Steering oddity

[swearydad]

I own a mountain bike and have now bought a race bike for road use. I have always thought the mountain bike felt easier when turning left, not so easy when turning right, and when going in a straight line if I hold the front wheel as straight as possible and I keep still by just rolling then the bike tends to drift left. Now the new bike seems to do the same but favours the right. I don't know if this has anything to do with rear wheel alignment but on both bikes the wheels look to be well positioned in the frame and do not look out of line at all. Has anybody else experienced this and if so what did you do to rectify it? And I'm not really sweary at all, it's just a name I gave to some bloke I used to see at local football with his kids who used all sorts of language regardless. In fact he's got his own smiley:
Thanks for reading.

 

[Landslide]

Hi swearydad, welcome to the forum!

Sounds like the frame and/or fork might be out of alignment, in which case I'd recommend a visit to your local framebuilder. They'll advise on what (if anything) is wrong, and how what needs doing to put it right. Many framebuilders don't charge for the initial consultation, just any subsequent work.
There's a list of framebuilders here, find one near you and have a chat with them.

 

[Tynan]

both bikes do it and one of them new?

your brain's got something wrong with it

 

[joebe]

Check the cabling bending around the headset isn't fouling movement

 

[spandex]

Hi mate

If it is new bike take it back to the shop and they will fix it for you. but if its not drop out the front wheel and put it back in as it sound like its not in right!. If that dose not fix it you can have a look at the cables (as joebe said) then if you wish to see if the frame is bent get some thin string and tie it to the rear QR/bolt run it upto the head set and then back down to the over side of the R wheel. Now see if the gap between the frame and string is the same on both sides If not? it is your frame.

 

[Tynan]

yeah but two bikes he rides 'drift'

 

[Joe24]

What i thought when i read the post was that either his bars arent on straight, his saddle is on straight, he isnt sitting on the saddle straight, or one arm is shorter then the other.
All in the mind i think, 2 bikes that drift makes it not sound like a bent frame, that really will be strange.

 

[Mortiroloboy]

Perhaps Swearydad only rides his bike(s) to and from the pub *hic*