FWIW, my second two customs (the first was a Waterford, circa early 1995, IIRC) have upsloping top tubes and non-heat treated tubing. #2 is a Joe, 1999 fixed, #3 is a Curt 2003 1X10, now fixed, too. Riv #1 was a customized Waterford made from tout 753 which, of course, is heat treated (isn't it?) but it was nothing like as good as #2 and #3.
So perhapsneither heat treated tubing nor upslopes are quality compromises. On Fri, Jan 22, 2010 at 6:39 PM, Michael Glaser <mgla...@gmail.com> wrote: > I may be talking out of school here, but I think there are four main > differences between the Toyo/Waterford frames and the Taiwanese > frames: design, materials, construction and finish. > > First, and perhaps most importantly, the Taiwanese models all have > upsloping top tubes. The upsloping top tubes allow a wider range of > riders to achieve an upright position on the same size frame. This > means that Riv doesn't have to carry as many sizes, and I'm sure that > Riv saves money by simplifying inventory management. But the net > result is an aesthetic compromise. That's not to say that the > Taiwanese bikes are unattractive. I think they're beautiful. I just > find level top tubes more beautiful. > > Second, the tubesets are made from heavier gauge steel that is not > heat-treated. I am not a metallurgist or framebuilder, and I don't > pretend to know nearly as much about this as many of the Bunch, but > heat-treated steel provides more "efficient" strength. You can build > an equally strong frame with lighter gauge steel. > > Third, the Taiwanese bikes are brass-brazed rather than silver- > brazed. Silver brazing can be done at a lower temperature, and does > not affect the strength of the steel. Brass brazing requires a higher > temperature and does have an effect on the steel matrix. > > Fourth, the finish on the Taiwanese bikes is a bit less fancy. I > don't think that this is a very important issue, because they're fancy > enough. But there is a difference. > > For these reasons, I'd really like to see a higher-end touring frame > in the Riv line-up. > > > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com<rbw-owners-bunch%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > > -- Patrick Moore Albuquerque, NM For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW at resumespecialt...@gmail.com (505) 227-0523 -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
