Riding no handed!

[Andrew]

Riding no handed...............




Not Recommended!!:D!!


I've heard of Torque steer on powerful cars,  But I hadn't heard of "Torque Wobble" on an e-bike


I subconsciously let go of the handle bars today without any thought of how the bike would react,   the front wheel began wobbling violently.  Is there a technical or e-biker term for this??

Could it be because the front wheel /pie is not centred to the forks?

Or is it to do with the resistance of the motor when not using throttle?
Andrew

[Hardcore]

To much weight on the back wheel and almost non on the front will make wobble the front wheel.
I ride no handed all the time, cruise control on and off I go. On level roads ofcourse.

[Andrew]

To much weight on the back wheel and almost non on the front will make wobble the front wheel.
I ride no handed all the time, cruise control on and off I go. On level roads ofcourse.

i would have thought that having over 7kg's of pie weight on the front wheel would be enough weight, but saying that,on take off the front will spin if no weight is on front wheel, so I suppose it makes sense

[MonkeyMagic]

So you just need to ride with no hands backwards then Andrew. Fixed

[Hardcore]

Not leaning toward the rear also helps.

[Andrew]

So you just need to ride with no hands backwards then Andrew. Fixed

that's the reason for the rear view mirror

[GM Canada]

Riding no handed...............

I don't recomend that, I recall doing even worse one time. I was holding on with one hand when I hit the brake. I somehow didn't wipe out but it was a learning experience.

Gary

[Bikemad]

I subconsciously let go of the handle bars today without any thought of how the bike would react,   the front wheel began wobbling violently.  Is there a technical or e-biker term for this??

Andrew, the technical terms are wheel wobble,  head shake or handlebar wobble and this can sometimes occur if the tension of the spokes are uneven.

It can also occur when the tyre is not running true or has not been correctly seated on the rim.
Check that your spokes all make a similar sound when tapped, if they're all nice and snug (and even), spin the front wheel and watch the tyre carefully to see how true it runs. My Schwalbe "Crazy Bob"  rear tyre is definitely not as true as the rim, but I don't seem to have any problems with it.

Might be a good idea to also check that the rear wheel alignment is correct (it should be nicely in-line with the frame).

And don't forget to let us know if you find the cause.
I said "if" instead of "when" because I'm being realistic, I have the same problem on one of my motorbikes at around 45mph and have still not been able to pinpoint the cause! I have tried holding the bars very loosely and I can feel the wobble just beginning to build up. Needless to say, I don't take both hands off the bars at the same time any more!

On motorbikes, bar end weights and steering dampers are sometimes fitted in an attempt to eliminate this wobble.

Alan
 

[Andrew]

I subconsciously let go of the handle bars today without any thought of how the bike would react,   the front wheel began wobbling violently.  Is there a technical or e-biker term for this??

Andrew, the technical terms are wheel wobble,  head shake or handlebar wobble and this can sometimes occur if the tension of the spokes are uneven.

It can also occur when the tyre is not running true or has not been correctly seated on the rim.
Check that your spokes all make a similar sound when tapped, if they're all nice and snug (and even), spin the front wheel and watch the tyre carefully to see how true it runs. My Schwalbe "Crazy Bob"  rear tyre is definitely not as true as the rim, but I don't seem to have any problems with it.

Might be a good idea to also check that the rear wheel alignment is correct (it should be nicely in-line with the frame).

And don't forget to let us know if you find the cause.
I said "if" instead of "when" because I'm being realistic, I have the same problem on one of my motorbikes at around 45mph and have still not been able to pinpoint the cause! I have tried holding the bars very loosely and I can feel the wobble just beginning to build up. Needless to say, I don't take both hands off the bars at the same time any more!

On motorbikes, bar end weights and steering dampers are sometimes fitted in an attempt to eliminate this wobble.

Alan
 

Thanks for that, so it is something that actually is recognised. So in a way it's as if the wheel is unbalanced as you get on a car when the steering wheel judders at certain speeds- usually around 60mph in my experience.(steering wheel judder = front wheels, backside seat wobble = rear wheels  )

funny that you mention the cray Bob tyres as i've just fitted a set and found that the front does not seat itself perfectly where the valve of the inner tube is. It's settled a little since use, but it's definately noticeable by eye.

I've just had the rim respoked and the rim runs true and pretty sure the rear wheel is all ok.