Well, I'm glad to see the CR hasn't changed while I was away and without e-mail access the last two weeks!!
What, if anything other than pure speculation, do you have that points at all towards the frames coming from the builder already stuffed with newspaper in the seat tube?
I can't think of any reason whatsoever that a framebuilder would do such a thing. I can imagine that a well-meaning but not super-sharp bike shop employee might stuff something in there subsequently to alledgedly keep crud from falling into a BB without a sleeve, although I've never personally seen that....
Greg Parker A2 MI USA Currently a Witcomb-free zone (wish I still had that chrome track one)
> Message: 23
> Date: Sat, 10 Aug 2002 20:13:17 -0700
> To: Richard M Sachs <richardsachs@juno.com>
> From: Brandon Ives <monkeylad@mac.com>
> Subject: Re: [CR]RE:RIFLED STEER TUBE/ NOW PAPER TOWELS
> Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>
> At 11:05 PM -0400 8/10/02, Richard M Sachs wrote:
> >that makes no sense.
> >why would you think it came from the frame shop
> >that way???????????????????????????????????
>
> Because both of the bikes I know of personally came from the factory
> and were original owners frames. One is on display in the Bike
> Friday sales room right now and Alan the co-founder if of BF was the
> owner. I think Alan's was built in '70-'71. The other was a customer
> of mine in Seattle. The crack is all the way around the tube and was
> caused by water absorbed by the paper and rusting the tube through.
> I'm with you on wondering why it happened, but it's something I've
> also heard about other places too. I can't think of a good reason
> for it either and wonder why it happened. Which is why I asked.
> Were they farmed out for paint? Did they stuff the BB shell with
> newspaper for shipping? Was something put down there to catch chip
> during the frame prep?
> enjoy,
> Brandon"monkeyman"Ives
> SB, CA