[Update: @edhaponik came through with the solution below]
I’m having some trouble with flyaway dismounts on my 2019 Spectra EhKnown (and really any tricks that require any amount of sleep time).
After landing a trapeze, it consistently responds & returns too early with any motion from my throw hand or with bringing the hands closer together. So, before I can rotate the trapeze to flyaway dismount, it’s already returning. Overall, it feels much more responsive than it has been in the past.
Here are some things I’ve already tried:
Replace and break-in a new string (Zipline Kot-n)
Adjust the gap to different widths
Check for rough spots that might snag around the response area (none that I can see)
Harder and softer throws
Focusing on staying on plane and avoiding extra string contact with inner walls
try the same tricks on other wooden fixies, including other TMBRs with same wood thread axle
I love this yoyo, but I just can’t figure out what’s making it so uber-responsive lately. In my opinion, this kind of trouble-shooting is part of the fun of wooden fixies, and I wonder if anyone has other trouble shooting ideas.
Is it the same on both sides of the string? Which is to ask: does it happen in the same way on consecutive throws?
What if anything has changed about your setup?
Have you tried swapping out one wood-thread axle for another?
This is the kind of thing I often get when breaking in a new axle or when I change the gap in some way. When I break in an axle, I run a length of old cotton string through the gap, circling the axle once and then pulling it through a bunch of times (lightly enough so it won’t scorch with the friction, but with enough force to knock off any stray burs etc). String always has a “sweet” side and a “sour” side so that may be playing a role.
I agree that tweaking and experimenting with this kind of thing is part of the package regarding fixed axle (if not “part of the fun” lol). Improving at figuring out what’s going on is definitely a skill-set parallel and complementary to the actual throwing.
I am working on a similar aspect to this as well (i.e., moves out of the trapeze on a fixie). I find a harder spinner on the breakaway helps, and being smoother on the flip out makes it less likely to catch.
I noticed it start a few weeks ago after I unscrewed/rescrewed the yoyo to fine tune some vibe.
It does seem to be the same on both sides of the string (on consecutive throws).
I didn’t think about the axle itself having a bur or debris. (Don’t know how that didn’t occur to me!) I’ll try that method of pulling a string through it. I also might have an extra TMBR axle lying around that I could try.
LMK if it works. If you do the pull-through thing, start light and easy. Doesn’t take much to scorch a stripe into your axle. And do it in both directions, both at the center of the axle and along the edges/walls. I usually take about 2m to do this whenever I change out an axle.
That worked! The “string pull-through” trick seems to have smoothed something out, and it spins like a happy little yoyo now! Flyaways are super easy now
if in doubt, smooth it out.