Am I being unfair?

[Archie_tect]

....so we don't know then?

Mine wouldn't turn round because of the geometry.

 

[Over The Hill]

Just out of interest if you rode the bike shown on the photo with the forks mounted back to front, would there actually be any problem with it?

The brake assembly is behind the forks so the brake components would be in compression rather than tension and the front would ride a bit higher over the spindle than 'normal' but other than that is it actually dangerous?

Just curious!

[Edit: just read the earlier post about brake blocks in slide-in sleeves but that sounds like a crazy system!]

At a guess, the feel of the steering will be out and I think the front wheel will tend to turn in more if it is turned a bit (sort of jackknife) and throw you off the front.



I think they can get away with it as they are probably selling flat-pack bikes in a box not assembled bikes so the bike is not there to buy but to look at before you pick up a box with a similar one inside in bits.

I now and then have bought "broken" ex-display stuff that has simply been put together wrong.

 

[Archie_tect]

At a guess, the feel of the steering will be out and I think the front wheel will tend to turn in more if it is turned a bit (sort of jackknife) and throw you off the front.

Good point OTH, with the brake mass pushing the forks instead of being pulled there would be forward displaced turning moment about the spindle encouraging the front wheel to overturn rather than an off-centre downward force.

 

[jimboalee]

What kind of dozy dopey bunch of no-nothings are you?

The forks AREN'T on backwards. The handlebars are twisted round by 180 degrees.

The shop assistant has positioned the handlebars in their normal position, and the front wheel has turned by half a circle.

 

[jimboalee]

You think this is bad?

I went into Evans and they had a unicycle, with the saddle on BACKWARDS,,,

Shows you what a bunch of gormless morons work at Evans.

 

[Black Sheep]

If Asda's anything like Homebase or Focus DIY, the display stock gets put beyond use with a big hammer and thrown in a skip round the back of the shop. Which, admittedly, is probably the best thing that could happen to a bike like this one, but it's a shame to see warehouse monkeys busy with Stanley knives and sledgehammers on anything from cushions to gas barbecues and patio furniture.

I'm not sure I'd want display stock from Asda after it's been bashed about by customers - especially bikes that have been fiddled with by bored teenagers etc

Typical. We didn't go the Falklands for that, did we?

no, he got the pizza from asda

Just out of interest if you rode the bike shown on the photo with the forks mounted back to front, would there actually be any problem with it?

The brake assembly is behind the forks so the brake components would be in compression rather than tension and the front would ride a bit higher over the spindle than 'normal' but other than that is it actually dangerous?

Just curious!

[Edit: just read the earlier post about brake blocks in slide-in sleeves but that sounds like a crazy system!]

Having ridden a bike with the forks on backwards (being silly in my youth) a BMX is intended to be a small and twitchy bike, the idea being that it responds quickly and goes where you want it to be when doing tricks and stunts on it

moving the axle back with essentially shorten the wheel base, lengthen the forks slightly and bring the centre of balance forwards, none of which is good on a bike intended for jumping and doing tricks.

watchdog did a piece on this a few years ago
View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZnMlxWL8ttQ

 

[Arch]

I saw a demonstration on telly where they turned the forks on a normal bike (by which I mean a 70's/80's town bike with steel forks that swept forward slightly), and pushed it off on the road, and it just kept going - something to do with the angle of trail or whatever, making it not want to turn at all - it just went on and on until it ran out of momentum. So I'd expect if you were riding it, the steering would feel sluggish. (although that wasn't traight forks, so maybe they'd react differently)

 

[Black Sheep]

I saw a demonstration on telly where they turned the forks on a normal bike (by which I mean a 70's/80's town bike with steel forks that swept forward slightly), and pushed it off on the road, and it just kept going - something to do with the angle of trail or whatever, making it not want to turn at all - it just went on and on until it ran out of momentum. So I'd expect if you were riding it, the steering would feel sluggish. (although that wasn't traight forks, so maybe they'd react differently)

Most straight forks have a slight rake to them, partly provided by the angle where the steerer tube attaches and also by having the axle bolt in on a metal plate welded to the front of the fork leg, giving the same effect as obviously raked forks,

it might not be as much rake, but it's still there.

most pre-packed bikes come with the fork turned round to shorten the package slightly as every inch they save off about 1000 boxes probably allows them to fit a few more bikes in the shipping container.

 

[summerdays]

The rider would be potentially more likely to catch their feet on the front wheel with the shortened wheel base, and also the brake cable/noodle may be stressed especially when turning right ... depending on how tight the cabling was in the first place. (And the noodle is bound to be made out of cheese in the first place and so break under the strain).