henox wrote:
> Donald asked: " Is TREK the only company to make investment-cast (IC)
> head-tubes?"
>
> I don't believe that Trek did use investment cast head tubes although they
> did use IC bottom brackets, rear dropouts, and seat lugs).
>
> I think Trek was using Nikko Sangyo or Fukurotani one-piece head tube/lugs
> which are pressed steel. I am sure Trek had their name embossed during the
> forming operation.
>
> About their "fruit of bulge-forming and cold working technics", Nikko
> claimed their one-piece design "eliminates assembly and brazing required by
> 3-piece heads, eliminates re-braze so frequently necessary to fill gaps,
> retains the clean sharp fetures of lug design by eliminating the clean up
> grinding operation, and can reduce cost by as much as 50 percent compared
> with a 3-piece head.
>
Miele Asian made bikes under both the Miele and Bianchi brand were using
these in the late '70's and early '80's.
The general concept goes back at least as far as the 1930's and was used
by CCM for their mass market bikes.
If anyone wants examples of all or any of the above I can crawl down to
the cellar, knock the dust off some examples and take some blurry snapshots.
That reminds me, the Bianchi labeled Miele bikes probably deserve a warning in Mike Kone's Price Guide in the Bianchi Section.
Marcus Coles
London, Ontario, Canada.