RoundTail Bikes

   Stumbled across this sweet looking road bike the other day. This is called a Round Tail.

So many circles...

   The guys over at Roundtail claim that this design allows for a much smoother ride without sacrificing side-to-side (lateral) stiffness. This idea is not strictly a new one. Many companies have been changing the shape of the seat stays to absorb road vibration. Here is a Colnago with a convex seat stay:

Colnago Dream HX

   And no post would be complete without a Canny, so here's a Synapse with a concave seat stay:

Cannondale Synapse

Both of these are designed around the idea that the seat stay will provide some flex, allowing you to have a small suspension system of sorts. 

Colnago                                            Cannondale

   Roundtail has taken this idea to the extreme, but also claims that the distortion of the rear end doesn't effect the frame stiffness. Here's a good shot from the back:

Yep, it's round

   They even have a mtn bike in the works:

29er .. hardtail?

   Seems like a neat idea, but an awful lot of extra material. I am sure it will turn heads though!