On paper I should absolutely hate this Bikes geometry. In reality, I can’t believe how good it feels, and cant really work out why...
Its got a reach in XL of 465mm and chainstay of 485mm, low BB and slack head angle (with my Mullet setup - 160mm Pike).... Its like a Frankenbike. Maybe it’s because I’m tall? I’m really trying to work out why it works so well... For my size, its got a crazy quick steering and super nimble, but stable front end... and stable rear.. On steeper sections it feels super planted and stable (prob due to slack HA). It turns incredibly quick. I can even wheelie it easier than many other bikes.
It also got me thinking about bike geometry in general. And why chain stays are (mostly) constant across all bike sizes, whilst reach and most other measurements change.
For example, a YT decoy in XXL has a 495mm reach. And the frame size small, its reach is 415mm; 8 centimetres shorter. But chain stay is the same 442 mm across all sizes. Just thinking out loud here. but surely rear centre / front centres should also grow / shrink with bike size and rider size.
Im not an expert rider by any means but having ridden many different eeb's, I am at the stage where I can feel what I like, and what I don't with geometry. The the Stylus just...works. I'd honestly ride any terrain on this bike (especially now in the Mullet setup, sub 64 degree head angle). I am not a style monster in my riding, cant really manual / whip, so maybe a folks that can would hate its long chain stay,
Just thinking out loud here by the way, myself and
@TheBikePilot rate it highly. I'd honestly considered returning the bike as I thought I'd not really like it. But I am loving how it rides, and its just puzzling as the geometry is so 'opposite' what I think should work...