Matt Gruber
1 MW
how much caster is ideal, and why?
Can u go faster with a little more caster?
Can u go faster with a little more caster?
CASTER - has anybody changed it?
- Thread starter Matt Gruber
- Start date
xyster
10 MW
Why would you choose bean oil over synthetic oils? :wink:
Caster is normally the term used with car wheels. I think for bikes you call it steering head angle (rake) and trail. Trail is the distance from a projected line through the steering head to the ground and the tire contact point. You want the tire contact patch to be slightly behind the steering axis to give you the caster effect.
Increasing the trail makes the wheel straighten out by itself more and increases stability. Too much trail and the low speed handling will be adversely affected. Too little trail and the steering becomes unstable and prone to wheel wobble. I'm not sure what "optimum" is, but there is a lot of research that has been done on the topic. There is a trade-off betewen high speed stability and low speed manuverability.
On my Vegos, the trail was actually negative, which is totally unstable. This makes riding with one hand nearly impossible. I reversed the fork crown to increase the trail, which helped the handling immensely.
Increasing the rake will also increase the trail.
Increasing the trail makes the wheel straighten out by itself more and increases stability. Too much trail and the low speed handling will be adversely affected. Too little trail and the steering becomes unstable and prone to wheel wobble. I'm not sure what "optimum" is, but there is a lot of research that has been done on the topic. There is a trade-off betewen high speed stability and low speed manuverability.
On my Vegos, the trail was actually negative, which is totally unstable. This makes riding with one hand nearly impossible. I reversed the fork crown to increase the trail, which helped the handling immensely.
Increasing the rake will also increase the trail.
patrick_mahoney
100 W
Thanks for the explanation, fetcher. They are all new terms to me.
Here's a better explaination with pictures:
http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/elenk.htm
and
http://www.msgroup.org/TIP187.html
http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/elenk.htm
and
http://www.msgroup.org/TIP187.html
Matt Gruber
1 MW
Thanks fechter
i have 65 degrees
trail ~3.5"
16.5" tire
no rake
now i need a base to compare it to.
Nothing in those articles gave any idea what is popular and at what speeds it works well.
i have 65 degrees
trail ~3.5"
16.5" tire
no rake
now i need a base to compare it to.
Nothing in those articles gave any idea what is popular and at what speeds it works well.
My miyata has a much straighter front end, while the oryx is layed back. The miyata's fork is curved at the end, and this makes for pretty good suspension. Oryx feels good at high speed, Miyata feels good at day-long speeds Guess it depends what you want.
