dnc1
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
As well as the excellent reason from @Archie Sturmer, the reasoning behind frame shape was often purely to make any particular manufacturers product stand out from the crowd.Again, this is a fact finding mission, I need to wait until at least the fall, but please keep the suggestions coming, they are very helpful.
I see some of these old bikes have a bend in the top tube, why?
More questions to come...
JB
So the 'cool' kid could show off that he had the latest product.
When one manufacturer invented a design it was frequently copied; Iver Johnsons "truss-bridge" design probably being one of the most replicated unusual designs for example.
There must be at least a 100 different versions known of this I reckon.
And from the Model 908 'Arch-Bar' pictured in the line up above it's still being replicated.
In reality there is little difference between any of the myriad frame style variations unless you are a pretty serious racer and are going down the Velodrome route, but most of these are incredibly uncomfortable to use for more than a couple of miles.
I would stick to the basic diamond safety frame for a comfortable ride, pretty much unchanged since its inception in the late 1880's, something in steel with a nice rake on the forks for a leisurely, laid-back, shock absorbing ride.