Johnny wrote: *do the long stays give more traction and stability and a more laid back position so it's not necessary to hang off the back of the saddle so much? *
Short answer: In my experience and opinion, the longer stays contribute to a more stable descent. I am not an expert gonzo descender, but I ride most of my bicycles up the Mount Beacon service road. It is steep in places and very steep in other places, with rutty, rocky, loose dirt conditions most of the year. You will quickly build up a serious amount of speed without judicious scrubbing with the brakes. While I don't have a dropper post on any of my bikes, or suspension for that matter, a number of bikes I've gone down on have the seat post quick release capability, and when I remember, I put the seatpost down, which puts you in a better control position and makes a different. With my Clem Ls and my Susie, I don't have the quick release. Yet the downhills feel more manageable and my body does not feel super pitched forward as on a NORBA geo or even a traditional 80s mtb, with lower bars. As you surmise, the more laid back position on the bike helps. You also feel the bumps and moguls a bit less with the longer end--you're not sitting right at the back of the bus. This is on a road with only a couple of sharp turns and lots of straightaway. And it may be that adding a dropper would make a Hillibike even more pleasant on a descent. But unless you are doing lots of steep, long, or tricky downhills on sketchy stuff, I'm not sure it would be needed. On Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 4:39:34 AM UTC-5 john...@gmail.com wrote: > > Hey all, > > Not sure if this is on topic, but I wonder if the long chainstays on the > hillibikes makes dropper posts a bit redundant for this kind of bike? > I.e. do the long stays give more traction and stability and a more laid > back position so it's not necessary to hang off the back of the saddle so > much? > Or are the long stays more an advantage for climbing (as mentioned in some > posts above). > I have a dropper post on one of my bikes and I do like it, but having one > less mechanical thing to service/go wrong would be nice. > > Cheers, > Johnny > On Thursday, 4 February 2021 at 07:05:12 UTC+1 Matthew P wrote: > >> Andrew, >> You mentioned you ditched the pec deck. Care to give your opinion on it? >> I'm planning on making & using one or two. >> Thanks. >> -Matthew >> on the fence about starting a (new) pec deck post/thread >> >> On Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 12:07:53 PM UTC-8 Bill Lindsay wrote: >> >>> Grant is a notably competitive steep-climber. His "philosophy" of short >>> periods of extreme exertion coupled with his tendency towards slow riding >>> makes ultra-steep-climbs his perfect activity. Many of us RBWHQ visitors >>> know that if Grant doesn't have his hands full, he may just decide "Bill, >>> grab a bike, let's go" and take you on a climb that will make your lungs >>> jump out of your chest. Hillibikes climb exceptionally well. IF you put >>> bosco bars on a mainstream mountain bike with really short chainstays, THEN >>> you would have too-little weight on the front wheel and 'wheelie' on steep >>> climbs. Loooong chainstays keep your front wheel planted. Also, climbing >>> a Grant-selected steep pitch will encourage you to grab your Boscos down as >>> low as you can to get more leverage over the pedals. >>> >>> Hillibikes aren't for life risking decents and getting sick air, but >>> they are really good for aggressively conquering steep climbs. >>> >>> Bill Lindsay >>> El Cerrito, CA >>> >>> On Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at 11:11:02 AM UTC-8 Christopher Cote >>> wrote: >>> >>>> I think part of it is your physical proportions and fit. I tend toward >>>> a shorter torso and longer legs, so I'm naturally going to have less >>>> weight >>>> on the front wheel, especially with a long front-center. >>>> >>>> I didn't mean to go so far as to say that the Susie (sorry for the >>>> misspelling earlier) was designed to make you get off and walk, but with >>>> Grant's philosophy, I just think it's unlikely he's designed the bike to >>>> "conquer the terrain". >>>> >>>> Chris >>>> >>>> >>>> On Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 6:06:18 PM UTC-5 Mark Roland wrote: >>>> >>>>> I guess I am either blessed or cursed with less sensitivity in these >>>>> matters. I tend to ride the same roads and trails 80 percent (or more) >>>>> of >>>>> the time, and over the years I've ridden them with lots of different >>>>> bikes >>>>> with lots of different geometries and setups. I'm not sure exactly what >>>>> handling characteristic is under discussion, but on my normal single >>>>> track >>>>> trails, I don't notice a lack of bite from the front tire of the Susie. >>>>> The >>>>> Klunker bar does not overly entice one into aggressive riding, but I'll >>>>> dive into a dirt turn at speed now and then, no problem. When going up a >>>>> challenging hill, yup, the bike will wander a bit. In my experience, >>>>> whatever the bike, unless you are practically hammering out of the >>>>> saddle, >>>>> you are going to experience some of that at 3-4mph on a sick dirt and >>>>> rock >>>>> grade. >>>>> >>>>> The Susie per se is not designed to make you walk. If I were going to >>>>> be going out into the landscape aggressively, I could easily choose bars >>>>> that would get me level with the saddle on my Large. If I wanted more >>>>> aggression, I could put them on my Medium Clem L. I'm not sure it is >>>>> terribly helpful to compare the Hillibike geometries to current offerings >>>>> from the big boys.They share much more of a bloodline with my 1984 Trek >>>>> 830, able to traverse hill and dale, rock and road, with equal aplomb, >>>>> but >>>>> with the ability to also get more comfortable via high head tube and >>>>> longer >>>>> chainstays and small refinements in the geometry. And bigger wheels. >>>>> >>>>> On Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 2:35:50 PM UTC-5 iamkeith wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> On Tuesday, February 2, 2021 at 12:28:41 PM UTC-7 Christopher Cote >>>>>> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> I haven't ridden a Gus or Suzie, but I have had a similar experience >>>>>>> on more conventional MTBs. If I set the bars up high and back for >>>>>>> ultimate >>>>>>> comfort, there's not enough weight on the front tire to "bite" into the >>>>>>> terrain, and handling suffers, IMO. If you're just tootling along, the >>>>>>> sit >>>>>>> up and beg position is fine, but if you're interested in riding >>>>>>> technical >>>>>>> trails or in an aggressive manner, you need a more aggressive position. >>>>>>> Given Grant's philosophy that riders should get off and walk more, I >>>>>>> think >>>>>>> that is reflected in the Gus/Suzie design. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Chris >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> ^^ Right! However, on a normal mountain bike that's set up this way, >>>>>> you end up doing wheelies while climbing, because the rear wheel is >>>>>> tucked >>>>>> under your butt. On Grant's long-chainstay bikes, you still have a >>>>>> chance >>>>>> of riding it out. >>>>>> >>>>> -- 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 rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. 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