Unstable tight turns with R&M Supercharger?

[dblhelix]

That was my point, an experienced rider familiar with how a bike's geometry affects handling can pretty much predict how a bike will handle from looking at a bikes specs.

The bike has a headset block. This is where my issues come from, period, not from lack of inspection of trail, etc. My viewpoint is that the restricted steering should be mentioned in reviews.

I actually do not experience the high-speed wobble discussed here. Handling issues arise from the inevitable slower speeds when you can’t complete a turn, but thanks for your input.

 

[Wanabxtrm]

I've noticed both items of discussion; and was aware of both prior to purchase. The wobble I've found directly related to harmonics with bags, and a loose headset at one point. Haven't had a repeat since addressing the causes.

The headset block/restricted turn I do find annoying on occasion when navigating tight areas off-bike. I tend to pick up the rear and swing that instead.

 

[Chris Nolte]

I had exactly the same thing on my Sduro Trekking. The tires are Engergizer Pro's with Green Guard anti-puncture technology. I had decided to try and run them at the minimal rated PSI (50), but soon discovered that this made the tire's behaviour become highly unpredictable in tight turns with a compression. For example, if I make a sharp turn after a speed bump with low PSIs, the adherence will brutally drop and I will suddenly find myself falling into the side I'm leaning towards. I've upped the tire pressure to 75 PSI and it's noticeably better. I have a lot of tight turns to take, many of which are banked on downhill streets or on cobblestone, so adherence is actually much more important to me than rolling resistance. I think that the Green Guard protection alters the way the tire behaves and makes it unsuitable for lower PSI. The Green Guard is a fairly stiff band that surrounds the tire, but the tire walls are soft and malleable in comparison. So this means that the tire needs to be run at a minimum PSI for it to perform well when it's running on its edge. I also found that the Energizer Pro handled poorly with lower pressure when taking large horseshoe turns at higher speeds (50km), which is a frequent scenario as I have many downhill exchangers that are S shaped. All of this is for the 38C size tire. The larger 45C can be run at a lower pressure and seems a little more versatile.

I realise that your R&M's tires are much fatter and of a different size, but I think you should try playing with the tire pressure a bit. In the end, you might find that you need different types of tire pressure depending on a particular usage. If I had straighter roads with more off-road usage, I'd probably pull out some PSI again. But for my usage higher PSI is much safer.

@JayVee's recommendation about tire pressure is a good one. This will make a world of difference in handling, I would recommend trying that and seeing the difference.