I ride exclusively hardtails, and I ride in New England, where it's short steep climbs and short steep descents. I also often ride on the road to get to the trailhead.
I'd been riding my previous bike for a couple of years when I finally put a dropper on it, and with the zero offset head it had, my knees started to hurt- something I'd never had happen before. Tried running flats to get my feet forward- no help. Slammed the saddle back on the rails and that got me some relief.
Cut to: having a new custom steel hardtail built, and we come to the issue of STA. I realize the trend is toward steep (say, 75+), but I buck that trend and have it built with 71.5. I've never regretted that decision- I can pedal for long periods without any knee pain, I don't feel like I'm cramped over the top of the bike, and my riding has improved.
I've no doubt the extra steep STA's on long-ish travel bikes help a lot for climbing seated- but geo needs to be specific at least to the type of bike, and I'm afraid "mountain bike" isn't specific enough.
Oct. 7, 2022, 4:52 a.m. - nothingfuture
I ride exclusively hardtails, and I ride in New England, where it's short steep climbs and short steep descents. I also often ride on the road to get to the trailhead. I'd been riding my previous bike for a couple of years when I finally put a dropper on it, and with the zero offset head it had, my knees started to hurt- something I'd never had happen before. Tried running flats to get my feet forward- no help. Slammed the saddle back on the rails and that got me some relief. Cut to: having a new custom steel hardtail built, and we come to the issue of STA. I realize the trend is toward steep (say, 75+), but I buck that trend and have it built with 71.5. I've never regretted that decision- I can pedal for long periods without any knee pain, I don't feel like I'm cramped over the top of the bike, and my riding has improved. I've no doubt the extra steep STA's on long-ish travel bikes help a lot for climbing seated- but geo needs to be specific at least to the type of bike, and I'm afraid "mountain bike" isn't specific enough.