IMHO, the big downside of low-trail is how "light" the steering is or unbalanced the bike feels when riding sans front load.
On Sunday, December 9, 2012 1:21:13 PM UTC-6, dougP wrote: > > Charlie: > > Congrats on enjoying the handling of your new ride. You are correct that > we sometimes over-think our bikes. The ability of Rivendells to > accommodate a wide range of tire sizes, racks, luggage, baskets, ets., and > still handle well is quite amazing and a testament to Grant's experience > and design talent. It's often said that Rivs are "rear loaders" but there > are plenty of photos on the RBWHQ website of them with large front baskets > stuffed full of camping gear, out on trails. > > IMHO, discussions regarding trail, shimmy, loading, handling, etc., often > ignore the rider input factor. Our position on the bike, pedaling style, > tires & pressure, etc., must have a significant influence. Generally even > a lightweight rider outweighs the bike, even loaded for a camping tour. > > Trail is only one element of bike design, and thinking about it in > isolation is pointless. If one is considering a Rivendell and another bike > with a significantly different trail, it would be difficult to predict > handling variations. > > After years of time on my Atlantis and a lots of different loading > arrangements, I had a 40 mm trail fork made for it. That corrected the > irritating front end wander but it's a subtle change. One of my concerns > was whether there was a downside hiding in the low trail concept, and after > well over a year I can't find one. The fact that 25 mm can be added to the > wheelbase without screwing up something is a good testament to Rivendell's > design philosophy. > > dougP > > On Saturday, December 8, 2012 9:17:07 PM UTC-8, charlie wrote: >> >> Just rode my 'Sam' after obsessing over low trail forks for the last few >> months. With my new drop bars and hobo bag I never noticed 'wheel flop' or >> any tendency of the bike to wander as some might contend. Just a nice >> pleasant ride uphill and down and straight line performance was solid. My >> new Hillborne rides like a dream. If you are on the fence and are >> considering a low trail fork or frame over your Rivendell like I was >> starting to do......rest assured your Riv is a fine ride. I think we >> cyclists are often fickle when it comes to bikes and the latest new gadget >> or re-invented design. I guess I'm just saying (maybe for my own benefit) >> try other brands if like but know that a Grant designed Rivendell is a >> solidly designed frame. Go Grant ! > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/P3YfAXO1984J. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
