Originally Posted by chaadster

Yeah, I understood dropped seatstays to be an aero thing.

In your second paragraph, I don’t know if you meant to change to chainstays, but you’re absolutely on point that it’s the chainstays which provide bump compliance. Seatstays are largely a vestige of a bygone era, and not necessary elements with modern materials. Back in the ‘80s, Trimble was making seatstay-less frames, and Trek’s Y-Foil in the ‘90s was very successful seatstsy-less design. Cervelo’s P5X from around ‘16 is a more recent example.

Those are carbon fiber, but looking at English Cycles steel designs with their literally pencil-thin seatstays, on frames meant for crit racing, not comfort— and you have to wonder if the seatstays don’t inhibit bump compliance rather than provide it.