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Sharp Cornering Bike?
The latest issue of Bicycling Magazine (Sept. 2005) has a review of a
Pinarello F4:13 and, among many other things, they comment that "it's also one of the sharpest-cornering bikes we've ever ridden - your could practically rub your hip on the road and not worry about blowing a turn." That got me to wondering if, by design, one bike can really corner better than another and, if so, why? If cheap entry level bikes are excluded and the comparison is limited to bikes with high quality aluminum, carbon or Ti frames and a reasonably good set of wheels why would one bike be able to corner better than another? Or, would the major factor simply be tire compound? Chuck |
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#2
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Sharp Cornering Bike?
C Wright wrote:
The latest issue of Bicycling Magazine (Sept. 2005) has a review of a Pinarello F4:13 and, among many other things, they comment that "it's also one of the sharpest-cornering bikes we've ever ridden - your could practically rub your hip on the road and not worry about blowing a turn." That got me to wondering if, by design, one bike can really corner better than another and, if so, why? If cheap entry level bikes are excluded and the comparison is limited to bikes with high quality aluminum, carbon or Ti frames and a reasonably good set of wheels why would one bike be able to corner better than another? Or, would the major factor simply be tire compound? Chuck Pure, anudulterated parroting of marketing BS. The major factor is fear. Robin Hubert |
#3
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Sharp Cornering Bike?
"C Wright" wrote in message . .. The latest issue of Bicycling Magazine (Sept. 2005) has a review of a Pinarello F4:13 and, among many other things, they comment that "it's also one of the sharpest-cornering bikes we've ever ridden - your could practically rub your hip on the road and not worry about blowing a turn." That got me to wondering if, by design, one bike can really corner better than another and, if so, why? If cheap entry level bikes are excluded and the comparison is limited to bikes with high quality aluminum, carbon or Ti frames and a reasonably good set of wheels why would one bike be able to corner better than another? Or, would the major factor simply be tire compound? Chuck I hear red bikes corner the fastest . |
#4
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Sharp Cornering Bike?
On Sat, 06 Aug 2005 14:47:00 GMT, C Wright
wrote: The latest issue of Bicycling Magazine (Sept. 2005) has a review of a Pinarello F4:13 and, among many other things, they comment that "it's also one of the sharpest-cornering bikes we've ever ridden - your could practically rub your hip on the road and not worry about blowing a turn." That got me to wondering if, by design, one bike can really corner better than another and, if so, why? If cheap entry level bikes are excluded and the comparison is limited to bikes with high quality aluminum, carbon or Ti frames and a reasonably good set of wheels why would one bike be able to corner better than another? Or, would the major factor simply be tire compound? Tire compound, road surface condition and material, presence of debris, and rider foolhardiness (aka desperation, sometimes called bravado or bravery) are the principal factors that determine cornering speed. The rest is just hype. (Magazines are often driven by hype.) -- Typoes are a feature, not a bug. Some gardening required to reply via email. Words processed in a facility that contains nuts. |
#5
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Sharp Cornering Bike?
"Werehatrack" wrote in message ... On Sat, 06 Aug 2005 14:47:00 GMT, C Wright wrote: The latest issue of Bicycling Magazine (Sept. 2005) has a review of a Pinarello F4:13 and, among many other things, they comment that "it's also one of the sharpest-cornering bikes we've ever ridden - your could practically rub your hip on the road and not worry about blowing a turn." That got me to wondering if, by design, one bike can really corner better than another and, if so, why? If cheap entry level bikes are excluded and the comparison is limited to bikes with high quality aluminum, carbon or Ti frames and a reasonably good set of wheels why would one bike be able to corner better than another? Or, would the major factor simply be tire compound? Tire compound, road surface condition and material, presence of debris, and rider foolhardiness (aka desperation, sometimes called bravado or bravery) are the principal factors that determine cornering speed. The rest is just hype. (Magazines are often driven by hype.) -- I interpret the OP's question as having more to do with quickness of steering, rather than the sheer speed with which a corner can be taken. I know many people make it a point to debunk myths on here, but there are definitely bikes with quicker handling that can take a corner with razor-like precision at the slightest nudge. This is not hype. By the way, I wouldn't relegate steel frames to entry-level bikes as the OP did! Peter |
#6
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Sharp Cornering Bike?
"Robin Hubert" wrote in message nk.net... C Wright wrote: The latest issue of Bicycling Magazine (Sept. 2005) has a review of a Pinarello F4:13 and, among many other things, they comment that "it's also one of the sharpest-cornering bikes we've ever ridden - your could practically rub your hip on the road and not worry about blowing a turn." That got me to wondering if, by design, one bike can really corner better than another and, if so, why? If cheap entry level bikes are excluded and the comparison is limited to bikes with high quality aluminum, carbon or Ti frames and a reasonably good set of wheels why would one bike be able to corner better than another? Or, would the major factor simply be tire compound? Chuck Pure, anudulterated parroting of marketing BS. The major factor is fear. Robin Hubert Sure, frame geometry and tire compound probably has nothing to do with it. |
#7
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Sharp Cornering Bike?
