Front weight distribution

Sprinting from the saddle eg for a gap on a roundabout etc gets my bike pretty light and nervous up front. I'm not exactly a powerhouse (6foot and 78kg). A couple of times the front has got light enough to be pretty twitchy on rougher surfaces and I had a bit of moment the other day when this happened as I was slightly banked. Wheel sort of came off tarmac, jumped accross and then gave a big twitch - yikes.

Bike is steel roadbike with an alloy fork. weighs 20lb, 110 stem, seat middle of the rails, normal race geo, matched wheels. Seems to fit me pretty well with front axle in the correct place when on the hoods.

Is this normal behaviour, a function of the lighter front (alloy fork) or what?

are you pulling with your arms to get more into the pedals?

Sounds normal. Dont pull the bars up if you're cornering.

I can't picture how that is happening.

When you get out of the saddle, you don't go up so much as forward, putting more weight on the front. Don't you?

^ I guess he's yanking the bars up harder than his legs are pushing the bike down - so I guess the effect is like doing a little wheelie.

sounds like flex to me

^ I read that differently.

i dont understand the bit about front axel in the correct position when on the hoods? can someone explain this to me? please. ta.

just try to keep your weight over the wheel that needs grip. Move forward over the bars when you stand on the pedals.

If you have a very short stem consider using a longer one - I find that short stems compromise bike handling especially when out of the saddle.

Thanks - now you've said that I think that's probably what I do. No problems when I'm out the saddle it just happens when I'm seated and go for it.

i dont understand the bit about front axel in the correct position when on the hoods? can someone explain this to me? please. ta.

Folklore would have it that your bike setup/fit is correct if when on the hoods or drops the front axle is in line with the tops of the bars and so obscured by bars.

I quite like that as a guide. Its a blunt tool. But at least you know you're probably not a mile off.