Sorry guys I know you will hate this because it will end up as an E fight but.....
Why is a bike that has a forward axle path after its sag point considered to be a beter design than one that has an axle path that will move away from oncoming obstacles?
I know people consider pedalling efficiency as a major positive of VPP and similar style frames but surely a bike that keeps its wheelbase variation to a minimum throughout the full range of travel is going to be more stable on heavy landings and should also keep speed through rockgardens because of the rearward axle path. Surely this would be enough to make any high pivot frame seem like a logical design for a DH frame but they seem to be only made by the smaller brands.
I'm no expert on suspension design but surely a wheel that moves away from an oncoming object will help you carry speed compared with a design that sends your wheel against said object with a slightly forward axle path. I realise brake jack is a problem but top level racers seem to hit corners fater than ever so surely brake jack would be a minimal problem to them.
For what it's worth I like hardtails but when I started to consider DS frames, a rearward axle path seemed like the only logical choice to me.
Please tell me why I'm wrong.
Why is a bike that has a forward axle path after its sag point considered to be a beter design than one that has an axle path that will move away from oncoming obstacles?
I know people consider pedalling efficiency as a major positive of VPP and similar style frames but surely a bike that keeps its wheelbase variation to a minimum throughout the full range of travel is going to be more stable on heavy landings and should also keep speed through rockgardens because of the rearward axle path. Surely this would be enough to make any high pivot frame seem like a logical design for a DH frame but they seem to be only made by the smaller brands.
I'm no expert on suspension design but surely a wheel that moves away from an oncoming object will help you carry speed compared with a design that sends your wheel against said object with a slightly forward axle path. I realise brake jack is a problem but top level racers seem to hit corners fater than ever so surely brake jack would be a minimal problem to them.
For what it's worth I like hardtails but when I started to consider DS frames, a rearward axle path seemed like the only logical choice to me.
Please tell me why I'm wrong.