Having carried 4' flourescent light tubes on my old-school mountain bike, I agree that a horizontal top tube has great utility. (I have carried all sorts of things home from my local Home Depot, which is separated from my house by 2.5mi/4km of road with one good-sized hill in the middle.)
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"Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing." --Theodore Roosevelt
Capo: 1959 Modell Campagnolo, S/N 40324; 1960 Sieger (2), S/N 42624, 42597
Carlton: 1962 Franco Suisse, S/N K7911
Peugeot: 1970 UO-8, S/N 0010468
Bianchi: 1982 Campione d'Italia, S/N 1.M9914
Schwinn: 1988 Project KOM-10, S/N F804069