In article
,
wrote:

Not really. Geometry only affects rider position and handling
dynamics. "Relaxed" generally means slacker tube angles to get the
rider's weight back and slow down steering. Any shaped frame can be
built to varying degrees of torsional stiffness, and vertical
compliance is a myth. The trend of adding taller head tubes is purely
for people who want higher bars without spacers.

That's exactly what I first thought too, hence the original question.
But it appears that this particularly view isn't commonly known and many
people still go out there to buy bikes based on the head tube length and
so called "relaxed" geometry. Seems all that marketing money spent
weren't wasted.
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