OK, so since your small roadish 559 wheeled Rambouillet has 55mm of drop, then all other Rivendells with 559 wheels throw you for a loop, because all of those bikes take wider tires and all of them have 55-57mm of drop? I'm with Grant that fit is about how your body fits in relation to the bike when you are riding. BB drop effects how my body fits in relation to the bike. BB drop is about fit. Tire size changes standover, to be sure, but tire size does not affect fit, in my opinion. BB height is about clearances: your pedals striking the ground, and your crotch to the top tube. These are clearance issues, not fit issues, in my opinion.
I know about the "on the bike" vs "in the bike" feel. That handling feel is about how the rider's body is positioned relative to the bike while riding, in my opinion. It is not about how your center of mass is positioned above the ground, in my opinion. Jan Heine and Grant are the two who folks on this group tend to respect the most. Jan thinks BB height and BB drop don't matter at all. Grant thinks BB drop should be as low as practically possible for the minimum tire width, and that you shouldn't get too hung up about standover. More directly to the point. Have you ever seen a 559-wheeled frame with more that 57mm of drop? The Surly Long Haul Trucker 26", a dedicated touring bike, has only 47mm of drop. Maybe Alex Wetmore's Travel Gifford with 26" wheels might have more drop, and the category that has inspired: the All-Road Enduro, may evolve with 65-70mm of drop and will only work with Rat Trap Pass tires. But I don't know of anything off the shelf that will do that for you. Bill Lindsay El Cerrito, CA -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
