It is a regal feeling to be riding along on a _real_ 28" tyre. :-) In Canada there were manufacturers making bikes in this style until WWII. Almost roadster angles, but stripped down with more sporting intent.
On bikes intended for rough and unmanicured surfaces a high bottom bracket was common, in my unsubstantiated opinion, more to prevent pedal strike than to make it easy to hop logs. ;-) There is a trade off with this frame design, a high BB dictates a smaller frame size to get stand over clearance and then a long seat pin is needed to get the saddle back in proper relationship to the pedals.
Marcus Coles
London, Ontario, Canada