Quote Originally Posted by DebW View Post
I believe that steering feel depends entirely on trail, so 72 STA + 1.9 rake and 71.5 STA + 2.0 rake would give identical handling. And both bikes have identical wheelbases (but slightly different chainstay length) which is important for loaded touring. Is the bottom bracket height the same? So it looks like differences in the feel of your classic and isis could be due to both weight and frame material (tubing stiffness) but not geometry.
The bottom bracket height on Isis is 10.3 and Classic 10.4, which I consider vitually identical. Please clarify why the slight difference in chainstay length is important for loaded touring. Is it just to be sure that my feet can clear rear pannier bags, cuz Isis comes with rear rack stays and I have never had a problem with that, or would it have a significant effect on bike stability under load. The reason I am asking, is that while probably 90% of the time what I plan to do with my traveling Isis is fly in somewhere, and then go on fast group/solo rides, if I do not have to give up anything, it seems having her be capable of loaded touring (by loaded touring I don't mean tents and sleeping bags though) is a plus. Also, I was just planning a trip to Santa Barbara, and thought of riding to Solvang but then read that touring tires are recommended since a few parts of the ride are off road, so again having her be capable of something like this would also be nice. The other advantage of knowing this bike could do loaded touring is that it would let me let go of my classic, which is rusting but has brand new parts I could use for the build.

I also realize that she will still be steel, albeit light steel, and together with the s/s couplers weigh more than my racier ti bike. Therefore, building her up as more of a general use travel bike may make the most sense. That was how I used my bike friday. I bought a pocket rocket pro which was more of a racing model, but I still would use it for touring on packed dirt by putting on a rear rack and 1.35" wide tires. So it seems like if I build this same flexibility into my new travel Isis, its only gonna be a plus.

Another question, do you think center pull canitlivers or long reach side pull breaks are best? I know I should be discussing this with the frame builder, but since he is just retrofititng my bike with couplers and doing the fork, he doesn't seem interested in being real chatty about it all, I presume relative to a customer for whom he is building a complete bike.