I wasn't sure where to post this, but maybe someone here has the answer:

Does the position of the rear wheel on a bike with horizontal dropouts affect bb drop?

Thanks,

Mike

Kind of yes, kind of no.

BB drop is inherent to a frames design, its the distance from the centerline of the axles down to the centerline of the BB. Its a fixed value for a given wheel position. I suppose if you have super old school angled 60's dropouts there may be a small measurable difference in BB drop when the wheel if shifted from extreme front to extreme rear. For more modern bikes with more flat drop outs and short dropouts on top of that its of no significance.

That being said, if you flip a bike upside down the drop becomes negative.

Yes, but not as much as it affects the wheelbase.

Makes sense; thanks for the replies.

Position of the axle in the D.O. WILL change how the brake pads interact with the rim braking surface. If the pad interacts with the tire's sidewall....that can be BAD...One adjustment leads to another.

What is the effect on handling of say a 73* parallel bike with an 80mm drop versus a 70mm drop?

Why the difference?

An 80mm BB drop will normally lower the center of gravity making handling more stable, but also makes the bike more prone to pedal strikes when pedalling through turns, especially with longer crank arms and wide pedals.

The Geometry of Bike Handling