If I recall correctly, there was a Schwinn Paramount in the early to mid 80's with a curved seat tube. I think Schwinn advertised this a providing quick cornering, perhaps aimed at criterium riders,
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Houston, TX
I bought my JT curve tube from Dennis Stone at Stone's Cyclery in Alameda, CA about 10 years ago. At the time, Dennis told me that the curve tubes were built as hill climbing bikes. While I can't confirm the validity of this, I will say that it is a nice bike to ride in the hills. The stiff rear triangle always makes me feel like a faster climber, and the relaxed steering geometry makes for stable handling on the high speed descents. Mine is a six speed, so it has a good climbing gear, but spins out pretty quickly on the downhills.
Jonathan Botkin El Cerrito, CA
Message: 12 Date: Thu, 07 Nov 2002 13:27:07 -0500 From: "Daniel Artley" <dartley@co.ba.md.us> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Subject: [CR]Curved Seat Tube Jack Taylor Question
While we've been on the subject, I'm a proud owner of a recently acquired = curved tube Jack Taylor path racer / time trial frame. When showing my = baby off, I've had a couple of friends ask: Why is the tube curved? = Obviously to get the wheel tighter to the BB. But I really don't have The = Answer.
Does it make it a better climber? (wouldn't hurt with riding fixed) Is it = something to do with aerodynamics? (I know tandems use the curved seat = tube in back to tuck the stoker up against the Captain for an aerodynamic = advantage) A shorter wheelbase on a tandem might make the frame stiffer = producing less sinuosity. But how about the single? Its frame is so = light weight that there is a bit of whippiness even with the tighter rear = triangle. Does it make the bike handle quicker? With plenty of fork rake = this bike is quite stable, a real no hands machine. It doesn't seem to = handle differently from most bikes. What was the real purpose behind this = design?
Curious,
Dan Artley
Parkton, Maryland