Seen my first ever 'Speed Wobble'

[matthat]

I often get a speed wobble when I'm going up steep (or moderate) hills. I fail to maintain enough "speed" to keep equilibrium and end up wobbling all over the place. Fortunately I'm so slow that I'm not visible to the human eye thus escaping any embarrassment.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

You fell off and banged your head ...?

I don't think I did. I should have put it better, I don't remember the details, its rare for me to end up on the floor so if I had fallen I would have remembered if thats what happened, its probably just my memory getting worse.

 

[ColinJ]

... its probably just my memory getting worse.

I know the feeling!

Er, have we met ...?

Oh, yes!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I'm so glad I read this thread when it first popped up; I had my first speed wobble going just over 35mph and regained control by relaxing my upper body and loosening my grip on the handlebars.

I still got third place on the segment I was on too!

 

[jdtate101]

This is why you descend at speed in the drops, it keeps your weight forward, and knees close to the top tube. Never had one in that position.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

This is why you descend at speed in the drops, it keeps your weight forward, and knees close to the top tube. Never had one in that position.

I did have myself in the drop, and my nose about 5mm above my GPS going crosseyed trying to see how fast I was going

 

[Stonechat]

I have flat bars so will remember to keep weight forward somewhat in descending (I am a bit of a coward in descending)

 

[Leodis]

 

[Cyclopathic]

I had my first speed wobble at a rave back in '92 but that's a whole other story.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

This happened to me when I was 10 years old riding my Raleigh Chopper down a long steep hill. The handlebars started wobbling then whipped around 180 degrees and I skidded under a parked lorry. I lost huge patches of skin off my left arm and leg and knocked three teeth out via my cheek. When I read about people doing 40-50 mph downhill on a bike, my buttocks involuntarily clench! Even now, 30cough years later I get scared going fast downhill.

 

[hopless500]

This happened to me when I was 10 years old riding my Raleigh Chopper down a long steep hill. The handlebars started wobbling then whipped around 180 degrees and I skidded under a parked lorry. I lost huge patches of skin off my left arm and leg and knocked three teeth out via my cheek. When I read about people doing 40-50 mph downhill on a bike, my buttocks involuntarily clench! Even now, 30cough years later I get scared going fast downhill.

I'm not surprised

 

[clid61]

This is why you descend at speed in the drops, it keeps your weight forward, and knees close to the top tube. Never had one in that position.

works for me too

 

[buttonnine]

Awesome thread, had my first "wobble" late winter downhill, of course, managed to slow down and control it but man did I cak my pants, now I know what to do I fly down everything put in front of me, still haven't got to forty MPH.