At 10/22/2004 04:33 AM -0400, Carb7008@cs.com wrote:
>I've often wondered if any listers know of other bike frames that were made
>like the Professional Mk IV with the oversize oval plates that finish the top
>of the seat-stays? They seem so odd, almost as if the factory didn't want to
>take the time to grind the plates flush. Yet, I doubt this reason since
>this was
>close to, if not, their top model. They took the time to slightly wrap them
>around. Could it be just cosmetic in order to distinguish it from
>others...was
>there a dedicated Brooks tool-bag that used the lips for
>attachment...something to do with laminar flow?
>
>Jack Romans
>Rains have Started Sacramento,
>Not so Sunny California
When they first came out, I read that they went oversize to get a better bond between cap and stay. The stays were so thin that there wasn't much brazing contact area, and supposedly they were using silver to attach the caps.
As a part time framebuilder, this makes perfect sense to me. In a production environment, you wouldn't count on a nice little mini-fillet forming on the inside. But you could be sure of one on the outside.
Mark Stonich;
BikeSmith Design & Fabrication LLC
http://bikesmithdesign.com