Geo is such an interesting subject. I agree completely on your first point and can remember thinking that Greg and Marshy were really just expressing what their experience was of what works for them and not some sort of objective law. In the simplest terms, the further forward your bar is relative to the front wheel, the larger proportion of rider mass is on the front wheel (and the more likely it is the centre of mass will move past the front wheel during deceleration). Of course then there's the affect on trail and the amount of sideways migration of the front contact patch as the wheel/forks/bars are turned, which I've never heard mentioned. And trail is not at all well understood.
Your fourth point is a good one too, and it highlights the lack of thinking in design by those designing and consuming. Of course there are exceptions to that though, so I don't want to be too harsh, haha. Taller folks complaining about virtual and actual STAs are very likely experiencing difficulties related to front centre:rear centre in addition to what they commonly state in terms of the inaccuracy of STA determination at HT height. As I was gasbagging about recently, I bet design will amble away evolving based on whatever facet of geo captures the attention of the masses over time.
Nov. 19, 2018, 11:16 p.m. - natbrown
Geo is such an interesting subject. I agree completely on your first point and can remember thinking that Greg and Marshy were really just expressing what their experience was of what works for them and not some sort of objective law. In the simplest terms, the further forward your bar is relative to the front wheel, the larger proportion of rider mass is on the front wheel (and the more likely it is the centre of mass will move past the front wheel during deceleration). Of course then there's the affect on trail and the amount of sideways migration of the front contact patch as the wheel/forks/bars are turned, which I've never heard mentioned. And trail is not at all well understood. Your fourth point is a good one too, and it highlights the lack of thinking in design by those designing and consuming. Of course there are exceptions to that though, so I don't want to be too harsh, haha. Taller folks complaining about virtual and actual STAs are very likely experiencing difficulties related to front centre:rear centre in addition to what they commonly state in terms of the inaccuracy of STA determination at HT height. As I was gasbagging about recently, I bet design will amble away evolving based on whatever facet of geo captures the attention of the masses over time.