The Italian brand Maino used triple-plate crowns on their bikes in the first half of the 20th century. The oldest one that I have seen is from the teens. They even used a depiction of this fork crown on their headbadges.
I also have one on my Ganna bike from the 40's shown here:
http://www.wooljersey.com/
It seems that this design feature gives wet dreams to many on this list. Personally, I have never understood the attraction apart from the fact that it is something 'different.' I am certain that had a frame builder offered me a choice of either twin-plate or 'standard' fork crown at the time, I would have selected the 'standard' one. It would be neat to hear what others have to say about this choice. I don't believe the twin-plate design was either lighter or stronger, so the question that comes to my mind is: why?
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Steven Maasland
Moorestown, NJ