On Friday, Sep 20, 2002, at 08:17AM, Beyer Jr., Chris (C.C.) <cbeyer2@volvocars.com> wrote:
>It's horizontal dropouts, especially long ones, that bewilder me.........
I'm with Chris here. I don't think the question should be why vertical, but why NOT vertical? I can think of only one reason for a slotted "dropouts", adjustable chain tension. I'm a big fan of fixed-gears, single-speeds, and internal hubs, but outside of these applications I see no benefits to a slotted "dropout." A vertical dropout is lighter and stronger on top of the other advantages listed by others. Most of my personal bikes will always have some kind of slotted "dropout" because I don't use deraileurs on most of my bikes.
enjoy,
Brandon"monkeyman"Ives
SB, CA