This is more likely to be a 1988/1989/1990 Benotto...tubings used all the way up to the 1986-1987 production year were:
Hi-Ten Zeta Aelle Ishiwata SL SLX Gilco/MS
There is a possibility that European production could have been ahead 1 year as
compared to the US/Mexico and put out a 1987 Matrix tubed Benotto...but until proof is offered...kinda doubt it.
=8-)
Robert Shackelford San Jose, CA USA
Quoting fujifish1@aol.com:
> For a local friend, I'm trying to more accurately date a mid-latter 1980s
> Benotto he is building up. The frame is made of Columbus Matrix tubing,
> according to the decal on the forks which still have their original, full
> chromed finish. According to my friend, before the frame was repainted, it
>
> wore a netted looking paint finish on the top tube, which sounds like the
> infamous "Retinato", cross-hatch paint finishes of the mid-later 1980s.
>
> I've looked through the archives and found thread after thread noting the
> following five points:
>
> 1) Matrix tubing is made of the same material as SL or SLX (Cr-Mo) for the
> road ... but it is seamed, welded, butted.
>
> 2) The Matrix name was already registered by Trek for one of their
> products, and in course, Columbus changed the name to Cromar.
>
> 3) Perhaps as early as 1986, a Matrix frame cost one half the amount of a
> top of the line SL or SLX frame, but twice as much as an Aelle tubed frame
> (Faggin frames were cited here). There is no mention of where Aelle-R
> falls in the hierarchy, but we will see in point #4 below, that it is
> lighter
> than plain Aelle.
>
> 4) A bit more modern but all inclusive Columbus spec sheet visible in PDF
> format at the Classic Rendezvous web site, shows the Matrix tube set to
> weigh 2190gm, as compared to SL at 1925gm, SLX at 1959gm, Aelle at 2345gm,
> and
> Aelle-R at 2257gm.
>
> 5) According to the same spec sheet above, where Matrix tubing was "new",
> it was designed "for exacting amateur cyclists who look for excellent
> performances combined to reasonable costs - butted". The same sheet lists
> Aelle-OR (off road?) as new too, if this helps in dating. Or perhaps,
> Meister
> Dale knows the date of that sheet?
>
>
> Most everything else I read was opinion based, so I have not included it
> here. Other threads indicate that Matrix was introduced in the very late
> 80s, which contradicts the 1986 dated Faggin frame mentioned in point #3
> above. I learned some time ago the Columbus MAX tubing was released in
> about
> 1989 or 1990, and there is no mention of this tube set in the CR PDF file,
> so I suspect the spec sheet is earlier than 1989.
>
> I did not take photos of the Benotto frame, but it has bottle bosses on
> seat tube, internal top tube brake cable routing with quite minimally sized
>
> input and output reinforcement ports (or whatever they are called), and rear
>
> dropouts that are much smaller overall than the later Campagnolo 1010
> short dropouts of our latter timeline. It also has a pump peg brazed onto
> the
> back side of the head tube.
>
> So, my questions are:
> What is the official introduction year for Matrix tubing? When did it
> start to show up on bikes like this Benotto? Have I given enough info about
>
> this Benotto for any of you to please come up with a date, without seeing
> photos? Thanks in advance for any help!
>
> Ciao,
> Mark Agree
> Southfield MI USA
>
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>
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