Originally Posted by
HillRider
Are you sure you have this right? Low trail gives highly responsive, more "nervous" handling so the bike turns eagerly but it's straight line stability is poor. Greater trail is slower to react and gives greater straight line stability and it's what you want on rough, uneven roads. I believe you are confusing rake and trail.
I am absolutely positive of this. You don't want stability on these surfaces, you want the ability to lightly steer through or over them with minimal force. Short trail feels like floating over this stuff. Long trail digs in.
This is the principle behind Gary Fisher's Genesis geometry mountain bikes.