Wondering what kind of impact stainless steel tubesets are going to have in the market? Any of our KOF builders on the list planning to use?
WATERFORD, using Reynolds 953, has built a lugged version using tweaked some
Richard Sachs stainless Newvex lugs, Pacenti stainless bottom bracket,
silver brazed, polished frame, chromed 531 fork (for $3,500). For photos go
to http://www.waterfordbikes.com/
Columbus has announced their new stainless steel tubeset (see below): Courtesy of http://www.cyclingnews.com "Columbus takes another shot at stainless steel tubing
After a long hiatus, Columbus has reintroduced a stainless steel tubeset, dubbed XCr. Unlike the older Metax pipes, XCr will be truly seamless, starting from a solid machined billet and then cold drawn to produce the final wall thicknesses. Columbus claims that this production method will keep the mechanical properties constant and uniform throughout the entire round section of the tube. Moreover, the grain structure of the new XCr tubing is said to be unaffected by welding, thus maintaining joint strength.
As expected, frames built with the new XCr tubes will boast excellent resistance to corrosion, and many builders will likely opt to use a bare finish. XCr frames also promise to be rather light as well, since tube walls as thin as 0.4mm will be possible given the material's high strength. "
Angel Garcia
Verona, IT