Originally Posted by
bulldog1935
Shorter offset on the fork (higher trail) makes for quicker turn-in and steering that tends to hunt downhill.
Low trail feels more on-center, especially with a front load.
For the sake of this discussion, can we eliminate the loaded component? Just so we can be specific about the handling characteristics associated with low trail vs high trail numbers?
Are you saying that high trail bikes turn quicker/easier/tighter/faster than low trail bikes (all other geometry being equal)? If so, that goes against everything I've ever read that says low trail bikes will be quicker/tighter turning, more nimble, but less stable at speed (twitchy)
Sheldon Brown:
More trail increases the bicycle's tendency to steer straight ahead. A bicycle with a largish trail dimension will be very stable, and easy to ride "no hands". A bicycle with a smaller trail dimension will be more manuverable and responsive.
When you say steering that "hunts", can you explain that more? Do you mean unstable or are you describing flop?