This may not be a 100% relevant to the extended-headtube-to-get-the-handlebars-higher discussion, but I came acros s a pic of a 1984 Gazelle, built for riders over 2 meters tall. This is a 70 cm seattube! Now, mind you, these were handbuilt frames, and although they look like touring bikes, if you look closely, you will notice a wishbone seatstay arrangement, and a dented seattube to accomodate a short wheelbase. I don't think the frames were the least bit different from full-blown raceframes. It's not elegant maybe, but not all that ugly either!
http://www.wooljersey.com/
Freek (Gazelle expert?) Faro Rotterdam Netherlands
2006/3/21, Mark Stonich <mark@bikesmithdesign.com>:
>
> At 3/20/2006 05:55 PM -0700, Rod wrote:
> >So, how would one go about getting their handlebars level with their
> saddle
> >w/o a headtube extension, a sloping top tube or a riser style stem???
> What
> >else can one design into a frame that will get the handlebars higher,
> while
> >still allowing a good seatpost length and maintaining straddle clearance
?
>
> One solution is a curved TT.
> http://mnhpva.org/
> especially to an eye trained to appreciate the classics, but a very
> sweet ride.
>
> Later, I just gave up and admitted my decrepit carcass is no longer
> compatible with dropped bars. North Road bars, and some "Cruiser"
> bars cut short work well. My Taylor looks OK with them, sort of like
> a "Gentlemans
> Tourer" http://www.bikesmithdesign.com/
>
> However such bars will look totally out of place on my RRA Moderne.
>
>
> Mark Stonich;
> Minneapolis Minnesota
> http://mnhpva.org
> http://bikesmithdesign.com