Bob, you might be taking this out of context. My original posting (and I am not the op in this set of threads!) did not recommend designing bicycles with high CGs. It related some info about high CGs based on very basic physics. Slower to tip might be better from perhaps a touring bike point view, but not for a performance-oriented bike. I agree with low BBs and low CGs for stability, which has been explained as "sure-footedness," by Dale and others.
Ken Freeman Ann Arbor, MI USA
-----Original Message----- From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of bobhoveyga@aol.com Sent: Monday, January 01, 2007 4:15 PM To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: [CR]Re: BB height
"Clear as mud is right." The broomstick example may be unassailable from a physics standpoint but it is counter to the design principles of race cars and motorcycles where low center of gravity is one of the the holy grails of sure-footed handling (and resistance to roll in turns in the case of autos). There's also a certain human comfort factor in being low to the ground which may not have much to do with the physics of bike handling but which most of us could easily relate to. Honestly now, which of the following bikes do you think YOU would feel more stable/comfortable on?
http://www.rocketboom.org/
http://www.2blowhards.com/
Bob Hovey Columbus, GA
<<So IMHO, stability is as clear as mud. >>
Ha ha! I like that summary!
<< I would like to hear your definition of stability, as you meant it. >>
I am hardly as analytic and technical as those others... But to me, in bicycle handling as we want to describe it, "stability" is going fast through a corner or curve... especially one with undulations... with a high degree of steadiness and predictability. The very best bikes seem to track and respond to line changes so surefootedly, it is noticeable. Definitely due to that low BB! :)
Dale Brown Greensboro, North Carolina USA
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