Current Projects chat and miscellany

Far too technical for me :)
From what you say, would a more agressive toptube slope and a stem similar to that which you mention, result in a stronger and more stable frame? Unfortunately, i am getting this made on the cheap and don't have a frame builder as such to discuss with! Any advice much appreciated.

Yeah its annoyingly hard to explain (for me anyway) but long head tube acts like a long leaver pivoting around the two joints. This means that under load instead of compressing the down and top tubes the long head tube will make the loads bend the tubes which is bad. Would suggest trying a shorter seat tube, longer seat post and more angular stem, more agressive (compact geo) top tube will also help. This will have the added benefit of making the rear triangle smaller and improving the stiffness.

Look at things like big cranes and truss bridges and , they are constructed from a heap of small triangles because it is a very strong shape, same basic principle behind bike frames. Good seat posts are strong, the with road geo your weight is spread through all 3 contact points (saddle, peddles and bars) so it makes sense to have a rigid frame made up of small triangles and longish seat post and stem. This is the logic behind most modern road frames and MTB frames.