On Sat, 06 Aug 2005 14:47:00 GMT, C Wright
wrote: The latest issue of Bicycling Magazine (Sept. 2005) has a review of a Pinarello F4:13 and, among many other things, they comment that "it's also one of the sharpest-cornering bikes we've ever ridden - your could practically rub your hip on the road and not worry about blowing a turn." That got me to wondering if, by design, one bike can really corner better than another and, if so, why? If cheap entry level bikes are excluded and the comparison is limited to bikes with high quality aluminum, carbon or Ti frames and a reasonably good set of wheels why would one bike be able to corner better than another? Or, would the major factor simply be tire compound? Chuck Dear Chuck, Frame geometry can affect handling. Trials bikes are designed for quick handling at low-speed, so they don't do well at high speed down a ski-run in summer. Similarly, Hans Rey doesn't use a longer wheelbase touring bicycle to leap on and off picnic tables and cavort among boulders. There's not a lot of difference in the geometry seen in bicycles used for the same kind of racing. In any case, cornering is rarely emphasized in paved bicycle races because the engine tends to be far more important. There just isn't the fiddling with front-end geometry, suspension, and tire compounds that you see in motorcycle racing. Bicyclists don't like to change their front ends, suspension is absent from road bicycles, frame weight distribution scarcely matters, and the bicycle engines are usually reluctant to go out and keep testing different tire compounds in the same corners, since cornering rarely makes much difference in pavement races. A longer wheelbase might offer a tiny frame advantage for cornering in that more distance between the front and rear contact patches reduces the wobble-jiggle-waver when one of them hits a bump. Tire compounds matter--there are stickier tires, but they tend to wear faster. So does tire size--a wider tire at a lower pressure spreads the contact patch over a larger area and is therefore less likely to bump and slip on a tiny irregularity. (Of course, the engines complain that wide tires slow them down because of increased wind drag and therefore prefer narrow tires.) And tire inflation is about as close as pavement bicycles get to suspension. It's even claimed that the tubulars preferred by professional racers corner better than clinchers because tubulars have a rounder profile and therefore offer a smoother transition from upright to leaning over. But for ordinary riding, most road bicycles equipped with the same tires corner according to the rider's ability because they're pretty much the same. Any tiny frame differences are likely to yield only tiny advantages, not the kind of striking improvements claimed by the magazine. (I'd be astonished if the magazine recorded and compared any actual times for different bikes through a twisty standard downhill course--those guys aren't Consumer Reports.) Of course, a nice new bicycle will probably feel better, particularly if you happen to be having a good day and everyone else is telling you how great it feels. Put on a pair of ear-muffs to get rid of the normal noise, and you'll swear that your bike rides much more smoothly. Carl Fogel |
#8
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Sharp Cornering Bike?
On Sat, 06 Aug 2005 16:08:36 GMT, Werehatrack
wrote: Tire compound, road surface condition and material, presence of debris, and rider foolhardiness (aka desperation, sometimes called bravado or bravery) are the principal factors that determine cornering speed. Also perhaps weight distribution. JT **************************** Remove "remove" to reply Visit http://www.jt10000.com **************************** |
#9
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Sharp Cornering Bike?
John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:
On Sat, 06 Aug 2005 16:08:36 GMT, Werehatrack wrote: Tire compound, road surface condition and material, presence of debris, and rider foolhardiness (aka desperation, sometimes called bravado or bravery) are the principal factors that determine cornering speed. Also perhaps weight distribution. JT **************************** Remove "remove" to reply Visit http://www.jt10000.com **************************** More importantly, I think, since so much of the available componentry is so close in performance, is the ability of the rider to perceive and judge, and to have the nerve to follow his instincts. Robin Hubert |
#10
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Sharp Cornering Bike?
In article
, "Pete" wrote: "Werehatrack" wrote in message ... On Sat, 06 Aug 2005 14:47:00 GMT, C Wright wrote: The latest issue of Bicycling Magazine (Sept. 2005) has a review of a Pinarello F4:13 and, among many other things, they comment that "it's also one of the sharpest-cornering bikes we've ever ridden - your could practically rub your hip on the road and not worry about blowing a turn." That got me to wondering if, by design, one bike can really corner better than another and, if so, why? If cheap entry level bikes are excluded and the comparison is limited to bikes with high quality aluminum, carbon or Ti frames and a reasonably good set of wheels why would one bike be able to corner better than another? Or, would the major factor simply be tire compound? Tire compound, road surface condition and material, presence of debris, and rider foolhardiness (aka desperation, sometimes called bravado or bravery) are the principal factors that determine cornering speed. The rest is just hype. (Magazines are often driven by hype.) -- I interpret the OP's question as having more to do with quickness of steering, rather than the sheer speed with which a corner can be taken. I know many people make it a point to debunk myths on here, but there are definitely bikes with quicker handling that can take a corner with razor-like precision at the slightest nudge. This is not hype. By the way, I wouldn't relegate steel frames to entry-level bikes as the OP did! Didn't you get the memo? Yes, steel frames are heavy and old technology. Nobody would attempt a performance frame out of steel anymore, except some fashionable boutique outfits like Waterford, and mossbacks such as Eisentraut, Litton, or Sachs. -- Michael Press |
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