Originally Posted by
kmart
You're right, but it's still true that the headtube angle introduces nonlinearity to the steering response. It also allows you to lean while steering, something that is hard to do with a vertical HT. Just using the word "nonlinear" helped make things clear.
no nonlinearity is part of the problem. It sounds good but it does not describe reality.
Lineraity of response is the type of meaningless verbosity that kencox excels at.
1. The non-linearity he speaks of is meaningless.
2. Even it was he's talking about the bikes response to turning the handle bars. That's just not how bike handling works unless your riding under 10mph.
3. A steeper HT if you somehow managed to hold all else equal would result in a LESS responsive bike not a more responsive one since the bike would respond less to shifts in the riders weight and leaning.
Originally Posted by
kmart
Perhaps, but it's not wrong, and I had no trouble understanding it.
Agreed, it was a little confusing to introduce this analogy. The explanation would be fine without it.
It's not wrong but it completely misses the point. The only time he even comes close to explaining trail is with his passing mention of the shopping cart analogy. It makes me highly suspect that he understands trail himself.
Originally Posted by
kmart
I think he is referring to steering stability at speed but I'm confused as well. Clearly even he was a little confused by his own reasoning. Care to 'splain it?
He's trying to use the little bit of knowledge he has about bikes and his own reason to make broad unsupported generalizations. It's classic KC babble.
If anything the pista is a better high speed competition track bike then the mercian for many reasons. In general track bikes meant to be used at higher speeds have steeper hts because they also have to respond faster. The exception of course being stayers bikes which just go straight.
Road bikes on the other hand are not relaxed for high speed descent which is a tiny fraction of what they do. They are relaxed because they are ridden farther at lower speeds and don't have to respond as quickly as frequently.