Quoth Charles Andrews:
>I have to differ with Mr. Coopland, at least based
>on my observation of pictures of the Tour de France
>from the 1920s. It appears that frame size was quite
>varied, but the general trend was taller frames with
>not-much seat-post showing.
>
>I've wondered if sizing and seat-to-pedal distances weren't
>considered somewhat differently then? Could it be that
>at times it was thought that less leg-extension was somehow
>a good thing? Thus, saddles were lower than they would be
>today?
>
>Numerous pictures I've seen of riders in the 20s suggest tall
>frames, short posts, and short stems were the rule... a Gloria
>catalog I have, from about 1940, shows this very clearly, too.
This was even more pronounced on 1890s and early 20th century safties.
My theory is that when the safety replaced the high-wheeler, it took men quite a while to get around to the idea of a bike that you could stand over--they were in the habit of mounting "cowboy style" on the fly, and didn't expect to be able to straddle the top tube.
Ladies, with their step-through frames _did_ have this option, but for the manly-man, a big tall frame with a nice long head tube "looked" better...
Sheldon "Had A Too Big Bike As A Child" Brown
Newtonville, Massachusetts
+------------------------------------------------+
| My brother will be having a one-man show at |
| The Yellow Barn Gallery, Glen Echo Maryland |
| Saturday November 1, noon-7:00; |
| Sunday November 12 Noon-5:00 |
| Reception Nov. 1 4:00-6:00-see you there! |
| http://junila.com |
+------------------------------------------------+
--
Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041
http://harriscyclery.com
Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com
Useful articles about bicycles and cycling
http://sheldonbrown.com