It is an unusual rake. When I first saw it, I thought the same thing, but convinced myself it was made that way. Now that I've got the fork out of the frame, I can see that the steering tube is bent. Thanks for making me take another look at that. Most of the reason the fork looks bent back is because the steering tube is bowed. But the fork blades are slightly out of line also. I did take a short ride on this bike before dismantling it, and it rode straight. Usually you can tell if a fork is bent by the way it rides. Now the question is whether I should try and straighten it or leave it as is.