GeoffApps wrote:I'm impressed reohn2; few people bother to read all the posts. Many cyclists don't want to disturb their long-held beliefs about bicycle design.
Thanks Geoff,I thought your blog deserved it.
I was right.
At 10", your BB is much lower than normal; you'd be getting a lot of pedal-strikes, throwing you off-balance. It is much better for efficient (less tiring) riding with more fluid negotiation of hazards if you resist that temptation to take a dab. If you can, you'll discover that usually a dab is not really necessary - a high BB helps you resist that dab temptation
.
Actually I've just realised it's a typo on my previous post,my BB height is 12" not 10" as I posted so a bit nearer yours.Though I do ride 175mm cranks which of course is counter to your 165's,though you have the eccentric pedal system,which is something that appeals.Are they available commercially?.
Pedal strikes aren't a problem for me generally,though I'm a bit of a careful rider,Itd be fair to say a bit of a wuss really.
I'm a rather arthritic old phart who likes playing off road,though find these days I'm not quite as confident as I once was,and as I ride mostly alone the fear of falling does concern me more than it once did,so I tend err toward caution these days.
Not too technical, not too simplistic, not too long-winded; that's my motto when I'm drafting the posts. Inevitably, though, the final text cannot explain everything, so I welcome comments that open-up the debate for the benefit of other readers, those that can be bothered.
TBH I find your approach a breath of fresh air in an at times,MTB world of adrenalin fuelled aggressive type riding,when it doesn't have to be that way at all.In fact due the Arthritis I find my hill walking days are over,but the bike gives me access to places I once walked,a sort of walking on wheels and which is very satisfying.
You seem concerned about your front wheel lifting when climbing, and that a shorter wheelbase and front-to-centre will exacerbate that problem. Contrary to intuition, it won't. Is it a problem? Think about those remarkable people who can pull a wheelie and continue riding, or unicyclists. One deliberate feature of the Landseer is a very light front end, for a very good reason - as with every other aspect of the design.
It's funny you should mention that,only yesterday as a direct result of reading your blog, I fitted a short,80mm stem,a reduction of 30mm
,as a bit of an experiment.
I found better low speed handling as a reduction of the 'tiller' effect and the light front end wasn't anywhere near as bad as I feared.I also found better control descending some quickish technical sections finding it easier to slid off the back of the saddle.
If yesterday was anything to go off,I may even reduce the reach further yet.
Actually, I feel like I'm setting the cart upright again and putting all the apples back where they should be, one by one.
You could very well be!