frame angles - now and then

[konahed]

How have frame angles changed over the years? In particular the seat and head angles.

My 91 Kona has a seat of 73 degrees and head of 71 degrees. What's the usual now for hard tails?

 

[scant]

How have frame angles changed over the years? In particular the seat and head angles.

My 91 Kona has a seat of 73 degrees and head of 71 degrees. What's the usual now for hard tails?

so many different types of bike now, even hardtail angles vary massively

 

[Andy B]

it varies with the discipline that the bike is designed for as well as between brands.

My '03 Gringo (xc/trail) is 71/73 (head/seat)

Freeride & DH bikes will have slacker head & seat angles.

 

[scant]

the yeti ASR is a race bike & thats got a 69deg headtube. after some period of re-adjustment i'm loving the slacker head angle feel

 

[Kona Paul]

Kona race frames (scandium Kula's for example) still share the same angles as your frame, and 73/70 is pretty typical for modern Kona ht's designed to take 100mm forks. Voodoo's share the same Joe Muray geometry, as do many other bikes with a slight variation here and there.

 

[Anthony]

How have frame angles changed over the years? In particular the seat and head angles.

My 91 Kona has a seat of 73 degrees and head of 71 degrees. What's the usual now for hard tails?

Your Lava Dome has those angles only with the 39cm P2 fork that it was designed for. If you fitted a 94 or later P2, the head angle would go from 71 to just under 70. If you fitted an 80mm SID, it would go to c68.

There has been a tendency for head angles to diminish over the years, especially for frames designed for long travel forks. i.e., the range of travel on a 100mm fork is equivalent to 6 degrees of head angle, so if it started off at 71 it could be 77 at maximum compression and things could start to get a bit tricky.

There's also a tendency for makers to quote false head angles, because they know the buyers think 71 is 'right' so they say their frame gives 71 even though it doesn't. i.e., there's nothing wrong with the frame, it has a 69 angle because the maker thinks 69 is 'right' but rather than try to explain that, it's easier to say it's 71.

Kona did that for many years, but they now quote their angles correctly. For example, the 2008 catalogue says the Kula Supreme has a 69.4 angle and the Kula Deluxe has 68.3. The two frames are identical, but the Primo has a shorter fork, so its head angle is steeper. Both those angles are quoted, as they should be, with the fork sagged (i.e a rider on board, but no dynamic force on the fork).

 

[Max P]

Maybe I'm a crap rider but never noticed that much difference in riding various frames over the years. Biggest improvement (in a sort of geometry changing way) was the move away from those ridiculous 130 - 150mm stems we used BITD.

 

[Pickle]

Biggest improvement (in a sort of geometry changing way) was the move away from those ridiculous 130 - 150mm stems we used BITD.

I still use 130mm stems :roll:

First thing I did when I got my 07 Avalanche was remove the riser bar and 100mm stem and fit a straight bar with 130mm stem

 

[scant]

Biggest improvement (in a sort of geometry changing way) was the move away from those ridiculous 130 - 150mm stems we used BITD.

I still use 130mm stems :roll:

First thing I did when I got my 07 Avalanche was remove the riser bar and 100mm stem and fit a straight bar with 130mm stem

how tall are you? unless you're 6ft 9 then 130mm is too long, esp for such a modern bike. 6ft 4in friends of mine use 110mm stems as an example.
theres definately a period of relearning, but theres deffo more control once you're used to them.

 

[Pickle]

how tall are you? unless you're 6ft 9 then 130mm is too long, esp for such a modern bike. 6ft 4in friends of mine use 110mm stems as an example.

I'm 6', but this set up feels damn comfortable.....