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Back after 15 years & a little lost..

891 views 13 replies 5 participants last post by  zebrahum 
#1 ·
Hi guys,

I bought a stock avalanche 1.0 with RS Tora...Was considering between other brands but settled for GT as I wanted to try out the triple triangle technology.. I love it! Its an awesome bike, always ready to pick up and go.. but for some reason.. I am NOT confident around turns and corners as I feel that the bike has a moment when it has a mind of it's own.. tends to turns too sharply.. I'm a noob.. and I've always had this "feel" with many rental bikes that they have around the parks but never on a bike of my own.. What could it be? Tyres too thin? Or is it a fork issue?

Btw, they dont let u test ride bikes where I'm from..

Maybe I'm just not used to it yet, find the stem a little too long, puts too much pressure on my wrist and forearms while riding on saddle...Actually begins to feel tired and hurt a little after a while.. It's running on Kenda Nevegals btw... and the frame is sized L, I'm around 6ft - abit:cornut:

To be honest, I feel more comfortable on my wife's 3.0 small ... though the bike looks a tat bit small for me.. Think I ought to shorten the stem of my ride? and maybe get higher riser bars..?

A little lost as I dont want to spend on something, such as a stem, only to find out that something else was the issue..:madman:

Many thanks in advance..:thumbsup:

Ride Safe,
Gekko
 
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#2 ·
Small changes in the hand position can make a big difference - stem or handlebar rise. Some shops offer "try before you buy stems" because it is expensive to buy several.

Is your tora an air or spring version? A too soft spring will cause the fork to dive.

Nevegals are popular, but other tires may be better for you location. Check the regional forums at the bottom of the main page and see what local riders use.
 
#3 ·
tx mate.. I live in singapore.. city with relatively decent trails,actually sand track and long distance riding cement tracks that circle the country..Singapore is a tiny dot on the world map, just south of Malaysia/Thailand..

Back to the question, thanks for your reply.. will try to shorten the setm and see if that works.. if not, i'll try the handle bar after that..

What about the wheels though? I'm just curious if that is the way GT intended for them to feel and perform or is the whole control and feel issue dus to the stem being too long?

:)
 
#4 ·
I would also suggest a shorter stem, but how short exactly depends on what length the current stem is. You might also consider some wide bars to stabilize the steering a bit more. I would make sure your brake levers are set up so that your wrists don't need to bend while pulling the brake levers, that might be causing some of your wrist issues. And as far as the saddle goes, you'll probably just need to get used to it it won't take too long.
 
#5 ·
zebrahum said:
I would also suggest a shorter stem, but how short exactly depends on what length the current stem is. You might also consider some wide bars to stabilize the steering a bit more. I would make sure your brake levers are set up so that your wrists don't need to bend while pulling the brake levers, that might be causing some of your wrist issues. And as far as the saddle goes, you'll probably just need to get used to it it won't take too long.
Thanks for the advice.. much appreciated.. I belief it is currently running on wide bars, will probable have to change the stem and work forward from there.. Will take note of the break levers too.. Many thanks..:thumbsup:
 
#9 ·
vanamees said:
"Turns too sharply" - shorter stem makes it more sharp.
oooh... crud..

okie, maybe if i explain what exactly my challenge is, we might figure another way around this..

See, I feel like it's a little "light" while turning.. and also like i'm not confident in my movement because I feel the front wheel is gonna crumble or something like that.. and its not the quality of the set up either.. all brand new, just fitted.. Its just a confidence issue.. I'm sure something is wrong with the sizing.. but on the other hand, if a shorter stem makes it turn sharper, I might be looking at the wrong component..

It kinda feels like if I turn left by 40 degree angle, it's gonna do a straight 90 degree by itself.. lol.. I hope I'm making at least some sense..:ciappa:

Any advice guys?
Thanks again:thumbsup:
 
#11 ·
TheGekko said:
oooh... crud..

okie, maybe if i explain what exactly my challenge is, we might figure another way around this..

See, I feel like it's a little "light" while turning.. and also like i'm not confident in my movement because I feel the front wheel is gonna crumble or something like that.. and its not the quality of the set up either.. all brand new, just fitted.. Its just a confidence issue.. I'm sure something is wrong with the sizing.. but on the other hand, if a shorter stem makes it turn sharper, I might be looking at the wrong component..

It kinda feels like if I turn left by 40 degree angle, it's gonna do a straight 90 degree by itself.. lol.. I hope I'm making at least some sense..:ciappa:

Any advice guys?
Thanks again:thumbsup:
Longer stem, wider bars.
 
#14 ·
TheGekko said:
seriously? ok, will definitely look into it.. many thanks guys..
Yeah, seriously. The shorter stem will bring your reach in but quicken the steering and the wider bars will slow the steering back down because you have a longer lever arm to turn in order to get the steering to move. And if you think your bars are wide, you need to see a pair of the 30" bars.
 
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