>>1045079>That raised driveside chainstay is pretty clever. I wonder if it has any effect on the overall stiffness/strength of the rear triangle.Consensus in the 90s was that these frames are noodly as fuck in the BB area. Maybe they'll do better with modern materials. Also, almost all of the 90s bikes had both stays elevated, which probably made frame flex a lot worse.
>>1045081>>1045083The elevated driveside chainstay is pretty much necessary if you want a short rear end + fat tires + a decent chainline. It's for tire-to-chainring clearance; note how tight they are and how there's no room for a chainstay between them.
The left side has no chainring to clear.
>>1045086Sometimes, symmetry is just a hobgoblin of simple minds. Bikes are already asymmetric in nature due to the drivetrain; acknowledging this frees up constraints on the frame geometry significantly (especially when wide tires are involved)
I can think of several other asymmetric frame designs. For example, the mid-2000s Specialized Epic had a *dropped* driveside chainstay on the rear suspension to clear the front derailleur cage.
>>1045087>speshul snowflaekSingle elevated stay is definitely a "thing" for 2017, the new Salsa Woodsmoke has one as well. Expect to see more come out this year as we continue to move towards 3" wide tires, slack HT angles, and ever-shorter chainstays.
