Functional bikes. Not Porn not Anti

I'm getting old before my age, this thread is currently more porn than bike porn.

Ahem..

Young people, discussing mudguards

It's not natural.

would it be possible to create a low trail bike by just having a custom fork made for a
normal touring or road frame?

Yep, French low trail geometry is designed for the fork to take the weight so the frame can be made with lightweight tubing, someone did just that with his titanium bike.

A normal touring frame might be a bit unforgiving if you plan to ride it unladen apart from the fork.

I would like to see how a low trail bike feels without getting a whole new bike. Probably would do it for a steel road frame I have, if I don't like it I can go back.

Can let you ride mine if you don't mind the ridiculously short reach.

It handle extremely nimble without a front load, that you can make micromillimeter correction while cornering heavily, it one of those bike that if you came in too wide, you can easily corrected it, I actually found my old Cannondale CAAD10 to feel like a track bike after riding the 650B.

Adding more weight in the front make it handle more like a road bike, less nimble when starting off (wheel flop) but still have that ability to have micromillimeter steering input.

Thanks, but I think I want to experience it for longer. I am not good at picking
up subtle geometry differences straight away.
Looking at this chart it looks like I just need a fork with 69mm rake instead of the 43mm,
assuming I have a 73deg head angle.
http://www.somafab.com/archives/product/grand-randonneur-frame-set

That's for 650b tyres, if your head tube is 73 and running around 28mm tyres, you'd only need a fork rake of 57-60mm to give you a trail of 45 (give or take).

The Soma trail are smaller than average, mine is at 35mm with a 72mm head tube (70mm rake).

is this actually a low trail geometry?

Hard to do from photos, but performance road bike tend to have around 55-57mm of trail, a similar Eddy Merckx (Corsa) have a fork rake of 43mm.

Using the same 73 degree head angle;

Track bike have less rake (30mm) so usually have a trail around 60-65mm*.

Road bike have a bit more rake (let says 42mm), so a trail around 55-57mm.

Rando bike have a lots more (70mm), trail around 30-40mm.

*ever wonder why people put their tyres at a higher pressure on track bike? now you do.

would it be possible to create a low trail bike by just having a custom fork made for a
normal touring or road frame?

Is there anyone offering OTP forks that would do the job?

Thorn have a 55mm rake audax fork for £100, but that about as much I know.

Like that Shand very much. Good colour as well, looking to get my Genesis Day One powder coated, think that's the colour right there.

Is that one 'functional' only because it's got mudguards?

Would you like tesco bags hanging from the hoods?

What is this thread?

Somewhere to post pics of bikes that look like they'll work nicely, but aren't the gleaming jewels of the Bike Porn thread.

I think we need to have this discussion. I've been losing sleep.

Somewhere to post pics of bikes that look like they'll work nicely, but aren't the gleaming jewels of the Bike Porn thread.

I thought it was helping fill the glorious gap between 'street' fixys and touring bikes.

I think we need to have this discussion. I've been losing sleep.

This.

I thought it was only amey that kept getting this thread wrong?

Amey and miro_o both.

…probably a pearoast...

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Thats great, the guy has some really cool bikes too