cpuaid
Member
I have a mid 90's Univega Cro-Mo MTB frame with ultra light components and quick release axles fitted with a brand new Staton friction mount kit with 1.50" drive roller and my old Mitsubishi TLE43. Recently mounted with new Kevlar 26 x 1.75 tires with comfort treads on Araya rims. Most of the components have been replaced with light weight material and with the engine mounted it's around 55 lbs. I also use it as a regular peddle bike thus the reason why I wanted light weight components. It's one of the lightest and fastest motorized bikes around. I've lost some weight and currently weigh about 140 lbs. thus my top speed can easily exceed 40+ MPH. My question is high speed stability. I keep my spokes tight and wheels true but with constant downward pressure I can feel the bike's rear end feel like it wants to drift or wander around 40 MPH. At my age it's a little bit disconcerting when you know what can happen if the bike shakes apart at that rate of speed. The bike is capable of going faster but I don't want to push my luck or the bike's capabilities. The wheels don't really shake or vibrate very much. I'm thinking the wheel is slightly out of round as the rims have taken quite a beating through the years. Maybe it's a combination of my light weight, the downward force of the drive roller, and out of round wheels. It may even be the new Kevlar tires causing the problems. I'm thinking about buying a newer and beefier wheel set just in case but really hate to give up on my lightweight Araya's. Old tires were non-Kevlar Kenda's street slicks. Current tires are Kevlar Innova's comfort treads. Any thoughts or ideas to make this beast more stable at high speeds?
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