headangles

[Philbert]

whats the generic headangle of a race bike?

i want to build a bike for the track for next year. the frame i'm looking at is 75 but i'm used to riding 74.5 which has felt great.

will the steeper headangle hinder my performance on the track being steeper/faster turning or be better?

[dirtyvans]

interesting topic, i have no idea what head angle my old race bikes are, but they all feel real weird when you first get on them! like at mk etc, after a day riding them they start to feel nice, then my nu skool ramp bike feels weird when i get back on it

i'm getting a 75 head angle S&M soon and am slightly worried its gona feel twitchy riding trails, but hopefully will get used to it

soz i doubt that helps to much, i guess if you get used to it it doesnt matter

[Flying_fox]

Not sure what the angle of my dangle is.... The Standard head angle on my 125r is the the same as the rest of their frames I think. My S&M cruiser feels super nice, I think it must be about the same.

Those alloy disco race frames tend to be much steeper, I feel like bambi on ice when I ride them.

Not much help I know.

Just build a light bike up and ride it lots....

[MartyC]

Tyre size will also affect the head angle - larger tyre (e.g. 2.125) = more relaxed angle & slower turn in and a smaller tyre (e.g. 1.5) will make the angle steeper & have a shrper turn in and more twitchy front end.

I think you would be hard pushed to notice a .5 degree difference maybe 1 or more.

Marty 

[billstup]

Don`t forget that the head angle only stays the same if you have 2 tires which are the same size, if you put a bigger one on the front than the back then it would make the head angle a little bit shallower, perhaps as much as 1/2 degree  

[Dingobmxer]

head angle on my Kappa cruiser is 74, Dingo cruiser 74, usa made alloy quad 74 but I dont know about my S&M Neal Wood?

I find rear end (chain stay) length affects the handling on atrack more than ha

  DINGO

[darkersomeday]

head angle on my Kappa cruiser is 74, Dingo cruiser 74, usa made alloy quad 74 but I dont know about my S&M Neal Wood?

I find rear end (chain stay) length affects the handling on atrack more than ha

  DINGO

74.5 on the mighty wood

you'll get used to the 75 in no time phil,
it doesnt feel that twitchy, i prefer it

[Dingobmxer]

cool thanks Joe 

Phil why not get Gary at Johnny Chopper to make you a custom frame?

 http://www.johnnychopper.com/

I fancy one of their cruiser frames cos I cant see any 20" bettering my NW

  DINGO

[SaMAlex]

When I first built my 75deg LAF I put the tyres on the wrong way round (I thought they were the same size*). The fat on the back and skinnny on the front made for a MEGGA steap head angle, and it was rad! I did the most front hops Ive ever done!



*I got new tyres for my new bike when I built it a few years ago but I didnt know everyone had started using fat on front again. Ive not done that since the early 80s. Bloody Fashion!

[Bigplinky]

Leary Dirtwerx 74 with fat tyre on front, very nice

S&M RV24 73 with skinny tyre on front, perfect for a cruiser

Freeagent Limo est 75 as its steeper than the leary with fat tyre on front, I can ride it on the track but been old and slow prefer life a bit slower at 74 deg as it feels abit twitchy (even with 21" top tube)

Also I think the longer the top tube the less the headangle effects the bike as the wheelbase is getting longer making it more stable anyway.

[OrgasmDonor]

got an assassin n an elf both 21+ toptubes, both long as fook, the elf has a more slopy head angle (technical ) and is a dream to ride compared to the assassin, a steeper head angle on long frames seems to make the front end feel heavier but like plinky says, a lot more stable in the air. i raced a haro sport last year with bully freestyle forks with no rake on them at all and steering was really fast in the berms and i loved it. headangle/fork rake/ toptube length/tyre size and geometry all contribute im afraid, just choose the bike ya wanna build, convince yourself its gonna feel the nuts, n build it just don't have a go of anyone elses bike you think might be better

[Philbert]

thanks for the input people. much appreciated!

i think i'm gonna have to just go for an s&m ltf as standard are doing fook all at the mo and its the only other company i'd consider buying from. just been worried about the 75 degree headangle but i will be running fatty on the front and skinny on the back as its my flowy park and track bike!

right then. better get in touch with the people that can make things happen!

should have a new build to show you all in the new year! complete new school bike with a retro look about it

[Dingobmxer]

so would 74.5 be too tight on a cruiser???

  DINGO

[YGT]

out of all reality, nearly all advertised HA are wrong.
this is because all forks have different heights as there is no standard height size for 20" forks ...
Also all normal aheadsets have different sack heights.

most forks average in between 308mm - 322mm which will account for up to 0.75 headangle change before headsets and tires come into play.

[Dingobmxer]

out of all reality, nearly all advertised HA are wrong.
this is because all forks have different heights as there is no standard height size for 20" forks ...
Also all normal aheadsets have different sack heights.

most forks average in between 308mm - 322mm which will account for up to 0.75 headangle change before headsets and tires come into play.

Mark the bike I am looking at has the HA quoted when using their own forks, so would it be too steep?
my Dingo 24 and Kappa 24 have 74 HA sowould it be a big difference?

  DINGO