Front end heights

[flowrider]

I have a Scream with Shivers. The fork came with an integrated stem but I'm not using it at the moment.

What are the benefits of having a lower front cockpit versus' a taller bar and stem? Other than feel and individual preference is there really a difference? What say you? Chopper or no chopper?

[bbike]

with chopper style you can manual or wheelie or pull up easier in general. With the lower cockpit, you are in a more agressive stance (which is good) and makes it easier to do heel clickers which is the most important thing:)

[trail worker]

with a lower front end,you'll be able to "get over" the bike a bit better to push it into corners.i find a taller front end is easier to pull up,but is a little less stable.

[WBC]

Originally posted by bbike
and makes it easier to do heel clickers which is the most important thing:)

Which you're so pro at?

So many peoples' front ends are too goddamn tall. You lose all fine control. It's like a penis extension or something to have huge height. Tall people are a little different, but almost everyone I ride with has their bars as high as they go...

The performance difference of having a shorter front end is huge. I run mine as low as I can (which is pretty damn low considering). It just gives a lot more control and makes the bike so much easier to throw around.

[flowrider]

Hmmm. Keep your thoughts coming.

I imagine that for DH (Whistler) a low front end would be desireable and for Shore stuff a taller front end would be good.

[inshane]

The lower your front end is the more room you have to lift the bike up and throw it around. That makes sense right?
Because if you have your bars up at chest hight, your arms are already extended way up in the air. Theres not much room to lift the bike up or to even get over the front end.

[flowrider]

Ahh I see so by having a tall front end that's the reason why I suck at catwalks and have absolutely no skill at manualling?

[trail worker]

Originally posted by flowrider
Ahh I see so by having a tall front end that's the reason why I suck at catwalks and have absolutely no skill at manualling?

hahaha,well that's part of the problem there steve;) JK

i like the feeling of a lower front end personally.that bolt on stem is the shit too..it's super stiff..no flex whatsoever

[flowrider]

Originally posted by trail worker
hahaha,well that's part of the problem there steve;) JK

i like the feeling of a lower front end personally.that bolt on stem is the shit too..it's super stiff..no flex whatsoever

Yeah I suppose I should give it a try. You also don't have to worry about twisting the bars either which I did twice at Whister last weekend.

[trail worker]

may as well give it a whirl..i found it so stiff it was amazing..felt weird compared to any other stem/bar i had ridden.

[crazyguy]

instead you get to worry about bent bars i would rather twist my bars then bend them but if i had an intergrated stem by all means i would use it

[Mr. Charles]

you want somewhere in the middle.

for cornering, you lose the proper traction if bars are too high, and lose the control if bars are too low.

[WBC]

Originally posted by BoyBoy
you want somewhere in the middle.

for cornering, you lose the proper traction if bars are too high, and lose the control if bars are too low.

true, but with 6-8" downhill forks, your bars could never be so low to where they kill control.

The marzocchi integrated stem is amazing. I'm running it on my monsterT with a RF 31.8 bar. I feel ZERO flex. I LOVE IT!! One thing...you MUST RUN A HEADLOCK. There is only one bolt keeping your front end tight. A headlock removes all issue, but if you don't do that, then ovalization is a serious threat.

:)

[Alexey]

Originally posted by WBC
Which you're so pro at?

So many peoples' front ends are too goddamn tall. You lose all fine control. werd man... i hate seeing huge 3 inch rise bars on a short stem with a 5 inch fork and a 24 rear wheel.. pisses me off.

higher front end usually means slacker head angle which means it is more suited for downhill

[Captain Da]

i know, my old bike was like that, tall front end, because the idiot shop i bought it from put on like 10 spacers under the stem and at the time i didn't think having a tall front end was a problem

but now that i've got a bike with a lower front end i realize that it's so much easier to do everything, especially dirt jumping and trails with a lower front end

[EC Biker]

Having a somewhat raked out fork is better for taking up forward impacts as in a rocky/rooty DH course. It will help you roll over obstacles easier. Personally, I have my Monster T as low as I can get it, but it is still pretty tall.

[Millstone]

You guys do know that spacers, stems, and bars don't change the head angle of a bike right?

[Captain Da]

Originally posted by phlegm
You guys do know that spacers, stems, and bars don't change the head angle of a bike right?

i do at least