So, That's Why That Does That

Ever watch the front wheels of a shopping cart?  When you start pushing the cart, the front wheels spin around and point back toward you, automatically.  When you pull the cart backward, the wheels spin around toward the front of the cart, again in the opposite direction from the cart's movement.  It does so by design.  I don't know the science (nor am I nerdy enough to learn) but it makes it easier to steer the cart.

It turns out your bike does the same thing ... any bike ... at least any production bike in the last 100 years or so.  The fork and head tube angle are designed to put the front tire (where it contacts the ground) behind the steering axis (imaginary extension of the head tube), just as cart casters are offset so they can spin around in back of its pivot bolt.  The term is called trail which represents how far the front tire "trails" behind the steering axis .  Here's a pic:

You can find more information about trail on the web.  You can also find trail calculators and plenty of internet fights about the subject.  Have at it if that's your thing.

It turns out the Soma Wolverine has more trail than most bikes and considerably more than most road racing bikes.  Trail equates to stability, so the Wolverine has a very stable ride, especially at medium+ speeds.  Great for touring, too.  More trail also means more "wheel flop" (less derogatory than it sounds) where the front wheel wants to turn easily.  Less trail and less wheel flop equates to more responsiveness and maneuverability, giving road bikes that nimble feeling.

The Wolverine's long trail, and subsequent wheel flop, explains a few weird things I've noticed:

1) I've had trouble riding with no hands .. thought it was me and a weak sense of balance.  Turns out its the bike's wheel flop tenancies.  The wheel wants to turn with even a slight lean.

2) Adding a handlebar bag affects steering.  The bag's weight, even when only partly full, seems to amplify the floppiness.  So much, I've considered switching to a frame bag for touring.  Of note, the weight of front panniers doesn't seem to affect handling in the same way, perhaps due to the low mount points.  Front panniers on my bike also don't improve handling like some people report with their touring bikes.

3) I seem to have more confidence on downhills than others.  Stability at speed is what trail provides. I thought I was just braver.  I also have slightly less maneuverability than others in the corners, but that can be compensated for with riding technique.

4)  The bike feels a bit unwieldy at slow speed.  I'm used to it now, but I wrote about this after my inaugural ride on the bike. The Wolverine would not be a good choice for older people or anyone that consistently rides slowly.

Anyway, I now understand why my bike does some of the things it does.  Racing cyclists would call my bike sluggish, which is fine ... there are always tradeoffs.  My bike is more comfortable, durable and stable which meshes more with how/where/why I ride.

Spoke Too Soon ... Or Not

In my last post, I bragged about my Gates belt still chugging along without issue.  I also spoke fondly of my new VP Vice pedals.  Fast forward three weeks, and I may have jinxed myself. 

With less than 200 miles on those shiny new pedals, an audible squeak started chirping from the drive train ... every pedal stroke ... both pedals.  Some choice words for the VP Components company swirled through my mind, without making their way to my lips.  200 miles?  Both pedals?  Really?  Now apologies are swirling.  The squeaking wasn't coming from the pedals, but from my publicly praised Gates belt. It sounded off even when I pushed (or pulled) on the belt by hand.

Was this the beginning of the end for my belt?  Is squeaking the first sign that failure has neared?  Nope.  A quick internet search landed me on the Gates' FAQ section of their website.  Here's what it said:

The belt can make noise when forced to run hard against the flanges on the sprockets. This can be due to sprocket misalignment, wheel misalignment, or run out in the drive caused by damaged components. Spraying water on the belt may quiet the drive for a few minutes, but the permanent solution is to correct the alignment or replace the damaged components. Another possible source of noise is a loose front sprocket. Using thread lock on the sprocket bolts alleviates this problem.

In some cases, the noise can occur when riding in dirty conditions, particularly when mountain biking if grit and water temporarily stick to the belt.  This noise in no way indicates a problem with your Gates Carbon Drive.  In most cases simply hosing off the belt and pulleys after a ride will end the noise.  If noise persists, the solution is simple: spray the belt with water, wait for it to dry, and apply a thin coating of dry silicone spray to the tooth side of the belt.  Dry silicone dries instantly, helps shed grit, and does not affect the longevity of the belt.  We recommend this product.

Per the first paragraph, checked the sprocket alignment, wheel alignment and for damage.  Nothing found.  Front sprocket was tight too.  Next paragraph.  Okay, if you've read my blog, you'll know I don't clean my bike often ... annually at best ... but its been a year, so why not?  Washed the bike, hosed off the belt, let it dry.  Nary a sound ... absolutely squeakless!  Hit the teeth with some silicone spray just for good measure.  I recommend the stuff from Walmart.

Marking History

This post is more for me than anybody reading.  I've found this blog to be an invaluable reference for myself.  A running history of sorts, so I plan to update it occasionally ... just for me (but you're welcome to read).  I also recommend blogging the experience to anybody venturing into their own bike build.

1.  I switched to tubeless tires in August 2017, going with a Stan's NoTubes kit and Tubless Easy Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires, on my non-tubeless Andra 210 rims.  There was some swearing involved, but I got them mounted.  I also learned enough where I could do it again with an 80% reduction in cuss words.  So far, love them, and can run 'em at a lower pressure for a more comfortable ride.  Zero flats is particularly nice, too.  Half the weight of the Marathon Plus tube set  up.

2.  In preparing for a 12-day tour, the Ergon GP-1 grips got swapped out for GP-5's with bar end grips.  Didn't find much use for them on tour.  The alternate hand position was nice but the bar ends felt far too wide to be comfortable.  I'm going to slide the brake levers, shifter and grips farther onto the handle bars to test a slightly narrower hand position.  I might be shortening the handlebars ... or not, depending on how the test goes.

3.  The original NSBike pedals gave out a few months ago.  They were cheap but I honestly expected more durability from them.  When the creaking first started I thought the chainring bolts were loose ... nope.  Then I swapped out the bottom bracket but the creaking continued.  I now have VP Vice pedals.  They have three bearings in each pedal so they should last longer.  They can also be rebuilt with a $20 rebuild kit.  Oh, and I got them for about half the retail price.

4.  [KNOCK ON WOOD] The belt and brakes keep on ticking without issue. [/KNOCK ON WOOD]  I have no idea if or how a belt shows its nearing end of life.  Does it just suddenly break?  Does it start to wear?  Does if show cracking?  Who knows?  I'm ordering a replacement for whenever its demise comes.  Honestly, I didn't expect hydraulic brakes to be this maintenance free.  I'll I've done is replace pads.

5.  Rohloff now offers splined rear sprockets that install with a C clip.  No more threads.  They also have a new carrier so existing hubs can use the splined sprockets ... and it works with belt-specific sprockets too.  Got a new carrier and splined sprocket in my parts bin for when the time comes.