Classic & Vintage - Why the exreme seat angles?

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Drummerboy1975
11-11-11, 08:43 AM
Something I've been noticing alot in all of the vintage bike photos from the early 1900's are the extreme, upward facingseat angles. I wonder why this is? Here are some examples. Of course, not to mention the odd bar positionings as well.

http://www.shorpy.com/node/11343?size=_original

http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_28800u.preview.jpg

http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_29966u.jpg

http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/SHORPY_29966u.preview.jpg

http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/03462u.jpg

http://www.shorpy.com/files/images/03462u.preview.jpg

FlatTop
11-11-11, 12:45 PM
If I saw that today I'd probably think "bum bike" or "DUI bike". Aside from that possibility of casual riding, there wasn't much of a science of biomechanics or ergonomics then, so leaving the seat in the position it slipped to after the clamp loosened up may have been a no-thought-involved default mode.

I've seen people ride really screwedup and badly fitted bicycles in these times, so I don't think that a time of fewer tools would yield better bicycle adjustment and maintenance.
Drummerboy1975
11-11-11, 12:49 PM
I just wonder if it was a "trendy" thing? Maybe some famous track bike rider rode his at that angle, or maybe more than one did and folks wanted to look "cool".

brockd15
11-11-11, 01:20 PM
The pictures don't show up for me and only first link works, but my guess is that it's because the positions on the bikes were much more upright. A lot of those older bikes had super slack HT & ST angles and stems with almost no extension, and you ended up with people riding in a straight-up position.
FlatTop
11-11-11, 01:36 PM
Another possibility is that the "ordinary" or "penny-farthing" was still common in that time, and it had a reverse tilted seat sometimes. A rider accustomed to that seat position might well adjust his new "safety" bike to match the seat angle of the old bike.