Originally Posted by queerpunk
here's my experience. my pogliaghi has a tight, steep front end - pretty traditional track geometry (but with longer than usual chainstays). i expected it to handle "twitchy" since that's what everybody says, but i found it to be smooth and responsive instead. twitchy seems to be quick and unpredictable, but even with my pog's very quick handling, it's decisive, not about to respond unpredictably.
i'm not sure exactly what to attribute that to, except perhaps that there's the right balance between rake, trail, and angles - perhaps it's a little bit more stable considering the slightly longer chainstays, while being quick as anything with the tight front.
The chainstays determine weight distribution, which can affect handling. Short chainstays can mean trouble keeping the front wheel down during seated climbs, while relatively long chanstays can make the bike less agile. Touring bikes tend to have longer chainstays to help with loaded weight distribution and stability, especially during descents, etc.
Trail affects the bike's ability to follow lean and to self correct. Track bikes are designed the way they are so that they will go in a straight line, depsite you throwing it from side to side underneath you in a sprint when you are out of the saddle hammering down - think about how easy it is to ride a track bike with no hands. Take something like a Kona Jake the Snake by comparison, and it's really hard to keep that thing going in a straight line if your hands are off the bars. The geometry of CX and MTBs means that they tend to follow the rider's lean more and also tend to self correct more readily - this is important on non-smooth terrain, where you don't want to hit a root and have your wheel stick at 90-degrees. You want to hit bumps and have the fork come back into line. This isn't going to happen on a track bike.