It's surely too simple to cover a broad range of cases but I've found that even though I have never used it as a guide, when I've got my bikes set up just the way I prefer, it happens that it perfectly describes where my bar ends up. So if it isn't universal- which it can't realistically be- it certainly works for me.
I'd forgot about that "rule" and hadn't heard it in decades.
Kurt Sperry Bellingham, Washington USA
On Thu, Nov 26, 2009 at 8:55 PM, Bill Gibson <bill.bgibson@gmail.com> wrote:
> Tops of the bars. But, some say the rule has no universal basis in a good
> fit. The research published in Bicycle Quarterly the past few years sheds
> light on the matter for me. Depends on whether the bike is designed to race,
> or carry a load in the rear or the front. But it worked really well on my
> early 70's Falcon, branded an Eddy Merkyx 531 db bike, which I used for
> everything. It had a GB stem and handlebars with the engraved outline of the
> UK near the stem...and eyelets on the back dropouts, so it wasn't just for
> racing. And, it was orange.
>
> Bill Gibson, Tempe, Arizona, USA, thinking about a ride...