Want more info on 68 degree seat tube in recent fat bike review

[Woody Peterson]

I just stumbled into this forum, and decided it's a great place to ask a question I've had for a while.

Within the last couple BQs (I forget which exactly) Jan reviews a titanium fat bike with a 68 degree seat tube, and mentions that it is a smart design that allows for a greater range of riders. As a fan of generally slacker seat tube angles I'm intrigued. 68 seems like it would put you several cm behind optimal on an otherwise normally spec'd bike, so there must be some geometry magic going on here. I would love more background on this.

Anybody have any references or thoughts?

[Eric Daume]

I think you're referring to the Jones Space Frame review.

http://www.jonesbikes.com/framesets/

Eric

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[Woody Peterson]

Indeed, thanks! I'm also a bit curious about what seat angle would fit the most people, for ex. making bikes for 3rd world countries, so I'll study the Jones bikes and spend some brain cycles on it. Looks like 68 is better than 73, for a start.

[Ken Freeman]

Raleigh and other Brit bike houses made "one size fits many" bikes starting, well, not sure!  The series of designs that lead to Clubmans, Pathfinders, Lenton Sport, Super Lenton, and (my example, a Super Lenton badging variant) Rudge Aero Sport, generally had 71 degree seat tubes, 57 cm TT, and 73 degree head tube with about 6 cm offset.  For a modern or traditional Italian frame, that seat tube (55.5 cm c-c) would be too tall, but it seems to work for me.  My bike is 1952, and I've read in the history of similar designs back to the mid-1930s.

Ken Freeman

Ann Arbor, MI

[Ken Freeman]

In the Pre-Google Groups archives are accounts by Doug Fattic about working with a Ukrainian bike company to define just such a design.  Or perhaps Doug would talk to you about it.

Ken Freeman

Ann Arbor, MI