Gravel / Gravé / Gnarmac / Groad / ATB

Verboten tho aren’t they? Otherwise all bikes would be running monoblades

Tri then maybe? Not like anyone who buys their own TT bikes would pick a Cannondale and I'm sure they could do a normal fork version for the UCI.

When I'm leading a group ride on 53/11 at 60kph on my gravel bike, aerodynamics is the main thing on my mind. That's why I need Lefty forks

Good luck taking the same bike touring if you have only one fork leg to strap luggage to.

There's a gap in the market for gear-carrying "Righty" dummy fork legs.

Just get an omnium cxc?

Well yeah, not me. But yeah.

Ha :)

I’ve looked it up before and seen all the discussion, I just don’t understand. What was wrong with head angle and rake?

Okay, a road bike with a steep head tube and decent amount of fork rake will feel light and nimble, easy to flick round corner with miminal effort, they typically have 57mm trail.

A cyclocross bike, like the Arkose is a little slower, a slightly slacker head tube with a similar fork to a road bike mean it doesn't feel as nimble, but it will feel much more stable, which is idea off road, typically around 65mm trail.

Now, fast forward to the Bad Boy, it got a trail of 99mm, this mean that if you put drop bar and long stem on, it will feel very slow to handle and hard work.

So use a short stem? (Genuine question)

700c to 650c wheel diameter. 17 arkose. 700c wheels fitted with 40c clement MSO tires are 2205.40 mm in diameter. A 50c 650b tire being the largest tire i can fit in the back of this frame would be 2148.85 mm in diameter meaning that id lose close to 2"s of wheel diameter and as a result the same in BB height. That much drop means some serious potential for stikes which id rather not even deal with, especially off road.

Given this drop why is it suggested to go with 650b?

But the top of the wheel is in the air, that makes no difference, only the difference in radius will be the BB drop no? Have I got it wrong?

2205.40 mm in diameter

Circumference?

Short stem doesn’t change the trail, it make the bike feel easier to ride but not necessary so, basically more leverage due to the width of the bar.

Cause 650b mean lighter, slightly less trail, bigger tyres, and more room for mudguard.

As for pedals strike, it happen to me a lots, and I have 165mm crank for this reason, however the more I ride it, the more I adapt how I ride, just like what I do on a track bike with massive toe overlap.

Arkose nearly done. 11-42 play nice with the 46/30 chainset.

Just need Ultegra RX clutch derailleur to keep the long chain taut.

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And modern mtbs fix that with wide bars? Or are (in your opinion) all modern mtbs difficult to ride?

Thanks for the feedback. I guess ill just sell the 650b wheels and stick to 1.8s on the arkose.

Modern MTBs need to be stable at speed over increasingly rough terrain and be capable to handle at full fork compression under braking. Wide bars and short stems do alleviate this somewhat by giving you more leverage.

Older bikes designed with rigid or short travel forks in mind have trail numbers around 70mm

IF it's 2" of wheel diameter it'll be 1" in bb height, right?

@TvH summed it up perfectly.

Older MTB have a more nominal geometry that more tourer than MTB (hence long stem and narrow flat bar with 1.95” tyres).

I would says the old 90’s MTB geometry is similar to an Arkose before they put more emphasise on stability, even weight distribution, less need to stay seated all the time, easier to keep fork straight with wider bar etc.

700c = 622 mm diameter
650b = 584 mm diameter

700c x 40c = 702 mm diameter (622 + 40 + 40)
650b x 50c = 684 mm diameter (584 + 50 + 50)

Difference is 18 mm, which means your bb will be 9 mm lower. Around 1/3 of an inch.

Just a kaffenback with decent clearance then?

This is pretty rudimentary and isn't always the most accurate (e.g Donnelly X'Plor MSO 650x50 measures up at a shade over 690mm dia.)

And fat tyres are at lower pressure so sag more → more BB drop. #saggyfatties