my working theory is that almost all of the ride qualities come from the front end geometry. This is an over-simplification because wheelbase and weight distribution are very important as well, but it seems to me that the way a bike feels to the rider is mostly determined by the way the front wheel reacts to rider input. Thus rake/trail and head tube angle are very important. Bend is in the noise level unless you are trying to impress Jan Heine, in which case you want the smallest radius possible.