Originally Posted by dddd

I've suddenly learned so much about the Eisentraut bikes, especially his special Italian-derived geometry which is also reflected in the Nobilette frame that I rode today. Marc Nobillette was a student and employee of Albert Eisentraut and has said that Eisentraut was his greatest influence in bike building. Their geometry favors a very steep headtube for shorter wheelbase, steeper on the bigger frames as more weight on the front wheel supposedly lends stability. My 'Traut has a 73.5-degree seattube with a 75.2-degree headtube, while the top tube is of modest 57cm length for a 59cm frame. My 59cm Nobilette also has steep angles (just north of 74-degrees), with only a 56cm toptube, so there is "heavy" overlap between my foot and the front wheel. The Nobillette is quite stable at all speeds, surprisingly, perhaps in part because it has a 13cm stem extension. I am expecting my new 'Traut to handle similarly.