Also, the two set-ups I used for comparison had different width handlebars, which I'm pretty sure influences handling, as well as different rise in the bars, which I'm not sure about. I suspect that even someone with as much experience as Grant doesn't have a complete handle on all the variables that can go into front-end handling.
Just for fun, I took an image of my bike with the longer stem and drew a straight vertical line thru the center of the stem and it passed just in front of the fork crown. I don't have a photo of my current set-up but it would definately pass thru the fork crown and possibly right thru the center of the head tube. Also, my current set-up is such that my handlebars obscure the front hub, while the longer stem did not result in that relationship. I thought my Karate Monkey (probably similar to the Fargo) was a nice riding bike until I started riding this Trek. I suspect the Trek shares a lot with a Riv in it's handling. It matches the common Riv description of effortless straight-line tracking and smooth, intuitive turning. I've compared geometries and my Trek is literally a 26" version of a 55cm Appaloosa with the appropriate changes made to BB drop and fork rake. I think in a year or so, I'll start watching for a used 55cm silver Appaloosa. On Sunday, June 4, 2017 at 10:29:20 AM UTC-5, Patrick Moore wrote: > > I should add that another rider took the Matthews for a quick spin, > someone with a huge experience of different bikes of all sorts, from track > bikes to 29ers, and he did not feel anything untoward about the Matthew's > handling on pavement; tire pressures deliberately low at about 21-24. But > the difference with my Rivs' handling is not in my head! Possibly the > problem, for me, is having such a high (Rivendell-standard handling) bar. > > On Sun, Jun 4, 2017 at 9:25 AM, Patrick Moore <[email protected] > <javascript:>> wrote: > >> To toss another ingredient into the mix of the handling question: I >> *think* I've experienced differences in handling, on the same bike >> (Matthews), resulting from differences in the way the bar is gripped. >> Unlike all the Rivs I've ridden, the Matthews, on pavement and with soft >> tires (22-23 lb or less in front, a bit higher in the rear), seems to turn >> in with less initial vagueness when I deliberately grip the bar lightly. If >> I grip it as I ordinarily do, again under said conditions, it seems to >> hesitate, then flop -- not as much as the Fargo did, but more than I like. >> When I hold the bar lightly, the turn-in seems much more natural. Again, >> softish front tire, pavement. On dirt none of this matters. >> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
