(sorry about the multipost, I forgot to include the experts in
recumbent design the first time : )
I have a bike with a 65 degree head angle and about 1.5
inches of fork rake. The trail is about 2.5 inches. It has
20" (406mm) wheels front and back. It has a lot of wheel
flop and cannot be ridden with no hands. I would like to
improve the steering stability. I'm not real clear on what
the effect of changing the geometry would be, but
qualitatively it seems to have less fork flop if I put the
rear wheel up on a block while the bike is stationary.
Would it help to run a larger tire or a larger wheel
in the rear,
e.g. a 451mm wheel? That's the largest I can use with
this frame.
Would it help to make the fork shorter without changing the
rake? The length of the RST suspension fork on this bike can
be adjusted by loostening the clamping bolts in the crown
and sliding the top of the fork legs an inch or two above
the top of the fork crown .
Both of these things would steepen the head angle and reduce
the trail, but I'm not sure if that is the problem. Thanks
for any advice.