when and why did things get so STEEP

2manyoranges · Monday at 17:12

Cambridge being Cambridge I stepped into a quiet residential road only to have a bike sweep swiftly around the corner and narrowly miss me. Normal stuff. But it was a very interesting ancient 1950s thing. With VERY slack forks. Lots and lots of forward sweep. And then in the opposite direction came a run-of-the-mill 2000s cheap mtb with - yep - 69 ish head angle. My latest mountain bike builds (Cotic, Transition) have involved slackness - around 63 degrees. But in the 1990s and early 2000s steep was still a thing. This is from the 1930s - competition frame - not steep.

Nob · Monday at 21:43

What vintage is the wine though

Coalfield · 2025-07-22T14:52:23+0100

and I thought this was going to be a thread about tectonic plates making my hills harder - or is it about my old legs.?

grantoury · 2025-07-22T15:28:56+0100

My personal thoughts are that in road racing steeper angles and tighter wheel base were largely possible because of improving road conditions. First half of the century there were more unpaved roads. The development in mtb-ing seems the reverse, adopting slacker geo for demanding terrain.

Old Ned · 2025-07-22T17:13:10+0100

72' parallel were the go to angles for RR'ing in the 50's and early 60's and then 73' parallel became the norm. I remember Holdsworth using 75' on team bikes in the 70's (or was it 80's?) but they soon stopped that! Most of my more recent frames have been 74' parallel but I did have a TT bike in the 80's which was 75' parallel. I rode it for everything.

What are today's frame angles for the average pro' frame?

Coalfield · 2025-07-23T00:01:26+0100

Specialized has as many in the World Tour as anyone else, I think.
Tarmac SL8 LTD in size 58 is 73.5* parallel. Size 54 = 73*head/74* seattube. Can be yours for $16K USD
Time trial bike is surely different.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/s...bull-2025-tdf/p/4293988?color=5467505-4293988

PhillB · 2025-07-23T00:14:03+0100

1930's were indeed slaaaack

Nothing is really new

Nob · 2025-07-23T00:43:48+0100

Steve Bauers Bike - many will remember

PhillB · 2025-07-23T00:48:04+0100

Nob said:
Steve Bauers Bike - many will remember
View attachment 983770

Those chain stays have to account for the curvature of the Earth

Coalfield · 2025-07-23T02:00:18+0100

Paris - Roubaix racer?

when and why did things get so STEEP

2manyoranges

Old School Grand Master

Nob

Coalfield

Dirt Disciple

grantoury

Old Ned

Old School Grand Master

Coalfield

Dirt Disciple

PhillB

Nob

PhillB

Coalfield

Dirt Disciple

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