Originally Posted by
Homeyba
I have to disagree. Longer wheelbase, greater drop, slack angles etc. change the way a bike handles (it steers slower) but doesn't make it handle better or worse. It depends on what you are looking for. Race bikes, which put a premium on handling, have very short wheelbases and quick steering. You can be just as comfy on a race geometry frame as on a frame with slack geometry.
Fit is all about having your body in a optimal position on a bike based on your physiology. A persons optimal contact points/positions for the type of riding they are doing don't/shouldn't change regardless of the frame geometry.
Fat tires are a cheap fix and a crutch for poor frame/wheel choices.
eh, what? You're suggesting basic bike design variants like wheelbase and bottom bracket drop, frame angles and tire size DON'T affect the ride quality, stability and comfort of a bike for riding long distances? The comfort over rough roads, pneumatic dampening and forgiving pneumatic trail of a larger tire are simply a 'cheap fix' for a poor frame and wheel choice? Huh??
That philosophy is
radical, man! yes, fit matters. and race bikes get ridden a lot on long distance events.
None of which contradicts that frame angles, drop, and tire size affect how a bike feels on a long haul. The original poster asked "What makes a difference in frames for riding long distances." he didn't ask how crucial a bike fit is on a bike with race geometry for timed long distance events.
bike fit is important on any ride. cleat burn is an important issue, so is weight distribution. But a bigger tire sure fixes that problem of poor roads and the chipseal buzz. YMMV.
Dropping down a mountain pass on a long wheelbase bike, low bottom bracket and bigadze, supple, 35c tires feels and handles
distinctly different than a snappy carbon whip. Riding a stable bike at highway speeds with fat tires is a pleasure. Snap some pictures,
grab a snack, look around you. There's a pothole, a log in the road, no matter, THWUMP> keep on trucking.
More like a pleasure ride on a roller coaster on rails doing 50mph, less caroming a skeleton sled down the luge track at Mt VanHovenburg. I've done both, i can tell the difference.
The bike matters, man.