Long Haul Trucker Cassette Question

[KnottedYet]

Generally it means the bike with the steeper head tube will be a bit more responsive.

It is almost entirely a subjective experience, something you want to try yourself.

In general a slacker head tube will be a bit more steady and predictable.

Again, very subjective. What feels responsive and lively to one person may feel twitchy and frightening to another. And what one person feels is smooth and like butter may feel sluggish to another.

Ride both. You'll fit the 42 or 46 LHT and probably a 42 CC. If you have to make a road trip to a shop with the bikes in stock, it might be worth it in order to get a test ride on each.

EDIT: WHOOOPS! I answered the wrong question! I was thinking about head tubes, and not about stem angle. Basically stem angle means nothing when comparing between bikes. It's about placement of the bars relative to the saddle. It's one of those things that will be different eight ways from Sunday depending on the geometry of the bike and the geometry of your body when it is happy. You change the angle, reach, height, length, color, flavor, personality of the stem to bring the bars closer or farther or higher or lower. One of those almost infinitely adjustable kinds of things. I've changed stems on two of my bikes. No biggie. (It's one of those fine tuning the fit things, like changing your saddle or its position.)