What Causes Speed Wobbles?

Have you ever experienced speed wobbling? If you have reached the peak of around 70 kilometers per hour, it is possible for you to experience wobbling, and it is difficult to deal with especially if you are running out of time. Maybe you are in a rush, or you are in a competition with other professional bikers and so you have reached more than that velocity. Regardless of your situation, it is important for you to understand the causes of speed wobbles in order to prevent it from making any further injuries, and so to always keep you on your biking track.

Here are some of the ideas which can possibly lead to your understanding of what causes speed wobbles while increasing the velocity.

What Is Speed Wobbles?

Also known as death wobble and speed shimmy, speed wobbles is the moment when there is a quick oscillation of the bicycle handlebars while biking at higher speeds. Speed wobbling is not just applicable to bicycle riders; rather it occurs to any vehicle or transportation device that is single-steered liked motorcycles, bicycles, and scooters.

Via RoadBikeAction.com

When experiencing speed wobbles, some would think that maybe something went wrong with the gears; such that maybe the tire was flat, or that screws went a bit loosened. By overthinking, a biker would then tries to sneak on the gears and body of his bike, bending and slanting slightly, further causing out balance. This could lead to a more serious injury so knowing how speed wobbles occur would prevent you from thinking all these.

What Causes Speed Wobbles?

1. Poorly manufactured and designed frame

If you have a poorly manufacture and designed frame, you may experience improper weight distribution and so as you go faster and as you drive in a higher slope, there is a bigger chance for wobbling. To prevent it, make sure that you buy your vehicle in a trusted store, and secure the receipt and the warranty cards upon purchase.

There is a huge chance that speed wobbling has something to do with the stability and balance of your vehicle--a motorcycle, a bicycle, or a skateboard for example. If you just got your vehicle from a store, you can check the balance and the stability of all parts of your vehicle, to lessen the chance of experiencing speed wobbling.

Via Scott-Sports.com

2. Overspeeding and cornering

Speed wobbles often occur when a rider takes around 70 kilometer per hour speed, and then you suddenly lose the control over your vehicle as you run over a smooth surface. The faster you go, the higher the tendency to wobble, and then the higher chance for the driver to panic. The more the driver panics, the higher the chance to get a lot serious injuries.

Via BikeRadar.com

When you are on higher speed, the tire flexes in a lesser controllable manner, causing some acts of wobbling. The rider then gets a bit fright, checking all the things and gears of his vehicle, further causing imbalance.

3. Improper weight distribution

Having an improper and imbalance weight distribution with the vehicle, and then the vehicle to the ground, is the most common cause of speed wobbling. In addition to the improper and imbalance weight distribution, when the rider decided to reach higher speeds, the creation of oscillation occurs further making larger and more uncontrollable speed wobbles.

To give you more idea on what causes speed wobbles, you can check this short YouTube clip:

What to Do When Speed Wobbles Occur?

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