on 9/10/04 10:52 AM, richardsachs@juno.com at richardsachs@juno.com wrote:
> i have no antidote for that, otoh, i don't
> believe the lack of machining issue is that
> widespread; you simply cannot proceed with
> various framebuilding tasks with do some
> others first. machining the ht and bb fall
> into that category.
It is VERY widespread. I'd say that most "production" frames and many supposed "limited production handcrafted 100% pure malt and hops" frames have head tubes that have never been faced or reamed.
For the several years we handled Bianchi Reparto Corse frames (roughly 1995-2000), nearly every single one had a head tube face that was *rounded* and lumpy. In fact, I tried to figure out how they could make it that uneven *if they tried*. These same frames were often horribly out of alignment, had uneven paint, crummy chrome, etc.
So, we face and ream whenever we install a headset unless it is clear that it had already been performed on that frame.
Todd Kuzma
Heron Bicycles
Tullio's Big Dog Cyclery
LaSalle, IL 815-223-1776
http://www.heronbicycles.com
http://www.tullios.com