Favorite Frame Feature
 

I really miss the older fork crowns. The switch from investment cast crowns with two fork blades to unicrowns or other designs was a major catastrophy. I appreciate the production efficiency of a unicrown but bemoan the loss of my favorite feature. On balance, I'd rather pay for the conventional fork crown than save $2.

Double plates

Flat Wagner

Cinelli full sloping

Semi sloping

Even the funky Raleigh crown made of another tube was at least interesting and caught my attention when I first saw it. Add in the fork lock, which was a natural fit for that design, and it becomes almost intriguing. We do need locks, right? Why"lug" around a 5 lb lock when you can have one built into your fork? Well, I don't want to go overboard here because it is far from my favorite.

Hands down my favorite feature is the little chain keeper nub some bikes have on the driveside chainstay.

I love sloping fork crowns too. Especially with some panto on em.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7...0/img_1418.jpg

For me, it's the seat stay cluster. This is where a framebuilder can really show off his/her aesthetic sense. I'd place the fork crown at #2 (and not far behind). Other than that, I agree with everything MIle said.

I agree.

Unicrowns are functional but ugly IMO. Other fork crowns can be nice if well done.

i love the bottom bracket cutouts,

I like nice luggs, and crowns are it for me. but I tell you one favorite and over looked feature is a nice pump peg.

+1 on the chain hanger

There are quite a few I love...

Graceful looking internal routing.
Chromed chain stays.
Chromed headlugs.
Cinelli fast back stays.
Engraved panto on a BB shell.
Cinelli BB shells.
Long point lugs.
DRILLED DROPOUTS!

Dropouts:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/...edd6ba80_b.jpg

I particularly like the "Italian treatment" most of all, however.

DD

I love my Peugeot PSV's sloping frok crown with the Peugeot lion "pantographs" on it, the most on my bike
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y44...cture005-1.jpg
.....On the other hand, most unicrowns that came right after were just so Uggah-pooh looking. I think it actually made me lose interest in new bicycles when they came out in the late 80's/early 90s....then it's just down hill from there with compact frames, upturned threadless stems and all the brifter and ergo bar style trimmings........blehhhhh.....And what the heck happened to chain hanger pegs??!!

Chombi

I always liked the forks on old Raleigh Sports, and Records, with the little dimpled chrome thingies.

I like the front-of-the-seat-tube seat bolt design from Legnano.

First of all, Mike, Thank You!! I was just about to write this forum off...

Like: Fork Crowns, flat or semi sloping, plated.

Long point lugs, filed but with a crisp shore line.

Plating: crowns, head lugs, dropout faces, driveside chainstay and sometimes seat stay ends. OR, completely plated!

Reinforcing bits at bridges etc.

Fluted stay ends.

Not Like: IC lugs, short point lugs, wrap over seat stays, plug in fork ends and dropouts, straight forks,

What I always wonder is why on a lot of frames headtube lugs are chromed but no others. Man, gimme all chromed lugs, BB shell included! That'd be cool.

I like the down tube. It's my favorite part of the frame.

people always hate on unicrown forks in this forum, but non-sloping forks can be far uglier imo.

i think this fork looks better
http://img600.imageshack.us/img600/9965/p1010240r.jpg
http://img228.imageshack.us/img228/4224/p1010241ux.jpg

than this one
http://img806.imageshack.us/img806/5433/p1010243z.jpg

my favorite feature has to be the spoke holder/chainstay protector on my diamondback

http://velospace.org/files/P1010027.jpg

the underchainstay ubrake is also pretty cool. it's got a chainhanger too :D

Pantographing and frame personalization.

If people can't identify your frame stripped bare of all paint and decals, in my opinion, you didn't do the best job. Probably, all your company made for the bike was the frame, if you can't even make that your own, you just built a disposable bike.

Minimum personalization, in my opinion, is a riveted metal head badge.

The problem with chroming the seat lug and BB shell is the unfortunate fact that they're both impossible to clean up scratches and file marks to the nth degree required for chrome. Every little stray file mark would show up, unlike after a couple coats of primer and then the topcoat. At least, that's the way it was explained to me when I requested chrome in those areas when speccing my first custom.

However, I once saw a way around it on one of Jerry Duran's frames: stainless steel Henry James lugs and BB shells. As he points out, chrome plating has microscopic cracks in it, and humidity/temperature changes can result in moisture getting under the plating via those cracks. Over a period of time, the area in question can be weakened.

Not what I'd want at my BB shell!

DD

Stays: vibrant, pencil thin, orthodox or hellenic......... they're the sexist part of the frame.

Clean and uncomplicated lugs
Sloped fork crowns
Dropouts that look like someone cared

and unique stuff like the cool setup on frantik's D'back.

Did someone say dropouts?

http://home.comcast.net/~khatfull/im...lvegarear1.jpg

It's the alluring curves of the fork legs for me. ;)