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Hello there. If you look at my profile image, you will see a bicycle that also has truss rods. Most full size bikes built between around 1915 up through the mid 1950s have truss rods. Although they, to a fair degree, serve the purpose of adding to the aesthetic appeal of a bicycle, they also provide some important support to the front forks. This is especially the case more, I would say, with the earlier bikes from the 20s & 30s. You might also find that those bikes that lack truss rods, more often have problems with the front forks getting bent in collisions or rough use. That is also largely why the early motorcycles had truss rods. Bicycles nowadays don't have truss rods because, I reckon, the front forks are often larger/thicker and made of round tube steel, and have other means of support, making truss rods unnecessary or old fashioned. That is what I believe with regards to truss rods.
The earlier bikes where the rods were actually trussed to the fork at the shoulder did give the fork some added strength. The later use of truss rods were for looks only and served no other purpose.
They help stiffen/strengthen the fork a little bit. You notice a difference when the bars are loaded with newspaper bags. Especially with blade type forks.
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