Patent ID: 8496262

Claim:
A bicycle comprising: a main frame; a front wheel mounted for rotation relative to the main frame; a rear dropout; a rear wheel mounted for rotation relative to the rear dropout, the rear wheel defining a center plane of the bicycle, wherein the front and rear wheels support the bicycle on a ground surface; and a rear stay coupling the rear dropout to the main frame, the rear stay having a rear portion adjacent the dropout and disposed at a first angle relative to the center plane, a front portion adjacent and directly coupled to the main frame and disposed at a second angle relative to the center plane, and a steep portion between the front and rear portions and at a steep angle relative to the center plane, the steep angle being larger than the first angle and the second angle, the rear stay further including a first transition bend between the front portion and the steep portion, and a second transition bend between the rear portion and the steep portion, at least one of the first transition bend and the second transition bend defining a bend axis substantially parallel to the ground surface.