I wonder if someone can speak to the concept of using short stems on big frames to get the reach right. The Bombadil has a longish top tube for me. With drop bars, if I want to sit more upright than on a road bike, for example when touring, I would have to use a very short stem. From what I've read that affects the handling--negatively. A large frame should have a 12, 13, or 14 cm stem so that one's weight is distributed properly between the front and rear. It seems like the Bombadil was designed for mustache bars that extend backwards, but how does that affect the handling?
Hi, On Apr 6, 3:56 pm, Dave Craig <dcr...@prescott.edu> wrote: > I have a 60cm Bombadil and it does indeed have a long top tube for me. Thanks for posting. That is the size I would slot into. > I seem to recall from the beginning that Grant designed the Bombadil > with the dirt drop stem in mind. There are few stems shorter than the > 8cm dirt drop. > My Bombadil has an 8cm dirt drop stem and I've used it fully loaded > for long distance touring. With 48cm drop bars and front panniers, the > bike handled predictably and easily. I was amazed at the low speed > handling *and* stability on fast descents. I have noticed that > unloaded as an MTB, using relatively narrow flat bars (48cm flat end > to end), I'm not very comfortable with technical, off road trails. All > of these trails are ones that I can manage easily on other bikes. The > steering feels too responsive and I get a little sketched out. I'll be > putting wider bars on soon - extra bar width should compensate by > slowing down the steering response a bit. Of course, a longer stem would also slow the steering down. It's interesting that the Bombadil doesn't handle as well when used off- road--when it is marketed as a mountain bike. On Apr 6, 4:13 pm, "Jim M." <mather...@gmail.com> wrote: > 48cm flat for off-road is very narrow. I use bars that are about 68cm > with a little sweep back on my MTB. > > jim m > wc ca -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
