Kogswell 700C P/R -- Long Term Impressions

I've now ridden just over 200 miles in just under two months on my Kogswell 700C P/R bicycle, so I feel qualified to offer up some longer-term impressions of the bike.

First, because I don't think I've done so before, I'll offer up a detailed component list:

Frame: Kogswell P/R, 59x700C (S/N: CB70W0093)
Fork: Kogswell 700C, 1-1/8 steerer, 58mm offset (expected ~42mm trail)
Rims: Mavic MA-3 - 32 spokes front, 36 spokes rear
Hubs: Shimano XT
Spokes: Wheelsmith 14/15g
Tires: 700x35 Panaracer Pasela
Pedals: Shimano SPD PD-M515
Crank: Shimano Exage FC-M520B, 175mm/24-36-46
Chain: Sram PC971
Cassette: Shimano 9spd 11x32
BB: Shimano UN-52 113mm
Front Derailleur: Shimano DX
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore 9spd
Shifters: Shimano bar-end 9spd
Handlebars: Trek System 2 44cm
Stem: Kalloy threadless
Headset: Kogswell (included w/frameset)
Brakeset: Avid Shorty 4 w/Koolstop Thinline salmon pads
Brake Levers: Shimano 600
Saddle: Terry Fly
Seat post: Zoom 27.2mm
Accessories: Nashbar front rack (modified/customized) with Performance TransIt Pro DX Handlebar bag, Velo-Orange 49mm fluted alloy fenders, Velo-Orange alloy bell, Zefal HPX-4 pump, Performance Forte Terra Lite Stainless MTB Cage (2), SI 90 computer


I've previously written about my initial impressions of this bike (see also), and my longer-term experiences mostly reinforces those first thoughts...

I still really like the fat 700x35 Pasela tires! In fact, I think the bike's strongest suite is the fact that it'll fit these tires with fenders...not many bikes on the market today can duplicate that.

Overall, the low-trail thing has been something of a disappointment, in that there's just not that much explicit difference between this bike and other non-low-trail bikes I've known. Sure, there's a difference, but it's so subtle that if I'd not known what to look for beforehand, I wouldn't have picked up on it. The P/R might hold a straight line at lower speeds somewhat better than other bikes. I haven't noticed any advantage while riding through cross-winds. The bike is definitely confidence-inspiring while riding through fast, swoopy downhill curves -- but that may be due to the fat grippy tires as much as anything else (I need to mount those tires onto another bike and compare). Low trail geometry is supposed to be beneficial for frontal loading of a bike, but I've been frustrated on that with this bike (more on that later). Does it plane? It might -- I was riding up a favorite climb with a friend recently, and I was pedalling at a fairly easy effort since my companion had dropped back a bit. He later claimed that I was ascending the hill at a strong clip, which suprised me because I was in fact trying to go slow to wait for him to catch up!

The biggest problem I'm having with the bike currently is the fact that it tends to shimmy fairly violently during no-handed riding. When I first began riding the bike, I purposely loaded it up "wrong" because I wanted to begin the experience with a familiar set of parameters -- I mounted my usual small, lightly-loaded handlebar bag up front to hold food and extra clothing, and a midsized seat pack behind the saddle carrying heavier items like tools. When riding no-handed, the Kogswell shimmied a bit with this front load, but I attributed that to the fact that the handlebar bag (a Rivendell/Baggins Candy Bar bag) non-rigidly straps and ties onto the handlebars and as a result, tends to swing a bit relative to the handlebars (this bag actually causes a bit of shimmy on two of my other bicycles as well). One of the key characteristics of a classic low-trail randonneuring bicycle, which the Kogswell P/R attempts to emulate, is its ability to carry a front bag while maintaining excellent handling and stability. In fact, it's argued that the front bag helps to reduce a rider's overall brevet times because tasks like eating and adding/removing a jacket can be done on the moving bike, since the cargo compartment is easily accessible. Obviously, to do these things a rider must be able to comfortably ride his/her bike no-handed. As an aspiring randonneur, I added a front rack and bag to my bicycle, but I was dismayed to find that the shimmy problem only grew worse, in spite of the fact that the bag is rigidly attached to the rack and bike!

Kogswell has produced two versions of the P/R frameset. The first version used oversized (OS) frame tubing and was powdercoated a custard-yellow color. While these frames were generally excellently received, some argued that they were too heavy and the ride was too stiff. To that end, Kogswell modified the design for the second production run, and the result is the black frameset using standard diameter, thinner-walled tubing. From this posting to the Kogswell Owners List:

> Is there a summary anywhere of the differences between the first and
> second batches of P/R's?

The down tube changed from 31.8 x 0.6 x 0.9 to 28.6 x 0.6 x 0.9.
The top tube changed from 28.6 x 0.6 x 0.9 to 28.6 x 0.5 x 0.8.

There has been some discussion since then that the new design might've taken things a bit too far -- that low-trail geometry coupled with light-gauge tubing is a recipe for shimmy. At this point, I'm tending to agree with that statement.

My handlebar bag and its contents (map, pen, first aid kit, tool kit, spare inner tube, small digital camera, jacket, small padlock and thin cable, food) weigh 8-9lbs. Assuming a weight of one pound for the front rack gives us approximately a ten-pound front load -- not at all atypical cargo for a randonneuring bicycle. Yet the bicycle shimmies profusely when riding no-handed at speeds of 15-18 mph or more. The bike rides very nicely and handles quite well during normal riding, but I simply cannot ride this bike no-handed for any distance. (For the record, I am able to ride any of my other five bicycles for quite some distance without hands on bars. Also, for the record, I weigh around 145 lbs., so it's not like I'm overly stressing the frame itself.) A recent thread on the Kogswell list prompted me to conduct some experiments of my own...

First, I checked the tires' pressure and ensured that they were inflated to 60 psi (according to my pump's gauge, which admittedly probably isn't terribly accurate) and remounted the handlebar bag with the typical contents. I was able to duplicate the findings of my previous ride, namely that strong shimmy occurs when riding no-handed at around 15 mph. Next, I removed the front bag, and discovered that a slight shimmy occurs now at around 18-19 mph. Third, I reinstalled the bag, and increased the tires' pressure to 75 psi -- again a slight shimmy occurred around 18-19 mph. Fourth, I replaced the front wheel with a similar wheel shod with a 700x28mm Pasela tire inflated to 85 psi -- and the result was similar to #3 above. Fifth, I attempted to tighten the bearing adjustment on the headset, but that didn't seem to change anything.

Finally, I decided to try the same front load on another bicycle entirely. I mounted a spare front rack on my mid-trail (59mm) Nishiki Sport and attached my handlebar bag to the rack (see photo). I expected this bike to ride like crap with this front load, but in a short test ride I was surprised to discover that it wasn't actually all that bad. In fact, it wasn't significantly different than how the Kogswell felt with a front load! AND that bike didn't shimmy. At all! Ultimately, this makes me wonder if my entire low-trail experiment is a failure!?! There's one last thing to try...I have a second fork with more offset (67 mm), intended to produce around 32 mm of trail on this bike. I need to try that and see what the effects are.

Stay tuned....