Thanks guys, I'm with you I think the fork is cool too! I saw some old pictures from the 1930s of racers riding Bates frames and thought they looked pretty wild. So I figured it must be a gimmick. Then I saw a frame being offered for a reasonable amount and decided to do a little research. It appears that Bates made some real innovations back in the 1930s. The short version is that the fork, diadrant as Bates patented it, is supposed to dampen road vibration more than a regular fork. The frame also has those cool cigar shaped main tubes, cantiflex . Basically oversized in the middle to be stiffer and narrower but thicker at the ends were they join the lugs. Those seat stays are so thin and delicate. The resulting ride is supposed to be pretty good. I haven't ridden the Bates yet so I cant speak from first hand experience. I'm dying to try!