[CR]On-Topic bikes with Steep Angles

(Example: Racing)

From: "Norris Lockley" <norris.lockley@talktalk.net>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Fri, 09 Mar 2007 01:13:47 +0000
Subject: [CR]On-Topic bikes with Steep Angles

During the late 70s and into the 80s Italian frames were well known for having steeper seat angles than most other frames, but the steepness did no t necessarily run all the way through the range of sizes.

Many Italian manufacturers would use seat angles of 75 degrees for small frames of 50, 51, 52 cms etclinked to a head angle of between 70 to 72 deg rees, in order to obtain short top-tubes with no toe-clip overlap. In the m id-ranges of 55 and 56cms the seat angle would be arounfd 74 degrees, slack ening off sometimes to 73 or even 72 in the 59 cms and over.

British builders started to try to copy these designs but while it was c ommon to have a 74 or 74.5 degree seat angle, the head angle often was the same...all the way through the range, often making some of the smaller fram es pretty hairy to handle on corners.

Looking through the specs of a French builder of quality frames I note t hat the set-back of the seat-tube (often used instead of quoting an angle) ranged from 130mms on a 49cms frame to 178 mms on a 62 cms frame

The most extreme angles that I came across on a road racing bike as oppo sed to a time-trial machine were the 69 degree head allied to a 76 seat on the 49cms Vitus 979.

It would, in my opinion be very rare to find an Italian frame in any oth er than a small size that had a seat angle steeper than 74 degrees.

Steeper angled became fashionable with the advent and popularity of tria thlon frames, and I believe that SALSA (perhaps off-topic) in the States us ed to feature 79 and 80 degrees on some of their frames

Norris Lockley..Settle UK

Norris Lockley

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