snipped:
>"In this latest sloper/horizontal debate the slopers seemed
>to have gained more acceptance. I can remember debates
>over the last year or so where slopers got trashed by some.
>I was just curious if sloping or reverse sloping designs were
>investigated by builders before the mtb trend and if so, why
>did it not catch on at that time."


sloping top tubes are fine. the aesthetic doesn't do anything
for me, though. i think they look okay when you have mega
size pipes,intregrated headsets, and all the current gee-gaws.
i still see it as a "look" rather than a choice that solves a pre-
existing problem. if you could seperate out ( but you can't...)
the longer seat post necessitated by a shortened seat tube,
maybe i could embrace it. i see that as the weak link in the
design. seat posts that long, especially the newer cf ones, are
accidents waiting to happen.
e-RICHIE