tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25271120.post115196394150189711..comments2023-04-26T04:37:40.058-04:00Comments on Zen and the Art of Bicycle Building: a design, finallyEthan Labowitzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18149378864023260471noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25271120.post-1152139317140925582006-07-05T18:41:00.000-04:002006-07-05T18:41:00.000-04:00Re Anonymous' comment a) about using a steeper sea...Re Anonymous' comment a) about using a steeper seat angle to shorten the cockpit- That doesn't work. The saddle goes where it goes relative to the pedal arc regardless of the seat angle.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25271120.post-1151976559216304192006-07-03T21:29:00.000-04:002006-07-03T21:29:00.000-04:00A couple of thoughts to share regarding your desig...A couple of thoughts to share regarding your design....<BR/>1) You're using relatively fat tires which offer you more options. You should pick up the next to last (I think) issue of Vintage Bicycle Quarterly with it's discussion of pneumatic trail. Bottom line, you don't need the shallow front angle and may well produce a better handling (less wheel flop) frame without the shallow angle. The lose of geometric trail related to a long rake and steep fork gets made up for by the pneumatic trail. Must Read.<BR/>2) You spec an 80 mm stem, which is quite short. According to your statement, you've designed for a "mid-length" stem. By this I assume that you designed for a 100-110mm stem. This is a much better length to use when climbing as it helps keep weight on the front wheel for better traction/control. <BR/>3) I seem to recall that this is intended to be a practical bike. Carry things, carry you, rain or shine, etc. Carrying weight and going slowly make toe clearance more important. BTW, I take seriously all of e-Richie's advice. The bike should stll fit you properly, even if you need to avoid toe overlap. So, what's a guy to do (besides very slack angles)? Especially if you need a shorter top tube? One of two things:<BR/>a) Make the seat tube steeper bringing it closer to the bars. I have a 58 CM ST c to c with a 56.5 CM tt c to c. A 74 degree seattube and 73 degree head tube. No overlap. <BR/>b) Use a smaller tire (650B or 26"). <BR/>Chose one of these courses and you can have fit, handling, and no overlap.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com