My steering is too loose. How to tighten??

[sarcastik]

I've got a 26 inch bike that is slammed with an the front wheel extended forward. The bike is rideable, but my problem is that because the wheel is so far forward it makes the fork hard to balance and it can be hard to keep the bike pointed straight. I tried tightening bolts around the headset and fork and I cannot figure out how to tighten the steering so it is easier to keep the bike straight. Anyone familiar with tightening the steering on a beach cruiser?

 

[slowriderz]

I have rode bikes with forks like that. With the fork slung out in front I have found no way of making them easier to steer. I did find that ape hangers with a bit of forward angle to them help a little but not much.

 

[user 135]

Probably no way to make that feel comfortable and yours is slammed more than usual. The rake/trail is way to great and then which also changes the headtube angle. Those forks are really are for show only. Tighthen of the headset will only ruin the bearings.

Some have added a spacer behind the spring that lifts the bike up to more normal position.

 

[deorman]

Keeping the pivot bolt snug and preloading the spring by tightening the spring bolt can help reduce play. You're still gonna have wierd handling from extreme negative trail.

 

[sarcastik]

Kind of a bummer. I always wanted a bike that was slammed as low as possible and it wasn't until it was finished and I took it outside that I realized, "oh crap this is actually rideable".

I am seriously tempted to wipe the grease off the bearings and replace it with sand or something so the bike will only turn when I want it to. Raising it up would be last option but keeping everything as low as possible is really the point of this particular project.

 

[g-ratter]

If you have access to welding you could add some stabilizing springs to it. Usually a spring on each side of the fork that connects to the frame. This will help keep it straight until you turn it.
I think they use this on drag racing bikes??
Any one out there know?

 

[boro]

Maybe someting like this? There's a "beer delivery bicycle" in BO X that has similar spring.

 

[deorman]

https://www.google.com/search?q=bik...a=X&ei=X2CLVeLABdKhyASB8peoBg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg

 

[dpjpandone]

Probably no way to make that feel comfortable and yours is slammed more than usual. The rake/trail is way to great and then which also changes the headtube angle. Those forks are really are for show only. Tighthen of the headset will only ruin the bearings.

Some have added a spacer behind the spring that lifts the bike up to more normal position.

Can you please tell me where I can see more pictures of this bike? It looks like a road bike with a bent springer, I have to see more!

 

[sarcastik]

https://www.google.com/search?q=bik...a=X&ei=X2CLVeLABdKhyASB8peoBg&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAg

Correct. Boro's post really got me thinking and I actually located some of these last night that I'll try out. The reviews are good, but they say it doesn't drastically change the handling, but for $10 bucks I'm willing to give it a try. "Bicycle Steering Stabilizer" - something tells me the spring may just snap on my first run, but I can possibly replace it with a stiffer spring down the line. Here's what they've got on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/M-Wave-Bicycl...6&sr=8-1&keywords=bicycle+steering+stabilizer

http://www.amazon.com/Velo-Orange-W...10-spons&keywords=bicycle+steering+stabilizer

 

[Bicycle808]

That thing is mostly to keep a front-heavy bike's fork straight while parked with stuff in a front basket or in the panniers. Your bike is twitchy b/c your set-up has some overly-responsive steering geometry, in part due to the bike's trail and the stem/handlebar setup. Sometimes, we gotta choose between conflicting priorities: aesthetics versus practical ride characteristics. There's no geegaw available to change your bike's steering, aside from changing the forks to something more "normal".

 

[sarcastik]

That thing is mostly to keep a front-heavy bikes fork straight while parked with stuff in a front basket or in the panniers. Your bike is twitchy b/c your set-up has some overly-responsive steering geometry, in part due to the bike's trail and the stem/handlebar setup. Sometimes, we gotta choose between conflicting priorities: aesthetics versus practical ride characteristics. There's no geegaw available to change your bike, aside from changing the forks to something more "normal".

I 100% agree. I ordered the M-Wave Damper and I don't expect to fix the problem, but at most it may help, a little. My priorities are 90% aesthetics and 10% ride characteristics. Trust me, even if I solved the damping issue completely the bike would still be a chore to ride to most people, but that's the part that I enjoy most, making something that looks unique and unrideable, but I can actually be ridden around town. I'll post an update when it arrives...

 

[OneHorsePower]

these drop forks are for showbikes , very unproper trail for actually riding...
steering tube angle should point down to the contact patch of the tire or slightly in front ideally
if you want a great handling with a bike that much dropped, you should have a wayyy more chopper angle in the steering tube