Unrideable steering driving me up the wall...

[xtaffa]

If you have the front dismantled, try removing the lower headset cup and re-installing it 90 degrees rotated. It might be slightly distorted in the front-rear axis, alternatively there may be slight dimples in the races (brinnelling) caused by wear. Anyway, it will reduce the headset's wish to return to a particular position which really makes handling feel terrible.

Cheers Hamster, will do.

Whilst bike was upside down triple-quadruple checking the run out on the wheels I went over the frame welds again - does the below look like a bona fide crack/sign of something lurking beneath that would move under load/battering (NDS chainstay weld, underside)? Paint job is original and in true 26yrs hard labour condition, but that's the only flaking/chippng on any weld that I can see .

 

[FluffyChicken]

Skip the pub before the last run back?

 

[mullinino]

It's psychosomatic, you'll get over it....seriously though, get taking some paint off - doesn't look too bad there but could be worse underneath.

 

[The History Man]

sounds like a headset issue. Too tight and you get that kind of weave effect. Maybe the rough trail section is causing something to shift/compress and then temporarily stick.

 

[al-onestare]

Cheers Hamster, will do.

Whilst bike was upside down triple-quadruple checking the run out on the wheels I went over the frame welds again - does the below look like a bona fide crack/sign of something lurking beneath that would move under load/battering (NDS chainstay weld, underside)? Paint job is original and in true 26yrs hard labour condition, but that's the only flaking/chippng on any weld that I can see .

View attachment 545362

That doesn't look good I'm afraid.

 

[xtaffa]

Cheers all, really appreciate the collective wisdom (including the more pull yourself together lad ones, which might be close to the mark given how I tend to get when a niggle develops on the bike...!) ; I'll investigate on the lines suggested above over weekend and let you know how I get on...

 

[Bcxbcx]

I had a look at your posts, and assuming you have the set up I think, I would say a 60mm stem with 560mm bars might make for some twitchy riding.
Try the bike with wider bars if you have some.

 

[xtaffa]

I had a look at your posts, and assuming you have the set up I think, I would say a 60mm stem with 560mm bars might make for some twitchy riding.
Try the bike with wider bars if you have some.

Cheers mate.

Yep, it's definitely got a 'tasty'/shopping trolley steering response that does let you know about every root and chipping you encounter and is probably exaggerating/amplifying the fault, but that's been the setup for two years now on the same wheel/tyre combos and routes - and this is definitely a new/different sensation - long/strong weave/warp to the handling rather than a twitch/kick or speed wobble.

 

[hamster]

Sorry, that looks like a frame crack. It's following the heat-affected zone around the weld.

 

[foz]

New creaks + that pic = frame is cracked