At 8:11 AM -0700 6/14/06, Don Wilson wrote:
>Two Questions:
>
>1. What would the comparative advantages/disadvantages
>be of using oversize top tubes vs. oversize down
>tubes?
I am not qualified to answer that, as I never have ridden two
otherwise identical bikes with just different diameter top or down
tubes. However, I doubt anybody else alive today has had that direct
comparison, either. If a builder is willing to make two (or better
three, one standard, one OS top, one OS down tube) bikes, Vintage
Bicycle Quarterly would love to do a test similar to the geometry
test (three identical frames except for the fork offset) in the
Spring 06 issue. We would have at least three different, experienced
riders ride each bike back-to-back and comment on the feel, climbing,
descending and cornering. That would be very interesting, and could
help guide future bike design. We might even wrap the tubes in pipe
insulation, so we could not tell which bike we are riding, making
this a double-blind test.
>2. Did any of the classic lightweight builders try
>oversized down tubes with any marked benefit?
Rene Herse used to offer it. Mike Kone's "campeur," which I rode at the Cirque 05, has that feature. It seems to ride quite well indeed.
--
Jan Heine
Editor/Publisher
Vintage Bicycle Quarterly
c/o Il Vecchio Bicycles
140 Lakeside Ave, Ste. C
Seattle WA 98122
http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com