downtube

I was amused to note that this potentially "classic bicycle" is called the "NYC," and it even has a mostly-useless integrated downtube "filth prophylactic" which I assume is a stylistic nod to the pieces of cardboard food delivery people zip-tie to their frames.

Urban Tools: Curatorial Commitment BikeSnobNYC 2010

I was amused to note that this potentially "classic bicycle" is called the "NYC," and it even has a mostly-useless integrated downtube "filth prophylactic" which I assume is a stylistic nod to the pieces of cardboard food delivery people zip-tie to their frames.

Archive 2010-08-01 BikeSnobNYC 2010

See, "Back in the Day," decals generally resided more or less mid-downtube though closer to the headtube and between the water bottle mounts and the shifter bosses:

Selling the Sizzle: Brandings Both Real and Adhesive BikeSnobNYC 2010

In the days of toeclips, downtube shifters, and amphetamines, a rider like Eddy Merckx or Freddy Maertens would always stop and tend to his victim before returning to training.

Sweetest Ta-glue: Putting the "Sade" in "Crusade" BikeSnobNYC 2010

It's good to see that it's not all about getting us to collectively mount their huge downtube; at least they're offering some practicality, too, and I was genuinely pleased to see it.

Archive 2009-07-01 BikeSnobNYC 2009

And a corresponding bend at the downtube joint, no doubt.

Measure of Safety: All You Cities Sanction My Rebellion BikeSnobNYC 2009

It houses a 36-volt Sanyo lithium-ion battery in its rectangular downtube and has a 500-watt electric motor in its rear wheel assembly.

CES 2009: Coming of the eBikes 2009

I've ridden the model pictured though I don't own one, I was visiting America's moist cycling capital and the front rack mounts to the frame, not the fork, so you can load 'er up and hardly affect the steering, which is anyway stabilized by the spring under the downtube.

BSNYC Fidray Fun Quiz! BikeSnobNYC 2009

Still, I think it is important to be wary of "beefy bottom bracket" marketing, since a pair of fender mounts or a few more millimeters of tire clearance will improve the quality of your ride far more than some extra downtube girth or bottom bracket robustitude.

Archive 2009-07-01 BikeSnobNYC 2009

Still, many riders will doubtless be seduced by the notion of having a huge downtube swinging back and forth between their legs when they're out of the saddle in that "town line sprint" they're always referring to in the bicycle reviews.

Archive 2009-07-01 BikeSnobNYC 2009