And as you know, photos rarely capture the significance of the grade. Those late 80s geos are basically like small, flat bar road bikes with a bit fatter tires. A geo responsible for popularizing if not coining the term "endo", so not terribly confidence-inspiring.
On Thursday, February 4, 2021 at 7:58:26 AM UTC-5 john...@gmail.com wrote: > Thanks Mark. That middle photo looks just like a descent I rode a lot in > the summer here in Belgium. Wasn't from 500m elevation though :-) > I rode it on a late 80s vintage MTB with no QR, so that was interesting. > > Cheers, > Johnny > > On Thu, 4 Feb 2021 at 13:49, Mark Roland <absolut...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Johnny wrote: >> *do the long stays give more traction and stability and a more laid back >> position so it's not necessary to hang off the back of the saddle so much? * >> >> Short answer: In my experience and opinion, the longer stays contribute >> to a more stable descent. >> >> I am not an expert gonzo descender, but I ride most of my bicycles up the >> Mount Beacon service road. It is steep in places and very steep in other >> places, with rutty, rocky, loose dirt conditions most of the year. You will >> quickly build up a serious amount of speed without judicious scrubbing with >> the brakes. >> >> While I don't have a dropper post on any of my bikes, or suspension for >> that matter, a number of bikes I've gone down on have the seat post quick >> release capability, and when I remember, I put the seatpost down, which >> puts you in a better control position and makes a different. >> >> With my Clem Ls and my Susie, I don't have the quick release. Yet the >> downhills feel more manageable and my body does not feel super pitched >> forward as on a NORBA geo or even a traditional 80s mtb, with lower bars. >> As you surmise, the more laid back position on the bike helps. You also >> feel the bumps and moguls a bit less with the longer end--you're not >> sitting right at the back of the bus. This is on a road with only a couple >> of sharp turns and lots of straightaway. And it may be that adding a >> dropper would make a Hillibike even more pleasant on a descent. But unless >> you are doing lots of steep, long, or tricky downhills on sketchy stuff, >> I'm not sure it would be needed. >> >> My first Clementine/Clem L at the top. >> >> [image: IMG_0285(2).JPG] >> >> [image: IMG_0280.JPG] >> >> [image: IMG_20201023_080135686(2).jpg] >> Susie about to head down. >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the >> Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/Mkq0fTUm0vc/unsubscribe >> . >> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to >> rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >> To view this discussion on the web visit >> https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/41feb6c2-7a6c-4692-83d4-eecabe4c74a5n%40googlegroups.com >> >> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/41feb6c2-7a6c-4692-83d4-eecabe4c74a5n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >> . >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/8bf40360-ef81-415f-a30e-45ac219c136dn%40googlegroups.com.
