[Anders]

will the best chainstay length per person vary to how tall they are? like will a 5'5 person need a 16" chainstay to get the same effectiveness as a person whos 6'3 with a 16.5" chainstay? does this ratio theory work. obviously the legnths and height i put in are just as an example. am i making any sense?

 

[pnj]

it's personal preference, like most sizing issues.

I like smaller then average frames, some people like longer....

 

[ZEDMAN]

it goes by what feels good to you. i have a gsr hooligan that has 17.5 chainstays. most people that ride it dont like it. i didnt at first because they are HUGE but i got over it and have gotten down manuals pretty well and the bike sure is stable.

 

[HTFR]

holt **** you CC are over two inchs longer then mine! have you ever tried shorter?

 

[BoyBoy]

I will not ride chanstays that are 16 inches or longer. My TankAss has 15.25-15.75 in stays. It's the most important part of the bike for me.

longs stays make a bike that will fly off jumps straighter, but who wants to dead sailor jumps anyway?

they also make a bike that tracks straighter through the rough.

they also make a bike that climbs a bit better.
__

short stays make a bike that steers quicker, and is more flickable.

short stays make a bike that is also easy to manual/stall.

also, and this is the most important for me, a short stay bike makes using rear wheel weight tranfer intuitive. WHen i get on a bike that has even 16.5 in stays, i find that the bike resists rear wheel weight transfer. On my bike, using weight transfer is so nice and controlled. there is a perfectly smooth transition from having the bike evenly weighted to just a tug to to launch a drop, to going into a full manual. so much controll. you just land at the balance point. It's really nice.
__

That said, there is also the issure of the ratio between the rear end length and the top tube. Back when BMX was developing "JUmp", "race" and "street" geometry this was the most important number to tweek. (and BB height). I have yet to hear about issues like that with MTB. i guess its because the bikes are bigger.

however, my tank ass has the shortest stays i can find that fit 26"xFat" and it never feels sketchy. I really think it has the perfect geometry. far and away the nicest riding bike i have ever been on or tried in anyway. if you want to get an idea of a bike with shor stays that has great numbers to go with it look at that bike. www.clifcat.com

anyway. i highly reccommend stays that are at least 16.25 or less.

 

[BoyBoy]

to answer your question, though.

i have no idea. i doubt it is important unless you are really tall.

 

[Anders]

Originally posted by BoyBoy
to answer your question, though.

i have no idea. i doubt it is important unless you are really tall.

thats the thing. im 6'3 and ride a bike with 16.4ish chainstays. im learning to manual and jump higher and wanna know if its my technique or if my bike is holding me back. so when i see guys who are shorter then me with shorter chainstays, im wondering if they need them because they cant get their weight back as far as i can, therefore i wouldnt need as short shainstays as those guys have

 

[rainbow_smoke]

this is allsk8sno i am just lazy so am posting under my fiancee's account.


i am 5'10" and ride a kona stinky ~40lb with super long stays +17" +growth as the suspension compresses...

i have no problems getting my weight back or bunnyhoping on it.
i think it has more to do with how the front end is balanced than the rear though it would have some effect. i can't manual much but i can hop my stinky over 3'. this is a full sus bike though so it handles different than a hardtail..there i feel/notice long stays but the tt length is more a thing to consider. cs in the mid to low 16's feel fine to me...though the shorter the better.. so i hve to agree short stays are nice...

i also ride bmx and it is much easier for me to notice the length of cs there sicne the tires are small..my bmx has longs stays and its annoying as hell....anyways

 

[Anders]

yes, tt lenghth is important too. i went from a 90mm stem to a 45mm stem and it feels like a new bike. has helped my manuals too

oh and i ride a stinky as well and cant mnual for crap on it. i can wheelie for ever tho

 

[Bulldog]

Originally posted by Anders
...wanna know if its my technique or if my bike is holding me back...

95% of the time it's technique. Equipment doesn't play as big a role as advertisers and most people will have you believe. It's the simple, sad truth. Most of us just suck and need to practice, practice, practice. Skill can overcome just about any equipment "handicaps". I say just ride.

 

[yellowfox]

Originally posted by Bulldog
95% of the time it's technique. Equipment doesn't play as big a role as advertisers and most people will have you believe. It's the simple, sad truth. Most of us just suck and need to practice, practice, practice. Skill can overcome just about any equipment "handicaps". I say just ride.

Couldn't be more right than that.

I think it has a great deal to do with seat tube length to... Try and manual on a xc bike or something that has a tall seat tube. So much harder to get to the balancing point and shift wait. Short stems help a lot, as do top tube lengths. I'm still not to sure why they measure top tube lengths, call me dumb but top tubes are all different angles. You can't say an evil imperial with a 21.75" top tube will have the same feel as a 243 with a 21.75" top tube. (i doubt those tt lengths are accurate, its just a point.) Is it teh combination or tt and st lengths put together that makes the difference?

i'd look for more adjustability in a chain stay rather than a certain dimension. You can tweak feel with stems and bars and such.

 

[Anders]

Originally posted by yellowfox
Try and manual on a xc bike or something that has a tall seat tube. So much harder to get to the balancing point and shift wait

its funny u should mention that, as my ride is a santa cruz chameleon. so the angles are pretty much xc based

 

[BoyBoy]

Originally posted by Bulldog
95% of the time it's technique. Equipment doesn't play as big a role as advertisers and most people will have you believe. It's the simple, sad truth. Most of us just suck and need to practice, practice, practice. Skill can overcome just about any equipment "handicaps". I say just ride.

totally true


but... not totally... i found two things that really matter (for me)

frame geometry.
geometry really does make a difference. i am not saying that you can't rde any bike out there and have a blast and progress... but geometry is important. and you don't know it untill you have ridden a bike that is truly dialed.

the platform you are standing on.
i need solid cranks, and pedals that i like. no need for spending loads of cash. X drives and cheap welgo pedals feed great for me.

anyway, it is just that when i went from a GT Ruckus with LX cranks, 9 speeds, 16.5 inch stays and a 2000 Z.3 to the incredible machine i have now, my abilities sky rocketed. and so did my level of enjoyment.