Test Bicycle Test Ride

[@benc8386]

So interesting! I didn't think negative trail would be rideable at all. I guess another thing to try might be constant trail but achieved with different combinations of head angle and rake. The difference is supposed to be wheel flop, which it's sometimes desirable to reduce on a bike intended to carry front loads.

[@jody6183]

Negative rake... You're in supermarket trolley territory there... Wheel death wobble 😂

[@marklee81]

This was one of my issues with that Smarter Everyday video about backward steering. I'm not saying it wouldn't be difficult, but he inadvertently changed the angle to be very twitchy by putting the handlebars in front of the normal position by a few inches. Had he done the opposite, he might've had an easier time.

[@bertkreft9689]

i build some recumbent bikes with flat headtube angle - tested different amounts of rake - and had very similar experiences like you told 👍

[@Beesno]

Ah darn, now i want to get a nonsense geo testing bike in my own garage! 😂 Cool to see the comparison, this is awesome work.

[@mountaincruiser817]

I'm more of a practical learning guy. This finally helped me totally understand these geo changes. Great work and thank you for that!

[@JimConnelley]

This is a practical demo of all that theory. Good work.

[@derekhobbs1102]

A friend builds custom cruisers based on MTB geometry because it makes them easy to control.

[@davehutchins1655]

Great project and video, Steve! I've read so much about the theory, It's great to see the variables compared in real time practice. I'm gonna revisit a project that turned out "floppy" and see what I can do to remedy the geometry.

[@ramingo.craftsman]

Beautiful and really interesting experiment! Thanks for sharing!

[@masterblaster6110]

Thank you very much for your efforts! It was very useful for me to know this before building my city bike)

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

Great vid!

[@PithyBikes]

Thank you! I enjoy your channel. Party Pace!

[@2phburns]

Thank you for that demonstration. Are you you going to do any more geometry demo? specs for Eddy Merckx bike circa 1970, 72 degree head tube, 40mm rake, trail 68.4mm bottom bracket drop 75mm.

[@hristogudjev264]

Very informative indeed! Squirrel bonus at around 3:06

[@DavidKirtley]

My most comfortable ride is a touring frame I built up. I think the real difference comes from longer chain stays as much as the fork and head tube angle.

It's a great idea to rotate the fork blades! I made a fully adjustable bike with slots for the fork adjustment, that gives less adjustment range and makes getting it straight a little difficult. Do you want to use the bike for testing your designs before bulding?

[@PithyBikes]

I’m not sure what I’ll use the bike for now. I think your idea is a good one, keep it to test future bicycle geo. But its testing is limited because of all the other factors that affect ride quality. Still, it’s good to test base geometry. Thanks for watching!

[@kbekus]

hey Steve, awesome video. One question - when you change the headtube angle you're not adjusting the handlebar? Moving the bar to the extremes will make you sit further forward or back on the bike altering centre of gravity which will also affect handling?

[@PithyBikes]

Yes it’s true! Changes handling for sure. But I kind of needed to put a cap on my mods to start testing at some point. The point is a good one though. Everything does indeed matter when it comes to the feeling of the ride.

[@Bendejo-lm8wo]

Lets go! 🇺🇸

[@Yuriy_Ne6o]

Where is the test for 0 trail?

[@PithyBikes]

That would have been a good test! Wish I thought of that.