What is the deal with geos going to shorter ST and longer TT? I don't want to be too stretched out but don't like having to run my seat post uber extended al la 1993. Just curious. Thanks
I find I like a bike with a 23 inch effective top tube
I don't care what the frame size is anymore
I have to run a 400mm post on my 15" 907 fat bike but it feels perfect
just like my 17.5" stump jumper 29er Single speed
Make a choice on frame size based on front center, or if you must, effective toptube. Then as long as you can kinda stand over the bike, go ride. Seat tube length is just about the least important thing there is to talk about.
Make a choice on frame size based on front center, or if you must, effective toptube. Then as long as you can kinda stand over the bike, go ride. Seat tube length is just about the least important thing there is to talk about.
I had the same issue as I am freakishly long legged. I can't comfortably ride any of the Specialized stuff. I found the Niner bikes have a better balance of TT and ST length for me.
Exactly! That is why this is driving me nuts. The L A9C used to be just about right, but the 2011
numbers started looking more like everyone else. Now that I can afford one I don't think it will fit right.
I love long top tubes and short seat tubes.
But I can't find so much of them. Best for me would be 20'' ST and 25.2'' TT. Big standover, short stem, and a nice look... what else? I love the look of the M size 29ers, but I need an XL...
on a HT, I prefer the long TT and shorter seat tube, within reason.... Why ?
Because then you can run a nice, compliant titanium seatpost that gives you much greater comfort and vibration absorption. Tops on the list would be a Kent Eriksen post... :thumbsup:
I thought the same thing. I went with the Giant XTC. At 5'6", I wnet with a Med frame, and it is perfect. Giant seems to be better for shorter people. I was thinking Niner at first, but I would have had to get the small frame. The TT would have been right, but the seat post was too short. Same with most makers. Orbea has similar geo to the Giant. I think this problem is just a result of the bigger wheels.
i finally figured out that i have medium-frame legs and a small-frame torso, so i have a lot of extra stems in the garage. i've recently been looking around at a lot of FS 29ers, i've found that Devinci, Rocky Mtn and Santa Cruz seem to build their bikes with shorter TTs.
i've considered going with a small frame to get the ETT right on my next bike, but i think i'd just end up with too much bar drop and need a huge stack of spacers. so i've been toying with my Salsa el Mar, which is pretty long, trying to tweak it to perfection. i've read about short stems negatively affecting handling, but it hasn't been a problem for me at all. ymmv.
long top tube = more comfortable bike, more stable bike at speed, more bike in front of you descending, less stem, more climbing prowess. less stem, less stem, less stem. if you are doing slopestyle riding, short top tubes are great, for everything else, long top tubes rule. some bike makers have been quicker to realize this than others, kudos to them.
I see this term starting to be used more, so I Googled it and this is what I found. Why should this measurement matter to me when shopping for a new bike.
Because it tells you where the front wheel is, relative to the bb. Effective toptube length can't tell you that, unless you also incorporate fork offset, head tube angle, bb height, etc.
For example, I can build a bike with a 24" effective toptube and 83mm trail - and have the front wheel anywhere from 671mm (70HTA, 51mm offset) to 642mm (72 HTA, 38mm offset). Both of those steering geometries (or something very close, anyway) are easy to find on 29ers, but those 24" toptube frames have front wheels that are in totally different places relative to the rider - by 29mm (ie, more than an inch). That's huge for how the bike will handle in all kinds of situations.
I see this term starting to be used more, so I Googled it and this is what I found. Why should this measurement matter to me when shopping for a new bike.
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