hi guys --

a few stupid, basic questions about frame geometry that i was wondering if you could please shed some light on for me:

i've got 2 new bike setups i'm planning to ride, one bike more so than the other. the first is that one-off frame, like a kuwa exhibitionist, i've been working on for a long time & finally recently finished (posted about it here a while back). the other's a newschool fuji/se quad freestyle frame i got from a guy on ebay a while back (i've always wanted to ride a quad!). i based the geometry of the frame i built on an older haro mirra/blammo frame, figuring their design would be pretty tried & true. it turns out that the frame's got a 21" top tube (measured from the centerline of the head tube to the centerline of the seat tube, at about the top edge of the top tube -- i assume this is how it's typically done), and a 15" rear end, from the c.l. of the bb to the c.l. of the axle in the middle of the slot. seems like it's on the longish end for a frame.

the quad has a top tube of about 20.375" and a rear end of about 14.5".

i plan to ride the quad more often, since the other bike's kind of a "dream bike" thing that i don't really want to carry around places with me & risk getting stolen or whatever -- it'd be harder to replace.

will there be a big difference in how the 2 bikes handle? i know pretty much nothing about frame geometry except that, in the old days, people used to talk about how longer bikes were more stable in the air & shorter bikes are better for flatland.

i'm worried about going back & forth between the bikes & having them feel way different. the stem, bars, cranks & seatpost are the same between the 2 bikes. and, for what it's worth, i'm a lousy rider who struggles with just the basics, so i'm sure i won't have a real conoisseur's "taste" for different frame geom's -- just wondering if the differences between these frames will be an issue even for a lame-o like me. i'm about 5'-11 to 6'-0, if that matters.

also -- can any of you guys shed light on what model year this quad i've got is? it's satin black, made of cr-mo, has stickers that refer to it as a "quadangle pro," and has one little sticker near the head tube that has this little "spidery-looking" symbol. the dropouts are a bit smaller on those early fuji/se quads that came out a few years back -- no built-in grind guard on the bottom of the drops. it's got a euro bb, and the down tube tapers way down in diameter to meet it (which i don't really like, to be honest -- i'd rather have an american bb) any idea what year this is? i haven't seen another one like it in my limited looking. what year did the new fuji/se start up? not that long ago, right?

i love the quad look, but don't care for the bb, and the head tube walls are a bit on the thin side, to me. but heck -- any quad's better than no quad!

thanks for your help!

drew j.

thanks!

I think Fuji bought SE around 2002. Your Quad might be a 2003. I think that was the color that year.

The back end length is a bit longer than current bikes. Traditionaly the Chainstay length is from the center of the BB to the center of the drop slots. Now peole are going by the center of the BB to the center of the axle in the slammed forward position. Now it's usually about 13.75".

The longer wheel base makes the bike more stable at high speeds. The longer rear end will make it tougher to wheelie but more balanced when it's there. A short rear end is easy to spin 360's and pop wheelies but it takes more attention when your front wheel is up.

BB height and stand over height also make a big difference impactiong the bikes center of gravity. If your two frames are different in that respect, you'll really notice the difference.

I don't know exactly what you want to know but I am here if you need more specific help.