I think 3Vs are technically off topic but they are steel and lugged. The 3V Volumetrica was launched in 1984. It employed thin gauge oversize steel co-moly tubing - a 1 1/8in diameter top tube and 1 1/4in down and seat tubes with very thin gauge tubes especially in the small sizes just 0.4mm, 0.6mm in the medium sizes and 0.7mm in the larger frame sizes. The tubing was at first sourced it is thought from Excel in France but soon Columbus became the main supplier. I have recently however bought a 3V Volumetrica track frame which is built from Reynolds 753 - it is the only one I have seen however made from 753. A new factory was built especially for Volumetrica production. Despite this they claimed that production was on quite a small scale less than a thousand a year. The 3V Volumetrica in its classic form I think finished production in the mid 1990s new tig welded steel bikes also called by the same name and now aluminium bikes also bearing the same name have replaced the original ground breaking frame design. I have recently started to accumulating information on 3Vs and if members could send me info on any frames they have I would appreciate it - frame number, tubing type, size, fork crown type - these varied - early ones have a lovely classic Italian investment cast crown, later ones had an almost unicrown style crown. And of course date of original purchase if known.
Hilary Stone, Bristol, England
Tom Sanders wrote:
> Folks, are all 3V Masi bikes Volumetricas? Am I talking two different models
> here, and, if so, how do they vary and how may they be told apart? What were
> the years the 3V model (s?) were made? Are they all the very thin tubing of
> which I understand the Volumetrica was made?