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Twitchy front end

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  • February 18, 2015 at 11:17 pm #23297
    richk13

    I’ve just bought a Cube Agree GTC Race, my first carbon frame road bike and I got a bargain considering the spec. Thing is, I’m really struggling to get to grips with the twitchiness of the front end, particularly if there’s a bit of a breeze blowing. My now Winter bike is a Specialized Allez Sport which is Aluminium with a carbon fork and although it’s not massively heavy it’s a bit of a tank compared to the Cube (which weighs about 7.9kg).

    So, it reasonable to expect a ‘lightweight’ carbon bike to feel twitchy and I’ll just have to get used to it? I’m 6’4″ so I’ve got the biggest frame size in both (which probably doesn’t help).

    Any thoughts or comments gratefully received.

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Viewing 8 replies - 16 through 23 (of 23 total)
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  • February 19, 2015 at 12:52 pm #832677
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    richk13

    Thanks, for all the comments
    Thanks, for all the comments and suggestions.

    I guess I was trying to understand if it’s common to have this sort of issue when you reduce bike weight.

    – I might try one of the wheels from my Specialized.

    – The Cube already has 25mm tyres so I’d be reluctant to go any wider than that although will try reducing the pressure a bit.

    – I did put on a slightly shorter stem as I was a bit too strethed out with the original. Only reduced it by about 20mm. I can see the front wheel hub over the bars so it may be a bit short, but it’s far more comfortable.

    – I haven’t compared bar width but I will do.

    – Don’t think I’ve tried riding no-handed on the Cube, I think the twitchiness has probably put me off. I do have the saddle high and bars low in a quite racey position so do feel a bit unstable and tend to fall forward even when I ride no-handed on the Specialized. Any thoughts on positional changes Jimmy Ray Will?

    Thanks again everyone.

    February 19, 2015 at 11:11 am #832675
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    Tinternet_tim

    Is the bar width narrower
    Is the bar width narrower than that of your spesh? When I up graded to a new road bike I found it ‘twitchy’ to start off with until I got use to it. It now feels really stable and I prefer it to my commute bike.
    The others have give good options for things to change if it doesn’t improve, however as jammy ray says, it might just be that it feels different from your spesh and it’ll take a little time to get use to it.

    February 19, 2015 at 9:15 am #832673
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    Jimmy Ray Will

    Can you ride no handed in a
    Can you ride no handed in a low wind situation, or do you start to fall forward?

    I’m trying to establish if you are carrying a lot of weight through the front wheel, which is making the bike feel skittish, or if its just the geometry.

    The problem with big frames is the way they keep the front end tight, so the head angle gets steeper and steeper and accordingly, the handling gets faster and faster.

    It may just be a case of getting used to it, or if you have got your balance too far forward, that can be addressed with some positional changes.

    February 19, 2015 at 9:04 am #832671
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    JamesE279

    A cheap possible solution,
    A cheap possible solution, you could fit a slightly wider tyre at the front or reduce the pressure by ~5psi, the slightly larger contact area might reduce the twitchiness. If you’re on 23mm then going to 25mm shouldn’t slow you too much.

    J

    February 19, 2015 at 6:51 am #832669
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    Welsh boy

    What about your stem length?
    What about your stem length? A short stem will make the steering quicker so if your stem is considerably shorter on your new bike this may have an effect. Other than that I would suggest that it is just down to geometry and the new bike having quicker steering by design.

    February 18, 2015 at 11:52 pm #832667
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    Anthony.C

    Those flat Aksium spokes do
    Those flat Aksium spokes do catch the wind, try a different front wheel.

    February 18, 2015 at 11:37 pm #832665
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    richk13

    Mavic Aksium S wheels, 24mm
    Mavic Aksium S wheels, 24mm deep rims with bladed spokes. Cube Wing Race bars. It’s quite a racey geometry (same as their top end race models). I definitely feel the wind catching the wheels and I guess I feel the impact of that because of the light frame (compared to my Specialized). However the Cube does feel twitchy regardless of wind and I’m struggling get confidence in the corners.

    February 18, 2015 at 11:23 pm #832663
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    Flying Scot

    What wheels and bars, is it
    What wheels and bars, is it more wind, or geometry?

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