Hey Mr Lynx, I'm just reacting to what you wrote. You're right that this is NSMB, and hey, guess what? that's the filter we use when writing about bikes, but you're wrong that 0.05% of world terrain is steep. Yes, the shore is unique, but there is really steep and technical terrain in LOTS of places, including the entire PNW (WA, OR, northern CA), most of BC, anything bordering on the Rockies, the Western states, many of the Northeastern states, Costa Rica, Mexico, Alaska, the Yukon, Chile, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, Switzerland, Austria, heck even Germany in a few places...I could go on but I don't think I need to. It's not an exhaustive list - those are just places I've ridden bikes where I'd prefer a head angle in the 63-65 degree range.
Your contention that 66-68 degrees 'works fine' is the same as saying that 160mm rotors, 2.1" tires, and fully rigid bikes (sorry, Andrew) 'work fine'. Sure, you can get down the hill - maybe. But that's not really what we're talking about when we're evaluating modern bikes intended for riders that care about performance. No one spending thousands of dollars on a bike is looking for 'fine' and they shouldn't be - their expectations are 'as good as it gets'.
I'm not saying your preferences are wrong. Fill your boots with your twitchy front end and I wish you all the best. But I am saying you're wrong to call modern geo 'stupid', because there are a lot of people - much more than 0.05% of the riding population - that simply don't agree.
Oct. 25, 2022, 11:01 a.m. - Pete Roggeman
Hey Mr Lynx, I'm just reacting to what you wrote. You're right that this is NSMB, and hey, guess what? that's the filter we use when writing about bikes, but you're wrong that 0.05% of world terrain is steep. Yes, the shore is unique, but there is really steep and technical terrain in LOTS of places, including the entire PNW (WA, OR, northern CA), most of BC, anything bordering on the Rockies, the Western states, many of the Northeastern states, Costa Rica, Mexico, Alaska, the Yukon, Chile, France, the UK, Italy, Spain, New Zealand, Switzerland, Austria, heck even Germany in a few places...I could go on but I don't think I need to. It's not an exhaustive list - those are just places I've ridden bikes where I'd prefer a head angle in the 63-65 degree range. Your contention that 66-68 degrees 'works fine' is the same as saying that 160mm rotors, 2.1" tires, and fully rigid bikes (sorry, Andrew) 'work fine'. Sure, you can get down the hill - maybe. But that's not really what we're talking about when we're evaluating modern bikes intended for riders that care about performance. No one spending thousands of dollars on a bike is looking for 'fine' and they shouldn't be - their expectations are 'as good as it gets'. I'm not saying your preferences are wrong. Fill your boots with your twitchy front end and I wish you all the best. But I am saying you're wrong to call modern geo 'stupid', because there are a lot of people - much more than 0.05% of the riding population - that simply don't agree.