Tom A. wrote:
Slowman wrote:
i HATE that product. that isn't a steering damper. it's a steering inhibitor. but it does bring to mind something about steering geometry. i find that over the years a lot of bike makers think intuitively but in so doing choose a solution that requires counterintuitive thinking. the steering in tri bikes should not be slow. it should be reasonably quick. not superquick, road race quick, but semi-quick, as in 59mm to 60mm of trail. when you get buffeted, and have to countersteer to overcome a change in steering torque, you need to be able to react quickly. the bike needs to respond quickly.
it's intuitive to think that a quick responding bike is less stable, more prone to speed wobble, but i find that a system's stiffness is what avoids speed wobble, rather than its tendency to self-center thru jamming in a bunch of trail.
On the subject of speed wobbles...check this out: https://vimeo.com/213107209
That looks somewhat interesting as well...
i'm always interested in new products that fix problems. but i still maintain that if a system (frame, fork, stem, etc.) is sufficiently stiff, and the bike is made remotely properly, speed wobble shouldn't happen.
here's damon's famous speed wobble inducement video:
i wonder if cane creek resorted to this for their video? and what would happen if they did that same thing with the damping headset installed?
Dan Empfield
aka Slowman