"John W" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:Hopefully it will not throw off your head tube angle enough to give the bike bad handling traits.
Factory bikes with 26" front wheels have different head tube angles than bikes with 20" front
wheels. This is to compensate for the larger wheel.
This did occur to me. Allow me to quote my earlier post on this subject (7/22/03):
"According to my measurements, installing a 26" front wheel and fork will yield a BB height of 32.5"
and a seat height of 27"--that's 8.5" higher up front and 3" higher on the seat than stock. It will
also increase headset angle by 9 degrees."
I had to dust off my high school trig to get that last number. I expect that extra 9 degrees will
make it feel more "chopper-like," though not extremely so. Ever chopperize a bike when you were a
kid? I had a bike once with three forks shoved one into another. With the bananna seat I could slide
to the rear of the seat--I didn't know back then that I was riding a "semi-recumbent." It wasn't too
safe though, since the forks would separate from each other from time to time. But that was a
simpler time: no "lawyer lips" on bike forks, no bike helmets, and certainly no geeky spandex bike
clothes. A really cool bike back then was a 5-speed with the T-handle shifter on the top tube
(nevermind the obvious safety concerns!) When we got tired of riding bikes, we could always play
lawn darts.
But I digress... back to the extra 9 degrees on the steerer tube. I won't know for sure how it
steers 'till the fork comes in at the LBS. I expect it'll be less than optimal but not really
"dangerous." This has never been a "hands-off" kind of bike anyway. When I tested an EZ-1 a while
back, it had a pretty steep steer-tube angle, but that bike has very little front-wheel loading. The
VR-40, in comparison, has about 45% of the weight on the front wheel (now). My only area of concern,
if I stick with the 26x26 configuration long term, is potholes and other road shocks: the steeper
headset angle will necessarily put more side loading (torque) on the fork and headset. The VR-40
frame is reinforced at the headset, however, and the 2-inch chromoly construction seems to be
over-engineered for the task anyway. Who knows? A little fork flex might even give a smoother ride,
barring huge road hazards. (ATP Vision reps are even now making notes from this post in case I
should try to make a warantee claim on a broken frame down the road.)
As for seat height, I may be able to get it down an inch or so by drilling holes in the front mount
and passing the QR through these holes instead of the slots. Again, I'd still have the slots
available to me. Everything I'm doing here is 100% reversible (assuming no big wrecks!) I love this
bike too much to mess it up. Vision makes well-engineered, well-thought-out bikes. After I finish
experimenting I may very well put it back the way it was.
Bottom line: I want to try riding a highracer but I don't have 2 grand lying around right now.
Bill Anton 2001 Vision R-40 SWB, OSS Lubbock, TX, USA
