I was going to suggest your ears, too. Hearing loss can cause staggered walking, why not drifting @ no hands. I'm practicing no hands. Wetting my whistle without stopping is a goal.

i use lefty for that.

otherwise i'd not be able to stop in an emergency.

 

[rola643]

FYI, as it turns out, it was not in the Brake cable. I just happened to flip a stem at the time this all was going on. Odd.