Look, Ma - no hands! What influences handling?

[scottcw2]

I know that HT angle, fork rake, and resulting trail all effect handling, but what about ST angle and where it puts your weight?

I have had three bikes with similar front ends. The biggest difference has been the ST angle. The first bike had a 74-75* ST angle, which put my weight more forward. I could ride this bike with no hands down steep hills with no twitching. The second and third bikes both have more relaxed ST angles in the 72-73* range. They both are more difficult to ride with no hands.

Is this my imagination? Thanks.

[Ray]

I know that HT angle, fork rake, and resulting trail all effect handling, but what about ST angle and where it puts your weight?

I have had three bikes with similar front ends. The biggest difference has been the ST angle. The first bike had a 74-75* ST angle, which put my weight more forward. I could ride this bike with no hands down steep hills with no twitching. The second and third bikes both have more relaxed ST angles in the 72-73* range. They both are more difficult to ride with no hands.

Is this my imagination? Thanks.
Do you have the saddle in the same place relative to the bottom bracket? If so, the seat tube angle is pretty irrelevant. It's all a combination of weight distribution, wheelbase, rake/trail, etc. So chainstay length figures into as well.

I'm not sure how much wheelbase has to do with it - I think weight distribution is more important and this can be the same whether the wheelbase is long or short. I've had two bikes ever that were absolutely effortless to ride no-handed and a few others that were pretty good but not quite that good. Their wheelbases ranged from tight little racing frames to some of the longest tourers imaginable. The two best were among the shortest and longest I've ever been on.

-Ray

[scottcw2]

Do you have the saddle in the same place relative to the bottom bracket? If so, the seat tube angle is pretty irrelevant. It's all a combination of weight distribution, wheelbase, rake/trail, etc. So chainstay length figures into as well.

I'm not sure how much wheelbase has to do with it - I think weight distribution is more important and this can be the same whether the wheelbase is long or short. I've had two bikes ever that were absolutely effortless to ride no-handed and a few others that were pretty good but not quite that good. Their wheelbases ranged from tight little racing frames to some of the longest tourers imaginable. The two best were among the shortest and longest I've ever been on.

-Ray

Yes on the saddle relative to BB question. I know for sure that my current bike has longer chainstays than the one that was effortless to ride no-handed.