Norris,
I'm not an expert about TT tubing, but there are agood number of folks on the framebuilders list that use their material. Not sure how much in the broader market as very little but custom is built in the USA. They make some usual as well as unique sized tubes as I recall, so they fill a need in the market. Their distributors (Henry James) are quality people. As far as I know, it doesn't seem like they will fold - just having some hard times and will get through it.
There are enough other manufacturers of tubing, that the framebuilder's commununity would get by if TT didn't make it, but it would be a shame to lose another manufacturer of produts needed by the group. I've used some of their product and the quality has been very good.
There are actually a lot of great framebuilding products available now for traditional lugged construction that were not available just a few years ago including some great new lugs, tubesets, and improved joining/filler materials that are coming together in stunning new bikes. A great time for handmade american framebuilding I would say with lots of new energy/talent - but just a tiny part of the current bike market though.
Roman L Stankus Atlanta, Georgia USA
> -----Original Message-----
> From: classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org
> [mailto:classicrendezvous-bounces@bikelist.org] On Behalf Of
> Norris Lockley
> Sent: Sunday, October 25, 2009 9:58 AM
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> Subject: [CR] True Temper tubing
>
> Only having read about this material, I have very little
> knowledge of the products. However I have formed the
> impression that it is widely used by custom-framebuilders in
> the States ie KOF builders. A visit to Henry James'
> website shows that some very interesting series of tubes are
> available.
>
> On another site - the European one that reflects the state of
> the world's bicycle industry, I have read that the parent
> company of True Temper has recently filed for Section 11
> bankruptcy, but that the company now thinks it has managed to
> arrange a refinancing of its burgeoning debt..
>
> Are the company's tubes widely used in the American bike
> industry..and would the company's demise be a great loss the
> KOF custom-builders?
>
> Another company in a rocky state is MAVIC..curently owned by
> the Finnish company Amer-Sports, that bought the iconic
> French manufacturer from Adidas not too long ago, who in turn
> bought it from the sporting goods manufacturer Salomon, not
> all that long ago either.
>
> MAVIC has just been put up for sale....Sales have been
> declining recently, probably due the fact that the Finnish
> owners knew nothing about cycle wheels..and to their decision
> to farm out some of the wheel manufacturing to Romania -
> hence quality problems - instead of letting the inhabitants
> of the small town of Chatillon-sur-Chalaronne, NE of Lyon,
> continue doing what they had been doing so successfully for decades.
>
> Offers around 100,000,000 euros on a post-card to Amer-Sport,
> Helsinki, Finland. To date only one company, a Taiwanese one,
> has shown interest.
>
> Norris Lockley...Settle UK