I'll never get tired of complaining about the frame design of the modern hardtail. The simple, straight tubes on the old Marin on the bottom are just so much more elegant.
Curving the top tube on that newer Marin serves no function at all. The curve in the down tube is dubious at best. Old bikes never had it, and I don't think needed it either. In all my years as a mechanic, I never saw damage on the down tube from the fork crown hitting it.
Damage on the top tube from the handlebar, sure - saw that all the time. The bars probably hit way before the crank.
Maybe with today's short stems and stupidly wide bars that doesn't happen any more?
Curving the top tube on that newer Marin serves no function at all. The curve in the down tube is dubious at best. Old bikes never had it, and I don't think needed it either. In all my years as a mechanic, I never saw damage on the down tube from the fork crown hitting it.
Damage on the top tube from the handlebar, sure - saw that all the time. The bars probably hit way before the crank.
Maybe with today's short stems and stupidly wide bars that doesn't happen any more?