Originally Posted by
Road Fan
high trail, steep head tube and seat tube angles, short chainstays, short wheelbase, high bottom bracket (small BB drop).
Aggressive riding position is where the handlebar tops are significantly below the saddle top.
Yes, as others have noted in this thread as well, it is critical to distinguish between aggressive geometry and an aggressive riding position. I get the latter to some extent on my extremely non-aggressive UO-8, which has a 72-parallel classic touring geometry, by raising the seat on a small frame with a long head tube.
The high bottom bracket is fashionable for criterium bikes, to permit pedaling through turns.
For the average rider, what really counts are tire clearance, which dictates one's choice of tires, steering stability and sensitivity, bottom bracket flex, and resilience on bumps. As always, the secret is to find a rider-specific and application-specific sweet spot compromise among conflicting engineering design goals.