• This topic has 24 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 13 years ago by GW.
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  • 720 bars and 50mm stem on Soul???
  • FFJA
    Free Member

    Changing from 90mm to 50…Anyone else have this set up? What’s the handling like??

    Fortunateson09
    Free Member

    You’ll really notice the step down from 90 to 50mm. A stem that short will be hilariously hair trigger, which is a good thing IMO. I’m toying with the idea of an even shorter stem for my Evil.

    FFJA
    Free Member

    Sounds like this could be entertainingly twitchy then hey…. 😯

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    Scamper
    Free Member

    Gone from 90 to 50 and from 640 to 680mm bar – i thought perhaps not a great combo. After one ride, all is good but will take a bit of time to adjust.

    oxnop
    Free Member

    I run a 60mm with 710mm bars. It’s ace.

    BTW – I’m 5 11″ and ride a medium.

    FFJA
    Free Member

    I’m 5’6″ and on a small if that makes a difference?

    Vortexracing
    Full Member

    Just put a 730 bar on mine but still left the 70mm Thomson on it.

    If I survive Gisburn (especially the tight tree bit)i’ll let you know how it goes.

    Considering a 60mm as a happy Medium, but there is a serious lack of decent 60mm stems around.

    stevede
    Free Member

    Sunline v1 bars and stem 745mm and 50mm respectively on my soul, i get a few funny looks but coming from a more dh background it seems to work for me. My set up is a tough trail bike build with pikes,slx double and bash,stinger,flat pedals,sturdy wheels 521’s/pro2’s,high vol tyres.
    Many will say i should’ve got a Bfe but i think the newer cen tested souls are plenty strong enough and the ride is great. I have a charge blender for proper abuse but the soul still gets plenty.

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    Depends on your fork length and thus head angle.

    GW
    Free Member

    Not really chief!

    IMO souls have better geometry with a shorter travel fork (100mm ish) and in the smallest size you can cope with and a 40-50mm stem.

    At 5’6″ I wouldn’t be running 720mm bars tho.

    trusslebabes
    Free Member

    I’ve just bought a 760 nukeproof bar and have been wondering if i can leave my longer stem on? I ride a large and have 120mm revs on the front, any advice on stem length?

    GW
    Free Member

    You want permission? 😕

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    But the handling still depends upon the head angle GW, otherwise you wouldn’t state that you prefer a shorter/steeper front end. I’m riding ~700mm bars and 60mm stem on a HT that’s about a degree steeper than the Soul with a 100mm fork and am planning on swapping everything straight onto a medium Soul in the near future. Anyway, I think short stems rock!

    GW
    Free Member

    I didn’t actually state anything of the sort! (FWIW my various mtbs’ H/As are 63deg, 64.5, 65, 69 and 71) but don’t get sucked into splaffing on about about head angles on every bike thread just because it’s become fashionable to. There’s far more to frame Geometry than Head angles! the front centre of Cotics are slightly longer than a lot of other hardtails for the same size, I recommended going smaller rather than bigger so they’ll handle better when standing (only time it really matters IMO).
    What hardtail do you have now?

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    Yes, I see your point but with fixed rake the head angle is what affects trail and that’s one of the dominant handling characteristics of a bike. Increasing the axle-crown height also affects wheelbase (~13mm extra for every 20mm) and thus the relative position of the bottom bracket, which affects weigh distribution if you’re riding with heavy feet and light hands. I’m currently (not) riding (broken ankle) a Boardman HT 18″ which has pretty similar geometry to the 17.5″ Soul – chainstays 1/4″ longer, seattube 1/2″ longer, HA 1 deg steeper at equal fork length, top tube length all but identical.

    GW
    Free Member

    Increasing the axle-crown height also affects wheelbase (~13mm extra for every 20mm)

    for someone who proclaims to understand head angles/trail/rake etc. HowTF you manage to come up with that complete load of Bollox? 😕

    for 20mm extra A-C height to enable a 13mm longer wheelbase the head angle would need to be in the region of 50deg.
    For a typical hardtail (with let’s say..) a 69deg HA, increasing fork length by 20mm is likely to add only around 7mm to the wheelbase.

    which affects weigh distribution if you’re riding with heavy feet and light hands.

    Again, WTF? 😕

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    for someone who proclaims to understand head angles/trail/rake etc. HowTF you manage to come up with that complete load of Bollox?
    for 20mm extra A-C height to enable a 13mm longer wheelbase the head angle would need to be in the region of 50deg.
    For a typical hardtail (with let’s say..) a 69deg HA, increasing fork length by 20mm is likely to add only around 7mm to the wheelbase.

    You’ve only done half the calculation. (axle-crown length)xcos(HA). Increase AC length and HA decreases, which adds the missing ~6mm to your miscalculation.

    Regarding your WTF: Lee McCormack’s words, not mine

    GW
    Free Member

    Sorry, I seem to have completely misunderstood what you meant. 😳 my calculations were indeed for HA remaining the same(ie. 2 different frames).

    TwentyOneThirtyFive
    Free Member

    A similar height on a small Soul with 50mm stem and 685 bars (EA70 low rise) and haven’t died yet 🙂

    dan
    ps. 100mm fork travel as well.

    FFJA
    Free Member

    Well i understood very very little of all that! ^^^ 130mm forks if that matters…???
    Best just go and ride it in morning and see how i get on! 🙂

    Vortexracing
    Full Member

    At 5’6″ I wouldn’t be running 720mm bars tho.

    why is that GW?

    do you think they are too wide?

    ashfanman
    Free Member

    why is that GW?

    do you think they are too wide?

    I guess the suggestion is that, assuming everything is in proportion, the shorter you are the narrower your shoulders and shorter your arms, meaning that you’d be relatively more stretched out on wider bars.

    Vortexracing
    Full Member

    so me at 5ft 4″ trying 730 bars is probably wrong?

    In truth having tried some 711’s and found them perfectly OK and yesterday using the 730’s for the first time he may be right.

    They did feel a bit too wide, but that was really the first time I had used them. I’ll try them a bit more before I go cutting them down.

    chiefgrooveguru
    Full Member

    Apology accepted GW! It’s hard to read between the lines of all the marketing bs but I thought I was on the right track… Regarding the handlebar width, one trick is to measure the distance between the outside edges of your hands when you’re doing push-ups with your hands at whatever width makes the push-ups easiest. That’s your optimum bar width.

    GW
    Free Member

    Vortexracing – Member

    why is that GW?

    do you think they are too wide?

    for most 5’6″ and under riders yes!

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