Ah we are in my comfort zone. Yeah, Steve Maasland has it right but I can add a bit more. The older bikes did not come in a wide variety of sizes or colors. Also the secondary market was very big. Those old timers were pretty smart. They created a seat post that can be variably adjustable fore and aft but if you look closer it also adjusts up and down at the same time. This means you could bottom out on your seat post and still have some room to move the seat lower still. You see a lot of unusual adjustability on older bikes. Have you ever seen cranks with elongated pedal holes to accommodate long and short legs on the same bike. We are somewhat spoiled today with the infinite choices we have. In some ways I crave the old days. I could go to the store and buy milk, pay and be on my way. Now I have to find out from everyone in the house, 1%, 2%, skim, lactose free, soy, rice and oh yeah that stuff everyone is now afraid of. Good ol milk.
Cheers
Ray Homiski
Elizabeth, NJ