we accept
 
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How to Measure
Correct Trail |
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►Using a tape measure, or if not available, a piece of string, raise
the bike to upright position.
►Start by holding the
tape measure straight down from the front axle to the floor.
Put a mark on the floor at that point. Then, place the tape
parallel to the steering axle, following the angle of the steering
head all the way down to the floor. Put a mark here too.
Now all you have to do is to measure the distance between the two
marks and you have your trail figure. It should read between 2
and 6 inches.
*Note: If your
bike is equipped with rear suspension, have someone sit on the seat
when you make these measurements, to simulate your actual riding
conditions. |
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Correct
Trail is essential for optimum ride! |
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Too Much Trail |
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Normal Trail |
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Too Little Trail
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If
the trail is more than 6 inches the bike will handle sluggishly at
high speeds. It will seem almost too steady. You will
have trouble balancing your bike at lower speeds, or on
winding roads. It will feel generally sluggish and clumsy.
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Somewhere
between 2 to 6 inches the bike will handle easily at both high and
low speeds. Flowing smoothly through curves without swaying or
wobbling. If you use a very fat rear tire, you should keep the
trail as close to 4-6 inches as possible. A slightly large
trail is also practical for touring.
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With too little, and in
some extreme cases negative trail, (steering axle mark behind the
front axle mark), the bike will handle with unbelievable ease at low
speeds, but be completely out of balance at high speed. It
will easily develop a fatal high-speed wobble. Extremely
dangerous!
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Changing the Center of Gravity
►To make full use of your
triple trees you should also readjust the fork when your bike's
center of gravity changes, like when you are packing a lot of
luggage.
►If the center of
gravity is too low, you will have good maneuverability around
curves, but the stability when you are going in a straight line will
suffer. If the center of gravity is too high, it will be the
other way around. Always readjust the triple trees within the
sensible limits of trail, as riding conditions change. This
way you will always be able to use your bike's handling resources to
the maximum benefit. The adjustable triple trees are designed
to give you the best possible handling at all times. So make
use of them! |
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That's Marc's bike (the "Punked"). We discussed
trail and handling with Tolle, who is THE expert in raked bikes (they build
front ends with up to 50" over tubes!!). Tolle recommended 7 degrees for the
trees to keep the trail very short and improve the handling that way, since
it is such a long bike-- We used Tolle's 7 degree trees (the best on the
market for stiffness and "no-tweeking") and increased the forks to 26" over
stock. The bike handles great considering it being so long. |
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