Wheel Flop?

[Bethany1]

Could someone explain this better?

After going through my Madone 4.7 geometry and my Sirrus geometry and a few google searches I realized why I can't get on/off my Madone without crashing! If I understand what I read, I think it's in relation to head tube angle/rake/trail angles and numbers.

If I lay my Madone bike at an angle to get on/off, the wheel "flops" over given the numbers on Trek's site and I end up eating pavement or the bike falling into me. Add in that the bike's top tube is straight and I really struggle between "flop" and getting over that bar. It makes for a faster bike but less stable if I got the angle relationships right and understood what I was reading.

My Sirrus has the same measurement for the top tube but has different angles making more stable but not as fast. It's amazing what a couple of degrees make on a bike.

I feel SO much better after discovering this. It's not me being clumsy or inept at riding my Madone. It's how the bike was designed to react and when I overcompensate, the bike does this to me.

Now to figure out how to get on/off without making the front wheel "flop". I love this bike as she flies so fast and races down hills with ease. It's getting on/off that makes me scared to use her.

[KnottedYet]

Try turning the wheel (bars) the other way when you get off.

Long trail (like a cargo or touring bike) creates a self-correcting reaction in the bike where the wheel steers itself into the direction in which it is trying to fall and lifts it back up.

If your bike's short trail is steering itself into a collapse, try turning the wheel and bars the other way.

Motorcyclists do something like this on turns when they counter-steer.

How far are you "laying" the bike to get on and off? You are off the saddle with your weight on the bike pedal and the bike is actually upright before you even get close to stopping, right?

[OakLeaf]

All inline two-wheeled vehicles counter-steer. It's just easier and less dangerous for bicyclists to fight it, than it is for motorcyclists. That has more to do with lower speed than anything else.

If you're interested in the physics, Wikipedia has a decent explanation.

Getting off a bicycle is one of the easier places to observe it, actually. When you're getting ready to stop, turn your bars away from the foot you intend to put down. Your bike will automatically lean toward that side.

[Velocivixen]

I'm confused a bit, so please bear with me. Why do you have to lay your bike down to get on it? Don't you just hike your leg up and over the seat? Do you mean that you angle the bike down a bit toward you prior to hiking your leg over, then the bike somehow falls onto you? I guess I've never experienced this or I'm just not understanding it.
Thanks.

[Velocivixen]

Okay, I googled it. Don't need an explanation. Sorry.

[Bethany1]

I really don't have the flexibility to get over the saddle and I'm tall with a 33-34 inch inseam so the saddle sits fairly high. It doesn't help than when I get on and lift up into the saddle, my cycling shorts get tangled up in the nose having to balance everything while I get untangled.

When I got my fit he put my saddle up pretty high. It works perfectly while riding as my knees don't hurt and I get a lot of power out of it. If I lower it, my legs start aching again and I still get caught up.

I have men's Pearl Izum's x-large shorts. Nothing else seemed to fit right and the women's clothing I tried on were way too small.