Cross frame

Bicycle with classic cross frame, schematic; the crossing point is not braced in its pure form

The classic cross frame is a bicycle frame made of two crossed tubes of large diameter. The seat tube, which is only extended downwards to accommodate the bottom bracket, and a tube that goes from the head tube to the rear wheel and then splits to the rear fork cross each other approximately in the middle.

This frame shape is one of the oldest, it was first built in England in 1886 by Hillman & Cooper. At the beginning of the 20th century the cross frame came into fashion briefly in some European countries, but lost more and more of its importance from 1930. In recent times there have only been a few manufacturers who have dedicated themselves to cross-frame design.

Since the classic cross frame is in principle not very rigid, additional struts are usually attached at the crossing point.
Monocoque frames made of composite materials (especially CFRP) are constructed in a similar way. Their rigidity results from the fact that the intersection is designed to be large.

The advantages of the classic cross frame are the simple shape and easier access (as with the Mixte frame).

Modern frame shapes known as cross frames are standard frames that have been extended to form framework frames. They usually contain an additional pipe that crosses with a differently routed previous one.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mixte frame extended to a modern cross frame ("ladies frame") . [1]
2. ↑ Mixte frame expanded into a modern cross frame ("Herrenrahmen") Nieuwe transportfiets met kruisframe

literature

• Fritz Winkler, Siegfried Rauch: Bicycle technology repair, construction, production. 10th edition, BVA Bielefelder Verlagsanstalt GmbH & Co. KG, Bielefeld, 1999, ISBN 3-87073-131-1