WOW! what a difference!

Born2bahick

I recently switched from a riser stem and riser bars, to a flat bar and short flat stem. The bike "seems" to turn twice as sharp and is much more responsive in tight winding trails. I can't believe the difference and also can't explain it. Can someone tell me what geometrical properties cause the bike to feel so much different?

markhr

more weight over the front tyre

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shameless POWERCRANK plug
Don't run red lights, wear a helmet, use hand signals, get some cycle lights(front and rear) and, FFS, don't run red lights!

cydewaze

Just wait til your first good downhill, when that weight redistribution causes your front tire to dig into a rut and you get a nice trip over the handlebars.

Just reminding you that every action has an equal reaction - or something like that.

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Born2bahick

Well, That's happened before, I won't blame it on the bike though! I kept the riser bars and stem on my XC bike for comforts sake, but I like this setup for my trail bike alot better! I stiil can't get over what a difference a couple inches of hand position can do!

cydewaze

I agree. On my old AlpineStars, I used to ride a lot at a local ski resort. They had this deal where for $20 you could get a "lift ticket" where they'd put your bike on the chairlift with you and take you to the top. You'd basically spend the whole day snaking your way down the mountain on these twisty trails that were carved on the mountain over where there weren't any ski runs.

As you'd imagine, you'd be be riding pretty much downhill all day, not steep though, because the trails went across the mountain, back and forth, in really long switchbacks. Anyway, I used to wreck constantly, because I'd hit one of the switchback curves and they'd be a bit steeper and I'd end up over the bars. Finally, I swapped my way-long 140cm -10 stem for a 100cm -8 stem. That made a HUGE difference! I was more comfortable, and my balance on the bike was a lot better.

So I know exactly what you're talking about.

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gclark8

One of the experiments I tried was to put the bike on the wind/mag trainer and the front wheel on the bathroom scales. Try that one with seat position and stem length and bar height, wow!!

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George.