Riv bikes with the megastays, that on the surface are hard to ignore, well there's more to it than those alone. The entire frames design. I have a Riv Bombadil, pre megastay(47cm and uses a normal 114-116 link chain). While it fits me as I define fit, there something about the handling I have never gotten used to. I call it the wheelbarrow effect, wheel floppiness. Yeah, it's like riding a wheelbarrow. When the bike tilts, there's a feeling of falling off an edge. Cornering, out of the saddle, and slow uphill it's very "in your face", so to speak. Meaning I can't ignore it, and I can't make it go away and I can't change it. It's not intuitive to me. It's not that it's unrideable, it can be enjoyable as long as I adjust my expectations for a given ride. (I would not buy another though). Most Riv lovers comment on how stable they ride, and I get that. But how that stability is acheived/exectuted is what I don't agree with. Or that it is necessary, or even a good thing.. It's assumes to take a certain control-ability away from the rider. As if the rider doesn't know how to ride, or needs help. Well that's way art goes. Caging a bird to keep it "safe" is not safety, you know ?

Contrast that with my custom Franklin road bike, with neutral handling. I think it was termed "sport/touring" frame design, but it's definitely more sport than touring. A raised BB(low 70's), and 45.5cm stays. The 62cm C-T frame has a 62cm TT. It handles just like what appeals most to me, the classic racing bikes I grew up with in the 70/80's, just longer overall. While I loved the bikes, they never fit me well, too short of overall reach. The Franklin was/is exactly what I envisoned an extended length version of those would be. One that fits ! Slow, fast or cruising, it's all very "neutral", instantly responding to my inputs in a most intuitive and natural manner. Easy to maintain straights or corners with equal precision. The frame being longer both fore and aft doesn't change the marvelous, precise and intuitive handling of it. When I switch between those two bikes it takes a few minutes to "remember" how to ride each one, they are like night and day in steering/handling. For reference, the wheelbases of the two bikes is within an inch, less I think.

The longer chainstays can afford more tire clearance. More comfortable ? Again, that depends on the tires, wheels and the rest of the frame ! Plus, "me" the perceiver.