When I take turns, my rear wheel is sliding to the outside of the turn. I'm riding a 2012 Norco Heart, brand new stock tires, single-speed. I'm not carrying much weight, or taking turns too tightly. Any ideas?
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1Of course, this is natural to a degree, but it it seems excessive then low tire pressure would be the first suspicion. Also, simply applying too much power on the turns will do it -- the old "bootlegger turn".– Daniel R HicksAug 15, 2012 at 18:20
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Check for loose spokes. I've had my rear wheel feel like it was slipping in a turn and found out later a few of my spokes had lost tension. Got those fixed and the slippage went away.– Mike TwoAug 15, 2012 at 20:19
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@DanielRHicks I might be pedalling into turns, but I've actually started taking really wide slow turns because of it. I do suspect it might be tire pressure though.– BrizianAug 16, 2012 at 0:46
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Check tire preasure first then check for wheel defects like spokes and axle. When tire preasure gets low you might not notice it when going in a straight line but once you lean it over you'll feel like you've got a tire slip happening. It usually occured for me around the 30 PSI mark for my MTB. I had to go up to around 45 PSI for it to stop. I lost some addition traction when climbing but it felt way safer over all so I didn't care too much.– Chef FlambeAug 20, 2012 at 19:01
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3 Answers
Try adjusting the tire pressure you may be to high or to low. If it is low the sidewall can squirm inturns making handling inconsistant, too high and the tire can be so hard it bounces off the surface when hitting any imperfection.
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Thanks, I thought it might be the tire pressure, but the gauge on my pump is useless. I actually am always worried about the tire pressure because of this, but every pump I've ever bought the gauge hasn't worked, so I guess I should just shell out for a dedicated gauge. Bummer to have to carry something else though :\ Taking your advice, I really pumped the tires up before I left work today, and I was ok on my ride home, though it's only 4K. I'll be heading out for a ride later tonight to see if this solves it for sure.– BrizianAug 16, 2012 at 0:44
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1@Brizian, are you using a floor pump or a hand pump? Most floor pumps I've used have had pretty decent gauges.– amcnabbAug 16, 2012 at 5:51
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Yep, get a floor pump with a built-in gauge. You should never need to pump up the tires on the road except after fixing a flat, and a floor pump is faster, easier, and allows accurate pressure measurement. Aug 16, 2012 at 12:00
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After a ride last night and my commute this morning, I can say that it was definitely the tire pressure. Thanks, everyone. Ironically, I recently shelled out for a slightly pricy hand pump because the gauge on my floor pump didn't work.– BrizianAug 16, 2012 at 13:35
You may want to check that the rear wheel isn't coming loose on the axle. If the nuts that hold the bearings in have come a bit loose, the wheel might slip a little in the corners. If they are very loose, the wheel will wobble even when you're riding in a straight line.
Your body position may be an issue. When the terrein is loose, you need more weight on top of the bike. So as you lean and carve into the corner, you may need to lean the bike, and your body at different angles. Essentially leaning your body less, and shifting weight to still provide downward pressure vs all lateral pressure relying too much on grip and inertia.
And tire pressure for the right terrain is key. If its loose, 32psi and above will break loose faster than say 28psi. If you have to go by feel, you need it to press in a bit if you squeezed it with your thumb, or if you are on it, guess 20% compression squish would be a best guess for your weight.
