Straight TT vs angled TT

[SamuelJames]

Is there any advantages to either or is it a more aesthetic thing?  I'm not talking about mixte vs other, but say a Roadeo vs Hillborne.  Thanks

[Steve Palincsar]

Do you want your handlebars high or low?

[Garth]

Sure ... you can get higher bars without resorting to a tall stem.  Having ridden bikes with tall stem and a sloping TT .... the sloping ones feel a whole better than a tall stem on a flat TT.  Plus , a sloping TT is good for the manufacturer as it can fit more people for a given size.

I'm so glad they are available these days. Three cheers for change in frame design !!!

[numbnuts]

Hey All,
I mention this because nobody else has...yet. Maybe never, which would mean that I am alone on this one, but here goes.

One of the things I have noticed as TTs have become angled is that they are less comfortable to lean up against. Too much slope and you end up on the seat, which is a totally different arrangement.

I like them flat, or nearly so.

And don't get me started on where to put the cable guides....

All the best,
Chris
Redding, Ca.

[Kelly Sleeper]

At 6'5" tall I can say I'm tired of compact frames and the 10 feet of seat post going back and the angled stem going forward.. (since I had to live with it for the last 10 years)  Most my bikes now still have a touch to much stem for my taste, but much better than the old plastic race bike or even the old tour bike. 

I have them set up so differently that it's hard to compare my AHH and Bombadil.  Both ride wonderfully.    For me it's more of the look you want.   And I'm thinking more Atlantis vs Hilbourne shrug  Wife has a Roadeo.. hard to beat the looks on that bike. 

Kelly

[Michael_S]

Depends on your body type too. Long leg/Shorter torso people have a  harder time getting bikes to fit with flat top tube without a taller stem. Those of us with longer torsos can have a taller frame and can keep the stem in a lower position. 

 

Other than the "make fewer sizes advantage" its all about looks. To the traditionalist, the sloping top tube is unsightly at best. 

 

~mike 

[newenglandbike]

I think it goes like this:

If you start from the bottom bracket there are really two vectors that completely determine how a frame fits the rider.     One is the vector from the bb to the top of the headtube, and the other vector  being from the bb to the top of the seattube.      If you keep these two vectors fixed they determine theoretical toptube length.    If the bb->st vector changes in magnitude, bounded by the top of the seat lug, you get top-tube slope.    Lowering the seatlug along the angle of the bb-st vector results in a sloping top-tube, which has two effects:   decreasing the lower bound on of the seatpost adjustment range, and lowering the top-tube on one end.     A lower top-tube yields lower standover clearance, and decreasing the lower bound on seatpost adjustment range allows shorter people to ride a given frame.    Whether these folks will be comfortable or not, of course, depends on whether they are comfortable with the theoretical tt length, which does not change in this process.

Apologies if that did not make any sense.  It's saturday morning and I have no idealwhy I'm up right now.


Matt

[Montclair BobbyB]

Amen, Kelly... I couldn't agree more.

[dpco]

I am one of those "long leg/short torso" guys. My Ram and now my
Roadeo fit me perfectly. They are a nice compromise between
traditionalist and sloping.
Don C.

[SamuelJames]

Thanks for the insight, I am curious because I will be receiving a San Marcos next week.  My current frame is straight TT and the SM is slightly angled, looks to be a little less then the Hillborne.  Will let you know how it fits.