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| *Vultures Knob>>>Mountain Bike |
Shorter chainstays - mountain bikes? |
What are the advantages and disadvantages of different chainstay lengths on a mountain bike? I read that some advantages of short chain stays (like 15 - 16 inches) include faster acceleration and greater agility. Are there any other advantages? What are some disadvantages? Thanks! Short chainstays are vital for ease in rear wheel balance if you do much in the way of stunts or trials type tricks. If you want to do this stuff, look for a street/urban/dirt jump frame that has the shortest chainstays....or if you really get into it, buy a dedicated trials frame. It's harder to pull or hold manuals and do rear hops on a 26" wheel to begin with (compared to 20" and 24" bmx bikes), but if you combine that with the normal 17-1/2" chainstay, it only gets worse. That's about their only real advantage. I don't think they're appreciably stiffer (faster acceleration) than other frames, so I can't say I'd count it as a realistic advantage at all. I've never been able to notice a difference. A bike's acceleration is much more affected by the overall weight, tire choice and inflation, fork choice, etc. The disadvantages to short chainstays are like what was said above. Usually less mud clearance, but with newer chainstay designs that's changing for the better. They definitely hurt when climbing....it'll be easier to spin out on steeps, especially if they're loose or technical. You can scooch up and put your umm.....taint.....right on the very edge of the nose of the saddle and it'll help compensate, but really the standard (longer) chainstays are better for climbing. It's just a matter of geometry and weight distribution. Most bikes with short stays also are rigged with a short stem, and that only compounds the climbing issues, so you have to work much harder, fail more often, and accept the limitations of this kind of frame. They generally aren't as good in downhill cornering, but some now are made with longer front sections to where you have a bike with short stays but nearly the same overall wheelbase. They're marketed in the dirt jump and hardtail freeride categories, but they're only a compromise for most riders. If you're shopping for a new frame, see if you can test out an assembled bike before you buy. Sometimes there are just worlds of difference in how a bike handles your input. Unless you want to get jiggy with the manuals, I'd focus more on the other aspects of the frame, such as head angles and bottom bracket drop and overall bb height. Those things make a much bigger difference in how your bike feels compared to the role that the rear end plays. So after all that braincandy, just keep in mind that ALL bikes are fun, and you can learn to do almost anything on almost any type of frame/bike. The specializations are refinements to help certain riders do certain things, but try not to get too caught up in it unless you really need to. Rear end geometry is a vital part of how a mtb works. Among the advantages are the things you mention (greater agility is arguably not one of them, actually), but there are some pretty significant disadvantages... 1) No clearance for mud or larger tires; 2) Requires an upright seat tube. This reduces the amount of weight you have over the rear wheel and limits traction, downhill handling, and the ability to climb; 3) Changes the chainline (angle of chain over the chainrings and rear cogs) often making shifting sluggish depending on how the bike is equipped; 4) Requires a longer bottom bracket drop (measurement from a line drawn between the center of the dropouts to the center of the bottom bracket) to allow correct front derailleur function which in turn lowers clearances for crank-to-ground; 5) "Skittish" handling in tight turns... Now you see the importance of having a well engineered frame. It is balance between all the negatives that make the positives work so well. Usually. 27 years in the industry Your are only going to accelerate as fast as you can pedal. A shorter crank might help that but not chainstays. (i guess the loss of a few links of chain due to the shorter stays might lighten up your drive trains rotational weight but I seriously doubt......lol) Where they are an advantage is it makes the wheelbase shorter, there for making the bike turn faster. It tucks the wheel under your but more. (BTW the shorter the chainstay the more likely you are to get a chain suck problem, especially if you hit alot of mud) |
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