[boostindoubles]

So always wondered this and this seems like a good place to ask, does stack height and handlebar rise work together? Say I pull a 10mm spacer out from under my stem but swap my bars for an extra 10mm of rise... am I changing the handling of the bike? I would guess not..

 

[Udi]

So always wondered this and this seems like a good place to ask, does stack height and handlebar rise work together? Say I pull a 10mm spacer out from under my stem but swap my bars for an extra 10mm of rise... am I changing the handling of the bike? I would guess not..

Yeah it's exactly the same like you said - except that the bar rise can change things if you change the angle of the bars at all (since a spacer can only increase the vertical position of your hands, but the bar rise can move your hands upwards and further forwards or backwards if you change their rotational angle at all. If the angle is kept constant though, handling is unchanged.

 

[Gary]

Not sure if you are drunk, trolling or both

Neither...

Just offering up the FACT some may actually prefer a short reach on our bikes.

I'm convinced that Gary is secretly a T-rex.

I fucking love T=Rex's.. they're the most bad ass Dinosaur by far. If I were a Dino that's the one I'd want to be no question.
I myself am pretty fucking evolved tho. I know people like numbers here so to clear things up here are my geo stats:

Height: 5'11" (&14)
Arm span: 6'1"
Inseam: 33" (so nothing out of the ordinary going on there either)

Here... put my measurements into linkage if you're not convinced...
http://www.ape-index.com/
Draw charts! Debate the fuck out of it! Add meme's But above all have fun with it.

FWIW I CAN ride long bikes (possibly actually faster over DH timed runs... but I don't race so don't care). I just don't enjoy them so much. I just prefer hanging off the back of shorter bikes. Manualling, hopping, jumping, pumping preferred to plowing. I never really ever worry about stability or grip... infact I kinda enjoy the sketchiness. Fuck the fact I live in Scotland and run a DHF and Bling Bling on a DJ bike with a super stiff fork all year round everywhere should tell you something.

Is this really so hard to accept without *crying* "TROLL"?

Mountainbike riding used to be simple... it's pretty much turned into fucking Golf*...


*I was surprisingly half decent at Golf as a kid. My Grandad was some sort of local champion. Taught me on the local council course and even made me my own half set of custom clubs (even that was 2 clubs too many for me).. about 11/12yrs old I started to realise Golf was full of pricks, You know... hanging round the Golf "Pro"'s Shop and clubhouse moar than actually playing the game... dressing like all the twats they saw doing the sport on TV. Spending every last penny on the latest advancement in balls/clubs/shoes to "gain" mms on their shots. constantly harping on about the new kit they'd bought while still being shit. Fuck I even got thrown off the course because my golf cart's wheels were too small... any of this sound familiar? so anyway I gave it up and rode BMX on my own instead. Still do. Hence my riding style, preference for shorter bikes and dislike (just can't get on with 'em) of big soft forks/tyres and wheels. probably.

 

[kidwoo]

#Imwithgary

 

[Happymtb.fr]

since a spacer can only increase the vertical position of your hands

Are you going against flack head angles and advocating 90º HA?
It's a new trend, you saw it first on RM!

 

[Udi]

and even made me my own half set of custom clubs

Maybe this is why you're still running half a handlebar?

Are you going against flack head angles and advocating 90º HA?
It's a new trend, you saw it first on RM!

Haha, valid point.
Just need to ride a steeper track!

 

[kickstand]

Your experience shows that you can fit both frame sizes without feeling cramped or stretched even if one size, in the end, fits you better than the other. Choosing which size will fit you better is a dilemma, I fully agree with you, but you will neither end up stretched nor cramped on both sizes with the right stem length which was my original point.

Can you explain in what regard the larger frames fit you better? I am (luckily ) not between 2 sizes but I wonder if I could size up and your experience could be helpful.

No, my experience doesn't show that at all. My experience shows that finding the right sized bikes was difficult for both of us being in between sizes, what we found was that the sizing of our current bikes fit us well. Could the argument be made that over time we would adapt to the fit and sizing of other bikes we were in between sizing of? Sure, that's definitely possible.

I am on a current 5010 size large, last year I rode the large which is similar in size to my wife's current medium. When I jump back on her bike it is very cramped for me, which may explain why i never fully fell in love with the bike.

As a few have mentioned finding good stack and reach measurements that fit you well and seeking out a bike that falls within those ranges is key. You can make minor adjustments with the seat and stem and bar width, but at the end of the day you may still find yourself between sizes with certain manufacturers where you just can't dial the fit in. Where as you may find other manufacturers sizing fits you right out of the box.