Humans are enormously adaptable and when operating any vehicle we quickly grow to subconsciously expect a certain result from a given input. Any variation from this feels a bit "off". So any bike that handles and rides like your favorite bike will be perceived to handle well. Others, not so much.
Fit has a lot to do with it too. Many years ago someone asked Kevin Kvale (Chris' brother) to ride his bike and tell him what he thought of the handling. Kevin replied "To give you a proper evaluation I'd have to install my seat, bars & wheels and ride it for a month.".
My "Best Handling Bike" depends on where we're going. With it's plain gauge 531 main tubes and 2030 blades and stays, my Raleigh Super Course Mk II handles beautifully in smooth roads. But when the surface deteriorates so does the ride and handling. My long wheelbase Trek 720 is great for bad roads or with a moderate load. But with 531CS it's built too lightly to handle well with a heavy load. Sometimes I like a quick handling bike, but I don't want to be on one near the end of a long ride, when I'm tired.
At 1/31/2010 12:28 PM -0500, Andrew R Stewart wrote:
>To add to Lou's post.
>
>Frame size, wheels and rider build also have major effects on bike
>handling. Our bias further confounds any description we can write
>and how another reads into it. Like speedman's wobble being present
>and problematic for one rider yet another on the same bike might not
>experience any.
>
>Attempts to place a value or description on bike handling can be
>like trying to compare art work. We do it all the time but it
>doesn't really mean much.
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: <loudeeter@aol.com>
>To: <Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
>Sent: Sunday, January 31, 2010 12:19 PM
>Subject: [CR] Was: gios frames, Now: How bikes ride
>
>
>>I personally have a difficult time commenting about the ride of a
>>particular brand unless I know for sure whether the bike was built
>>custom or "off-the-rack". If it was custom, but the reader doesn't
>>know that, then commenting about the ride gives the impression that
>>most bikes of that brand are built with that particular geometry,
>>tubeset, etc. If it was from that builder's standard issue bike
>>geometry, then the comment may have more credibility and
>>merit. Unless you know for sure the history of the bike, it makes
>>for interesting reading, but really doesn't tell us the whole
>>story. Not calling anyone out here, but just a comment in general
>>about classifying bikes by their ride. Lou Deeter, Orlando FL USA
>
>Mark Stonich;
> BikeSmith Design & Fabrication
> 5349 Elliot Ave S. Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417 USA
> Ph. (612) 824-2372 http://bikesmithdesign.com
> http://mnhpva.org