Hey all....my friend took my bike out the other night, and came back and told me my bike is REALLY squirrely and hard to handle. Since this is my first bike, I just thought it was rider error, but apparently it might not be quite so much. So I'm kind of looking into getting a wider rear tire to stabalize the bike a little more.

I don't want an obnoxiously wide tire or anything, because I like the cornering abilities that I currently have and don't want to lose a whole lot of that. But what would be the wider tire that would be better and more stable without losing the ride and handling that I love?

Any advice?

 

If you love the ride and handling, why would you change it just because your friend is used to something different?

 

1.) "Squirrelly" is kind of vague, and could be attributed to many things. She's not used to your bike -- ANYONE could be squirrelly on a bike thye're not familiar with. You say you initially thought it was rider error, but "apparently it might not be quite so much." What made you change your mind? Of course she's not going to ADMIT it's rider error, and she might not even realize it as such.

2.) "Hard to handle" is also rather vague... Mind if I ask, is the bike lowered, or the suspension otherwise modified? These kinds of mods could alter the way the bike handles drastically.

3.) Tire pressure (too low) can alter handling as well. Even being just a few pounds low can cause "squirrelly" turns/curves.

4.) How old are the tires on your bike? Did the bike ever sit for an extended period unridden? Could they be dry-rotted?

5.) Are there any other road hazards (oil in the road, white crosswalk lines, tar snakes) that could have caused some uncertain handling? Again, it could all just be coincidental that she encountered a road hazard, and since she was on an unfamiliar bike, she reacted more strongly to it.


Now, in answer to going to a wider tire, I'd advise against it. When discussing this with our bike mechanic he explained it like this: You CAN go up ONE SIZE without any major problems. BUT, by going up a size with the same size rim, you don't actually net any additional rubber on the road. Quite the contrary actually. By putting a larger tire on the smaller rim, you're essentially "pinching" the tire, causing the tread to bow out, thus reducing your contact patch.

SO.... check your tire pressure, make sure you don't have dry rot, and maybe upgrade to a better QUALITY/stickier tire, but don't necessarily assume you need a WIDER tire.

Good luck!

 

Because if it creates a more stable ride for me, and I can improve my riding techinique from his advice, I will consider it. He's been riding street bikes for 16 years, I've been on street bikes this season....so I trust his opinions and advice and consider them when they're offered. He's kind of a mentor for me.

I just don't want some rediculous 240 Tire on a single sided or anything like that....that's what I meant about not losing the cornering ability.

 

1.) "Squirrelly" is kind of vague, and could be attributed to many things. She's not used to your bike -- ANYONE could be squirrelly on a bike thye're not familiar with. You say you initially thought it was rider error, but "apparently it might not be quite so much." What made you change your mind? Of course she's not going to ADMIT it's rider error, and she might not even realize it as such.
It's a He...but either way, he has a lot more experience (16 years on street bikes) then I do (this season), and has ridden a lot of different bikes.

2.) "Hard to handle" is also rather vague... Mind if I ask, is the bike lowered, or the suspension otherwise modified? These kinds of mods could alter the way the bike handles drastically.
The bike's stock height, stock suspension.

3.) Tire pressure (too low) can alter handling as well. Even being just a few pounds low can cause "squirrelly" turns/curves.

4.) How old are the tires on your bike? Did the bike ever sit for an extended period unridden? Could they be dry-rotted? The tires are brand new, put on when I picked up the bike from the dealership in February.

5.) Are there any other road hazards (oil in the road, white crosswalk lines, tar snakes) that could have caused some uncertain handling? Again, it could all just be coincidental that she encountered a road hazard, and since she was on an unfamiliar bike, she reacted more strongly to it.
It was dry road, no hazzards.


Now, in answer to going to a wider tire, I'd advise against it. When discussing this with our bike mechanic he explained it like this: You CAN go up ONE SIZE without any major problems. BUT, by going up a size with the same size rim, you don't actually net any additional rubber on the road. Quite the contrary actually. By putting a larger tire on the smaller rim, you're essentially "pinching" the tire, causing the tread to bow out, thus reducing your contact patch.

SO.... check your tire pressure, make sure you don't have dry rot, and maybe upgrade to a better QUALITY/stickier tire, but don't necessarily assume you need a WIDER tire.

Good luck!


Thanks for the advice! Right now I'm just looking into the suggestion to see what general opinions are...kind of a research. It helps a lot to hear what others think, and I appreciate it!

 

+1 for the tire pressure. When I went to check out the F3 that i ended up buying the tires were so low that I thought there was something seriously wrong with the wheels the first time I rode it. A quick check revealed them to be substantially underinflated and as soon as they were set to the proper psi the problem disappeared. Even just sitting for a few months they can lose some psi - and its easy to check. good luck!

 

ok if you go with a wider tire you will just get a lot of roll over. The bike will roll side to side easier. Tire sizes are set on a bike from the factory for a reason. There is no real need to change them. If you are comfortable with the tire you have don't change it. I would suggest buying a pirelli diablo. I had a D-208 on my F-3 then I switched to the pirelli and it made a world of difference. Tire compound makes more of a difference than you may think.

 

i have 180 D208's on my stock rim, i love it, however it does put less surface area of the tire on the road so i cant see how it make the bike any more stable. i like the cornering with these tires though

 

article for you to read.

http://www.sportrider.com/tech/tires...ize/index.html