I made quite a few touring frames, along with the racks. I don't think I ever made rear stays longer than 460. In the old days 170 cranks were the norm, in fact I never saw a Campi triple Record crank made in any other size and they were the only ones I supplied. Because I made the racks if there were a heel clearance issue I could move the bag back a little.
Jim Merz Big Sur CA
On Fri, Jan 21, 2011 at 2:22 PM, Joe Starck <josephbstarck@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> --- On Thu, 1/20/11, Jan Heine <heine94@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
> > The super-long chainstays of 1940s and 1950s racing bikes
> > were intended to provide a straight chainline. (Source: Jack
> > Taylor, interview in Bicycle Quarterly Vol. 7, No. 4. There
> > are many other references to keeping the chainline straight
> > in the literature of the time.)
> >
> > > But, short chain-stays for cyclotourists?
> >
> > Relatively short. In fact, by today's racing standards,
> > they were still long. A good cyclotouring bike in the 1940s
> > or 1950s had chainstays somewhere between 430 and 445 mm.
>
> A while back there was a 1980s model Trek 728 listed for sale that a member
> posted about here, and I recall that the chainstay length was stated to be
> 47centimeters. This dimension was stated in a reference site, I can't recall
> the site, but the site author said this model is sought after because the 47
> length accomodates rear panniers.
>
> Jan, is there a minimum chainstay required for most panniers, or have
> pannier dimensions changed to match a preferred chainstay length?
>
> Or perhaps, by definition, a "cyclotourist" may or may not utilize rear
> panniers?
>
> Joe Starck
> Madison, Wisconsin USA