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Ive ridden the camber 29er. It was deffinitley a neutral feeling bike. Nothing bad about it but also nothing too special either. It just got on and did things.
This move to slacker head angle on 29ers is interesting. Didn't they start out using the same head angles as 26" bikes, but everybody complained that they steered like a barge? So the head angle was increased to tighten up the steering. What has changed (or have I just got my history wrong)?
Cheers,
Andy
roverpig - that's how I saw it too.
This move to slacker head angle on 29ers is interesting. Didn't they start out using the same head angles as 26" bikes, but everybody complained that they steered like a barge? So the head angle was increased to tighten up the steering. What has changed (or have I just got my history wrong)?Cheers,
Andy
roughly:
the first 29er forks had the same offset as 26er forks, but bigger wheels means more 'fork-trail' - which felt terrible/slow/heavy/wrong for an xc bike, so head angles were steepened to reduce the fork-trail.
unfortunately, steeper head angles also meant a change in weight distribution, especially with longer chainstays that 29ers often have.
new 29er forks have more offset, which reduces fork trail, so head angles can be slackened a bit, restoring a 'normal' front-back weight distribution.
all of which means, that lanky gits like me can buy a bike that fits us, looks good, and handles nicely.
29ers are ace!
But aren't fork offset and head angle just two different ways to achieve the same thing (i.e. the trail)? It's been a while since I looked at bike design, but I thought that what matters is the horizontal distance between the contact patch of the tyre on the ground and the point where a line drawn through the centre of the steerer hits the ground (which I think is the trail). So, you can change this by changing the offset of the fork or the head angle, but it amounts to the same thing. In which case, are these newer slacker bikes just the same as the older ones (with the change in head angle just compensating for the change in offset)?
Cheers,
Andy
my head hurts.
But aren't fork offset and head angle just two different ways to achieve the same thing (i.e. the trail)?
yes.
I thought that what matters is the horizontal distance between the contact patch of the tyre on the ground and the point where a line drawn through the centre of the steerer hits the ground
yes.
you can change this by changing the offset of the fork or the head angle, but it amounts to the same thing
yes.
are these newer slacker bikes just the same as the older ones (with the change in head angle just compensating for the change in offset)?
in terms of 'trail' yes, but a slacker head angle also moves the front wheel forwards, changing the weight distribution.
some 'early' 29ers had quite steep head angles, and long chainstays, producing v strange handling.
not 'bad' necessarily, but definitely a bit 'different'...
i think that's enough inverted commas for now.
No idea, but the one I tried a couple of weeks back or so (Kona) felt superb to ride - nice and agile. As soon as funds get freed up, probably next week, I am planning to get in and order a 2013 version of the same (but a size up on the one I tested).