You have opened Pandora's box! There are many things that go into how a bike handles and while it's possible to list those things, it's the interaction amongst them all, something that's impossible to firmly quantify, that gives a bicycle it's feel on the road.
The only bit of advice I'll offer is that you can change at least some of your bike's handling characteristics by swapping out parts that aren't welded onto the frame! Tires. Any fit-related item that changes weight distribution. And perhaps most drastically, changes of fork rake. I own a custom built single that handled a bit too stolidly for me and swapped the fork with another to make the handling snappier - this had exactly the result I was hoping for and I couldn't be happier with the change.
-S-
Roadgiant@cs.com wrote:
>
> My Fuji has a 10 1/2 inch high bottom bracket with a 39 1/2 inch
> wheelbase. I've noticed that it doesn't descend the canyons around here quite
> as well as my Bianchi with lower BB height. The Fuji is a bit jumpy and
> skittery (as am I going 35 down the twisties)
> What makes a bike handle well on downhills? And what makes it climb
> well?
> And why is it that so many people selling on ebay can't spell?
>
> Scott Smith
> LA
>
> _______________________________________________
--
Steve Freides