Re: [CR] colombus aelle tubing

(Example: Framebuilders:Tony Beek)

To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Date: Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:02:07 -0800
From: donald gillies <gillies@ece.ubc.ca>
Subject: Re: [CR] colombus aelle tubing


In article, Martin Gerritsen ( info(AT)m-gineering.nl ) Writes:
> Nothing wrong with Aelle from a technical viewpoint, it's quite decent
> seamed tubing. But it is cheap, so you combine it with cheap parts and
> don't worry much about quality
>

This is a very interesting comment, actually. I am wondering if tube manufacturing quality and tolerances have gone up since the CR time period; today people worry a lot less about 7/4/7 or even 6/3/6 tubesets, they just try not to bump them very hard.

Has anyone ever seem a frame failure attributed to the SEAM in seamed tubing? I am talking about a tube that has passed quality control at the builder after assembly and painting, and that went out to a customer, and came back with a failure that suggested the seam was the culprit??

Has the increase in manufacturing tolerances and processes (including, potentially, computerized visual inspection) eliminated nearly all of the advantages of seamed vs. seamless (mandril-drawn) tubing?

- Don Gillies (whose first good bike was tange #3 or #4 seamed) San Diego, CA, USA