Cockpit tuning

[Futant]

I know nothing a bout MX but as far as MTB is concerned I can see no rationale for aligning the rise with the fork /headset angle. Pressure on the fork is not applied by the bars it comes from the ground and is a vertical force yet the forks are canted at whatever head angle the bike has...typically 63 to 65 degrees. . The forks have have offset , the stem length/rise varies bike to bike.........none of them align with the angle of the forks to a vertical upward force from the ground.

First off I am not here to argue as I am just a weekend warrior of sorts. But I do have some knowledge in this area albeit not on the professional level. Anyway, I’ll try my best to explain this. We do impart downward force on the bars while we ride. It isn’t as drastic as the upward force of the terrain I’ll give you that. But we are preloading our forks through the majority of the ride. Sometimes by just getting out over the bars in an aggressive stance and other times preloading the fork before a jump or series of rocks or any rough terrain. And if you are not I’d say you and I are on different level and completely different riders. Next I’ll ask you, have you ever noticed how your forks are so nice and smooth when going straight but on occasion you hit something at an angle and All of a sudden the fork is harsh? That because to force applied is at a different trajectory than the direct and intended route. This is the binding in the fork being applied and basically torquing the upper and lower tubes on themselves.
So if you roll your bars back in the cockpit this will essentially create the same nonlinear pressure on the forks. This causes a binding of sorts. That’s my best attempt to explain.

 

[Mikerb]

First off I am not here to argue as I am just a weekend warrior of sorts. But I do have some knowledge in this area albeit not on the professional level. Anyway, I’ll try my best to explain this. We do impart downward force on the bars while we ride. It isn’t as drastic as the upward force of the terrain I’ll give you that. But we are preloading our forks through the majority of the ride. Sometimes by just getting out over the bars in an aggressive stance and other times preloading the fork before a jump or series of rocks or any rough terrain. And if you are not I’d say you and I are on different level and completely different riders. Next I’ll ask you, have you ever noticed how your forks are so nice and smooth when going straight but on occasion you hit something at an angle and All of a sudden the fork is harsh? That because to force applied is at a different trajectory than the direct and intended route. This is the binding in the fork being applied and basically torquing the upper and lower tubes on themselves.
So if you roll your bars back in the cockpit this will essentially create the same nonlinear pressure on the forks. This causes a binding of sorts. That’s my best attempt to explain.

we will have to agree to .....disagree. The majority of force on a set of works is not in line with the angle of the headset and forks are manufactured with that in mind.........some obviously better than others. The bike in question has Fox 38s with 180mm travel. The larger stancions help deal with the tendency to bind and that tendency will also be greater the longer the travel the fork delivers. Interesting concept though.