These additional tubes were previously used on track and fixed wheel bikes without rear brakes. Either a marketing ploy or a futile attempt to increase rigidity of the rear triangle. However, I do concur that their later use on bikes designed to take heavy rear panniers seems to have some merit.
Hugh Thornton Nantwich, England
>From: LouDeeter@aol.com
>To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>Subject: Re: [CR]re: CR]Another "odd" lightweight frame design.......
>Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2002 22:44:20 EDT
>
>I suspect Harvey Sachs is right that the extra tubes were designed to
>bolster
>the stays during braking--location seems to point that direction anyway. I
>would think that perhaps there had been a failure of a frame at that point
>and this was an attempt to prevent a repeat. On the other hand, perhaps it
>was one of the first "downhill" designs and it was specifically designed
>for
>lots of downhill braking! Lou Deeter, Orlando FL