Walter, I'd wager your frame likely experienced a major frontal impact at some point in its past. I've seen headtubes do exactly as you describe from head-on crashes. Since the fork has gone missing, I'd say that's even more indication that a trauma occurred. One of my eBay "rules" is never, ever buy a used steel frame that doesn't have it's original fork present and unbent, unless you know and trust the seller. Otherwise, the likelihood (on eBay) of it having hit an immoveable object is about 80-90% IMO.... Is there any ripple in the underside of the downtube near the tip of the headlug? (Look carefully - with relatively heavy tubing (is your frame SL or SP?), it can be very subtle, and can sometimes only be felt, not seen. Regards, Greg Parker A2 Michigan
Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 17:21:09 -0700 (PDT) From: Joe Starck <josephbstarck@yahoo.com> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Cc: "w.a. manning" <wamanning@email.com> Subject: Re: [CR]_laterally_ ovalized head-tube?
Walter, The ovalization of your Bottecchia parallels ovalization that can occur at that area from high-temp' brazing(brass), either lugged or more often, when fillet-brazed. Perhaps the installation of the headseat rounded everything out, yet with cups removed, the metal sprung back? Joe Starck summumbonumboojum bicycles Madison, WI
> my just-acquired bottecchia (used, columbus SL,
\r?\n> lugged) has what appears to be an oddly ovalized
\r?\n> head-tube.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> the lower-opening of the head-tube is wider
\r?\n> laterally than it is longitudinally. this strikes
\r?\n> me as very strange, as any ovalizing i've ever heard
\r?\n> of in the head-tube placed the stretched axis
\r?\n> longitudinally. there's nothing extraordinary about
\r?\n> the condition of the head-tube or frame that would
\r?\n> suggest any sort of major impact damage, although i
\r?\n> dont have the original fork to know for sure.
\r?\n> regardless, if there was a significant front-end
\r?\n> impact i would still expect any
\r?\n> deformation/stretching to be front-to-back, rather
\r?\n> than side-to-side.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> strange. anyone have any ideas? it's destined to
\r?\n> be an indoor-trainer bike, so it's not really that
\r?\n> important...but puzzling nonetheless.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> walter manning
\r?\n> metro-detroit-area, michigan