Can you elaborate on "relaxed geometry" road bikes please.

Ezy Rider

When i was at a bike fitting , i said on no account was i interested in bum in the clouds and face on the floor riding position. The fitter told me i dont have the flexibility anyway and my bike was set up with 25mm difference in height between saddle and headset. I know there are road bikes out there where the design is intentionally aggressive and its all about speed , I also know there are road bikes out there which claim to have "relaxed geometry" with the intention of providing its rider with a higher degree of comfort. I was in a bike shop and was just casting my untrained eyes over out and out racers and sportive types , and i couldnt see the difference :oops:

Where exactly are the differences in a relaxed geometry road bike which make it more comfortable that i am not seeing ?

nochekmate

Large headtube is usually one way to pick out 'relaxed geometry' pretty quickly.

mcj78

The above, which will mean you'll have a slightly more upright position on the bike - this can also be achieved by a stack of spacers on your steerer, however a giant stack of spacers on a race-oriented bike kinda defeats the purpose & looks a bit daft! Also, a "slack" head tube angle is also a common indicator of "relaxed geometry" - a slacker had angle will effectively mean the bars are angled back slightly towards you resulting in more stable, predictable handling as opposed to racier bikes which will have a steeper head angle & resultantly sharper, sometimes even twitchy handling.

Slack head angle:


Steep head angle:


Hope that makes sense - bikes with slack head angles usually have the same principle applied to the seat tube angle, which means your weight will be a bit further back too & you won't end up with your nose perched on the front tyre!

Don't be afraid to try plenty of bikes out 'till you find one that you feel comfortable on, don't be afraid to ask questions in the shops either - make them earn their wages & explain everything to you properly

J

ilm_zero7

two good contrasting pictures - also worth noting that the clean bikes forks are more forgiving in handling than the near vertical brown bike

MichaelW

Relaxed geometry usually are setup for long day rides at a steady pace rather than sprint action. They may have longer chainstays which make the bike more stable and less agile and may also permit wider tyres and carrying rear luggage.
The headtube is higher and the fork steerer is longer to raise the bars.
Relaxed fit bikes generally use lower gearing such as compact double chainsets.

Note in the lower picture (muddy Richards sachs cyclo-cross bike) that the headtube angle has been altered by the rider during use. I did this once by riding into the back of a mini. Such alterations are a Bad Thing; if you want to change your frame angles, leave it to the professional frame-makers.

Ezy Rider

this is all great info guys and i thank you

i bought my currrent frame and forks from carbonzone in china and im very pleased with it so far. local bike guy said it is very race orientated and says the shape reminds him of scott bikes. in the summer , i might be thinking of a lightweight roadbike that is made specifically with relaxed geometry in mind , the sort that will be light and fast, but make long hours in the saddle a doddle. your info here certainly gives me areas to look into.

mcj78

MichaelW wrote:

Note in the lower picture (muddy Richards sachs cyclo-cross bike) that the headtube angle has been altered by the rider during use. I did this once by riding into the back of a mini. Such alterations are a Bad Thing; if you want to change your frame angles, leave it to the professional frame-makers.

haha - I didn't notice that at first, thought it was a bit much for a cx bike!