Quote:
Originally Posted by Grant-53
The concern that the height and length of the tail could affect stability in crosswinds is valid.
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My personal concern with long straight tails has pretty much always been more about the length than the angle. to make a straight cone that doesn't get seperation at its front edge means you have to make it much longer than the compuund curve of a teardrop. the longer you get the more you get into skin drag, and other factors, as well as the weight of/in the tail lifting the front of the bike. even with a compuond curved tail, my bike is about 2-3 feet longer than the streamlining template. the straight tailed bikes are almost twice as long as the template.
P.S. I always look at the profile from the top. the side view profile is mostly irrelevant, save for clearance, and a single continuous shape.