chuckie. the first volumetrica frame was displayed at the 1979, (or maybe 1981) milan show. unlike the 6-7 prestige bicycles on their podiums, the frame stood alone. it was so protypical, that the lug lips were filed off the areas of the tubes where the tubes plugged in. it created a lug-less look, except for the part on the head tube area. the frame wasn't a model-for-sale yet. it was decorated as a prestige model. it was the excel tubing that you so clumsily mispelled. seeing that frame was akin to viewing the early sketches of an artist not yet discovered. history waiting to be re-'engineered' with the invention of the wheel-for the second time. i'm pretty sure it was 1979. i was in italy with len preheim from toga and we WERE LIKE TWO ARTISTS IN AN ART SUPPLY STORE. OH, TO BE YOUNG, CREATIVE, AND IN ITALY! AND, HEY, AFTER 2 YEARS ON THIS DARN LIST I HAVE FOUND THE SHIFT KEY ON THE COMPUTER! CAPITOLS GALORE! WHAT A COUNTRY!! e-RICHIE p.s.SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE: FREE KEN, FREE KEN!!!!!
On Thu, 08 Mar 2001 12:44:44 -0800 Chuck Schmidt
<chuckschmidt@earthlink.net> writes:
> Jerry Moos wrote:
> >
> (snip)
> > Was Faliero involved in framebuilding after
> > returning from California, or did Alberto take that over? And
> were the
> > Italian-made frames sold only in Italy, or all of Europe or even
> distributed in the
> > US by the owners of the US rights? I obviously have a lot of
> questions and very
> > few answers, but someone here probably knows most of this.
>
>
> What I remember...
> There were Italian-made Masi 3Vs (Volumetric with investment cast
> internal lugs and oversized thin-wall tubing) and Prestige (post
> Masi
> Gran Criterium) frames in the early to mid-eighties after Faliero's
> fling with trying to love California.
>
> I think the 3V was Faliero's last project before Alberto took over
> the
> reins from Dad. Maybe it was a joint father/son project? Probably.
> My
> 3V is an early one (French Accel tubing ? Anyone?) but has
> Alberto's
> signature on the top tube (left side rear of top tube for anyone
> paying
> atttention :)
>
> I remember an article stating that Faliero discussed using oversized
> thin wall tubing (supposed to be very close to the ideal
> wall-thickness
> to tubing-diameter ratio for steel) with Tullio Campagnolo and
> Tullio
> agreeing that it would work. "She is good, yes?" (no, I just made
> that
> last part up about the Italian-English).
>
> Does anyone remember French Accel and then later German Manismann
> tubing
> being used for the Italian 3Vs? I think the US made 3Vs used True
> Temper tubing?
>
> Chuck "please don't hate me 'cuz I live in L.A." Schmidt
> South Pasadena, California
> http://www.velo-retro.com (for art bike lovers)
>
> ps Incidently my 56cm Italian-made 3V rides like a dream, not like
> the
> word on the street rep that they were harsh riding.