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A bit off topic, but the actual geometry of a bike noticeably affects its stability. It is my understanding that the head angle (the angle from vertical of the
by todd8 4y ago
A bit off topic, but the actual geometry of a bike noticeably affects its stability. It is my understanding that the head angle (the angle from vertical of the pivoting part of the fork) and the fork offset (the distance between the front axle and the center axis of the fork) affect how stable the bike feels to ride.
Subjectively, my new gravel bike is considerably less stable than my road bike, and my road bike wasn't as stable as my tri-bike. The road bike we easy to steer and I could easily ride it with my hands off of the handlebars. The less stable feeling gravel bike on the other hand feels quicker to steer, but I wouldn't try to ride is without using my hands.
- Matthias247 4y agoBottom bracket height is also a very important metric - the lower it is, the lower will be the center of gravity. This helps stability. Regarding your example: It's actually suprising, because Gravel bikes are supposed to be more stable than road bikes (less turns on gravel roads, and the extra stability offroad is helpful). Cyclocross bikes are the less stable cousin of gravil bikes - they are supposed to turn quicker for race courses. But since all bike categories have lots of models inside them, there's always a full spectrum in terms of geometries. At the extreme end of bikes are downhill bikes, which have super long wheelbases and relaxed steering angles (< 64°). That helps them maintaining their course over super rough surfaces, besides an abundant amount of suspension.