I started riding MTB in '92. The industry has gone from longer stems and shorter bars to vice versa. And stack heights are higher today because the forks are so tall.
Last year I bought my first "modern" bike, a Jamis Dragonslayer. These modern bikes are freaking amazing but the riding positions are bizarre to me. I will compare it to my old "26 Cannondale.
Both bikes have almost identical top tube/reach measurements. Cannondale came with 120mm/-6 degree stem and 650mm bars. Jamis has 80mm/0 degree stem and 780mm bars. The bars on the Jamis are sky high with a much taller stack height, zero degree stem and riser bars.
I couldn't ride the Jamis with the stock set up. I'm sitting up way too high and back and my bar tips were getting caught in brush and hitting tree trunks because they're 10 feet wide. Can't climb or sprint sitting so far behind the front wheel like that and I can't feel what the front end is doing when pushing hard through curves. And the bike just feels huge. I switched to a 100mm/-6 stem and some 640mm flat bars I already had. It's perfect, feels like a totally different and smaller bike. The steering quickness is about the same if not quicker.
I'm just curious what the reasoning is for the change today. Honest question, not looking for drama or anything but I know how that can go on the internet lol
Last year I bought my first "modern" bike, a Jamis Dragonslayer. These modern bikes are freaking amazing but the riding positions are bizarre to me. I will compare it to my old "26 Cannondale.
Both bikes have almost identical top tube/reach measurements. Cannondale came with 120mm/-6 degree stem and 650mm bars. Jamis has 80mm/0 degree stem and 780mm bars. The bars on the Jamis are sky high with a much taller stack height, zero degree stem and riser bars.
I couldn't ride the Jamis with the stock set up. I'm sitting up way too high and back and my bar tips were getting caught in brush and hitting tree trunks because they're 10 feet wide. Can't climb or sprint sitting so far behind the front wheel like that and I can't feel what the front end is doing when pushing hard through curves. And the bike just feels huge. I switched to a 100mm/-6 stem and some 640mm flat bars I already had. It's perfect, feels like a totally different and smaller bike. The steering quickness is about the same if not quicker.
I'm just curious what the reasoning is for the change today. Honest question, not looking for drama or anything but I know how that can go on the internet lol