Originally Posted by
mack_turtle
with a flat bar? if that works for you, that's fine. almost every other person in the world would find that incredibly uncomfortable, which is why you're on your own for making this work. a fit that compact sounds like a Dutch commuter bike to me, which would not handle well on "singletrack."
Yes, flat bar, with a very tall 220mm stem:
It works absolutely brilliant for me. As long as the handlebars are level or just above the seat, im happy.
When I am maneuvering obstacles with loose pebbles strewn about, or muddy turns, slippery snow etc, I feel so bang on centre, its usually the front end which hooks and the rear end comes sliding about extremely gracefully. I literally feel like I can control the slide and keep the rear tire in check by steering with my butt. I also really like the reach, because when navigating sketchy terrain, i can keep my weight centered into the pedals although my butt is still hovering just over the saddle. It is an incredibly stable feeling - one which I've been longing to achieve for a very long time.
I'm well aware that on serious singeltrack, this cockpit is simply too cramped. Other than going for a slightly longer top tube, I'm not sure what else I can do which still always me to achieve this sort of balance.
when im riding a bike with a certain length top tube, I feel like I am hanging over the front of the bike and it totally ruins the handling response for me. I have to enter corners gently and gingerly to avoid front tire skidding. With this current setup, I can downright thrash the bike through any turn I like, whether the surface is smooth or rough, and I am always rewarded with superb balance and a very commendable response/agility for a 200lb rider.
However, as you can see, I need a very tall stem. This limits my options to frames with a threaded fork and quill stem.