What are these type of frames called?
 

Wife and I were at the velodrome swap meet and saw a (10 speed) that looked like this:http://www.yellowjersey.org/3rxrt.jpg



Her words "that thing's sexy, you should get one one day".

I heard "you should get one"

She swears the emphazis was on "one day".

Anywho, I'm wondering, if anyone know what the frame style is, and if anyone here rides one. I've got about 3 billion questions on them.

that's a pursuit frame.

a purty pursuit frame

those frames are called "fun" :D

A lower front end is often called Low Profile. A bit obscelete with the compact style of modern bike, but as the man said, real purty. Is that a rip-off from the GT double traingle design, or is it harking back to the original Thanet Silverlight design.

FYI, GT's design was called the triple triangle. Check the pic you can see the 3 triangles. The third one is not an exact triangle, but that is what they called it. :)

that one is a pursuit frame. a 10 speed version would be called a time trial frame. they made them like that to cheat wind before they came up with aero tubing. shogun and nishiki made a bunch of them in the 80s. some have 24" front wheels, some have 26" (650c) fronts. i think the shoguns and nishikis all had 24s. familyman has a pinarello TT frame that he converted that has a 650c front, and bianchi rider on the road forums has an old school bianchi that he just got together over the weekend that also uses a 650c front. he set his up with gears though.

i have a pursuit frame with a 650c front. it's dutch. i've posted pics of it before, and it's on the fixed gear gallery (justin's van tuyl). i gotta say, it's a fun bike to ride, but risers are really the best way to go if you're riding on the street, or plan to ride for any extended period of time. it's also a lot easier to un-weight the rear to skid, so i've never put a brake on mine, and i wouldn't reccommend it to anyone unless you were using a rear brake too...i definitely wouldn't try a front brake assisted leg lock. oh no. definitely not.

a lot of companies were doing that triple triangle design (nishiki, shogun, 3rensho (pictured), GT...). of the renditions that i've seen, i think 3rensho does it the best. curved top tube = always sexy.

When I do a search for pursuit frames, I don't get results with the extremely curved top tube, which is kind of what I'm looking for..

They look scary to ride stoping wise, but hey, what fun is life if not injected with a little fear.

I think if I did get one.. I'd make it a single speed coaster type of deal.

here. i think they might be wrong about the front wheel size though. it looks like a 24" fork from the picture... i could be wrong, but i've seen a lot of them reeeeaaaal up close-like.

search ebay for "time trial." occassionally they come up. that one's a particularily nice model (without triple triangle).

[QUOTE=William Karsten]When I do a search for pursuit frames, I don't get results with the extremely curved top tube, which is kind of what I'm looking for..

[QUOTE]


People just don't make them like that no more.
I think its illegal to compete in most events with a bike with a 650c or smaller front wheel, so there's not much of a demand. I don't know of any builders that make 'funny bikes' anymore, unfortunatly. Out of curiosity, what was the asking price on the frame at the swap meet? Was it a 3Rensho?

Why is it when you find out they are:
A) Oddball
B) Hard to find
C) Expensive

you want them more?

HAHAHAAA.

Well, now I"m on a quest. I'm gonna find one that's kind of mucked up so I can make it a ridable bike for.. fast friday comutes..

It was unlabeled, painted in a pearlescence paint. All cables were routed internally (including shifters), and it had a white leather seat. I didn't ask the cost, it didn't have a tag, and I wasn't ready to buy.. and honestly.. the bike sat on my mind for a few hours before it become a contention.

I'm wondering how they are to ride..

in the short term: scary.

in the long term, after you get used to the low front end: fun, fun and more fun. mine is seriously the most fun bike i have right now. mostly, they have really short rear ends, and really steep head tube angles, so they handle like lightning. when i first got my road bike together, i was wishing it had the same geometry, even though it's pretty quick as it is.

here's the thread with bianchi rider's ride.

familyman needs to post pics of his pinarello.

Thanks. I've found some similar bikes.. I'm really diging the curvacious top tube action, not just a sloped top tube..

Should be fun once if I can get one together. There's a reason they call me "beta man".

I'll throw the rear wheel on mine and post a pic of it by tomorrow, honest. It's a super curvy Pinarello and it's super sexy. Like slothy said, it's scary as the dickens to ride initially, you have so much of you right over the front wheel and it's wacky. Fun, but wacky, I wouldn't relish riding it anywhere but straight and wide open, until I really get used to it anyway.

Here's my Pinarello. There's lots that still needs to be changed. I'm running 52/16, Kogswell rear wheel, 105 cranks, no name junk basically everywhere else. Since I dont' have an actual 650 front wheel I'm actually running a mountain bike wheel with a 1" Hutchinson slick, good tire. The bike is so fast it's scary. Or perhaps it's just scary to ride and that makes it feel fast. Either way it's definately my favorite bike to play with and look at even though I've only gotten to ride it about 50 miles. I need to finish it before I post any more pictures.

There's a TT bike with a 650 front in my LBS, I want it so bad.

Pinarello eh? I'm gonna PM you with a few questions. It looks like a lot of fun, and I dig the curvy frame action.

Hey karsten - I dunno if the bay area is too far for you, but this just showed up on craigslist today :

http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/bik/28117746.html

Hey Jim,

I might consider it (I'm headed up that way this weekend in fact), but I'm looking for a curved top tube.

You rock for letting me know, thanks!!!

that's a 24" front wheel, btw, not a 20".

What part of town?

is that state street in madison, wisconsin ???? ive never been to the place much less the state :D

Livermore.. (grew up in San Jose, lived in Concord, San Francisco and a few other parts as well).

You going to be in that neck of the woods fri or sat?