Forum menu
Long And Low - Mean...
 

[Closed] Long And Low - Meaning?

Posts: 0
Free Member
Topic starter
 
[#5449607]

I see this being tossed around in a lot of bike articles. Do they mean:

- Long effective top tube, low standover?
- Long wheelbase, low BB height?
- A different combination of the above?
- Something completely different?


 
Posted : 23/08/2013 9:25 am
Posts: 40432
Free Member
 

Long wheelbase, low BB height?

I take it to mean this.


 
Posted : 23/08/2013 9:32 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Long wheelbase will usually imply a long top tube too as very few designers deliberately go for long chainstays, so both of the options for long but primarily the low BB for the low part.


 
Posted : 23/08/2013 9:35 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I think it means long wheel base for stability, low headtube for keeping COG down.

But I could be wrong.
I derive this from:
With slack head tubes you get longer wheelbases, whilst keeping top tube short/reasonable.
Everyone is going for low stack height as they have shorter stems and wider bars. This allows you to move weight fore and aft in a short cockpit very quickly, ie without big body movements.
If you imagine a looong cockpit, then you are stretched out like the mtb's of the 80's and 90's and to get weight transfer fore and aft takes a fair bit of body movement.

(This of course could all be bollocks, but it's just what I think)


 
Posted : 23/08/2013 9:40 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
Topic starter
 

How long is considered long then?


 
Posted : 23/08/2013 9:56 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

I always think of it a long and low top tube with a low BB.


 
Posted : 23/08/2013 10:01 am
Posts: 35032
Full Member
 

As a "for instance" example my old Cham and my new Privee Shan have more or less the same TT ( effective) length, and chain stay length, however the Shan has a lower BB ( by about an inch) and a shorter and slacker HT ( from 68' to 66' ) means the Shan is about an inch longer in the front centre but with a wheel base that's only 1/2 inch longer over all, so much more stable when descending but still not ungainly in the tight stuff


 
Posted : 23/08/2013 10:03 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

With slack head tubes you get longer wheelbases, whilst keeping top tube short/reasonable.
Everyone is going for low stack height as they have shorter stems and wider bars. This allows you to move weight fore and aft in a short cockpit very quickly, ie without big body movements.
If you imagine a looong cockpit, then you are stretched out like the mtb's of the 80's and 90's and to get weight transfer fore and aft takes a fair bit of body movement.

Short top tubes are great if you have a short torso but some of us a need long top tubes so we don't end up with a 120mm stem.


 
Posted : 23/08/2013 10:04 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

iache, are you casting aspersions on my midget genes? ๐Ÿ˜†


 
Posted : 23/08/2013 10:07 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Ha, I actually deleted some piss taking about short arses as I didn't want to seem aggressive. ๐Ÿ™‚


 
Posted : 23/08/2013 10:11 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
Topic starter
 

@nickc any pictures of your Privee Shan mate?


 
Posted : 23/08/2013 10:45 am
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Long wheel base, low bottom bracket.
in fact longer cockpit bikes are considered to give a better weight balance on to the tyre contact patches without having to move around the bike too much, rather than dramatic weight shifts a sorter cockpit requires, upsetting rear end grip or front end turn in grip, contrary to popular belief.
Rachel Atherton rides a GT DH bike that is longer than Quinn's specialized DH bike.


 
Posted : 23/08/2013 11:39 am
Posts: 35032
Full Member
 

Curious, there are a few on here of it recently built up, would add them to this thread, but can't get access to flicker (blocked)


 
Posted : 23/08/2013 11:43 am