I would like to get a little more of a chopper look to my bike, but don't want to chop the frame. Has anyone added raked trees to thier bike and extended the downtubes. I don't want it to look too extreme. I lowered it 2 inches. I was thinking of 5 degree trees with maybe +4 tubes. I also want to make sure the frame is still faily level. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Try doing a search, somebody in the last week posted a site where you can input info to find out exactly what angles and lengths will work properly. You need to be careful of compromising the rake and trail or you'll pay for it in poor or even dangerous handeling qualities.

 

Raked trees are meant to correct the trail when a frame has been raked. They should seldom be used with a stock frame/rake as the trail might be reduced to the point of causing high speed instability - the dreaded high speed wobble aka tank-slapper.

When you say you lowered it, do you mean you lowered it in the rear? If so, you changed (increased) the rake slightly. Maybe, and it is only a maybe, you could get away with some 3 degree raked trees. But you really need to do the calculations to make sure.

Another option would be to see what 3 degree cups (same as raking frame 3 degrees) and 3 degree trees would give you for trail.

And yet another option is one of the kits available that provide the trees, fork tubes, etc. and are set up for the correct rake and trail. Personally I don't care for how they look as the fork tube angle is too far from the actual neck angle. It just doesn't flow right to my eye.

One last thing; the term downtubes generally refers to the front legs of the frame, and can refer to the rear downtubes (seat post, except there are two of them) on some older Sporty frames, but doesn't ever mean the fork tubes.

Link to trail calculator site: http://www.rbracing-rsr.com/rakeandtrail.html