Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Columbus SP Tubing Q's:

Can anyone provide any insight on the Columbus SP tubing and how it compared to other Columbus tubesets around its time?
Also, since you're at it, could you also explain to me the diff. between the current Columbus: Sprit, Life & Zona?

Thanks a bunch!

try this. http://www.framebuilding.com/Columbus%20Tubing.htm

sick:
this is what it says.
Columbus SP : Steel. Recommended for larger standard size frames. Best suited to heavy riders for track events or road races on uneven surfaces

guess its gonna become my beater then.

have you rummaged around here yet?

http://www.framebuilding.com/Columbus%20Tubing.htm

isn't SP the same as SL, but beefier? (thicker walls)

Zona is Nivachrom, Life and Spirit are a niobium alloy.
basically the difference, as in all tubing, comes down to strength and weight.
Life and Spirit are stronger than Zona, so can be drawn to a thinner profile.

someone correct me if i'm wrong, but the only difference between Life and Spirit is that Spirit is thinner?

Without getting too exotic, the Columbus tubings of the period were:

SP - road, heavier walled double butted
SL - road, lighter walled double butted
PS - track, heavier walled double butted
PL - track, lighter walled double butted

There was quite a lot of difference between the SP and SL (and between the PS and PL). The PL wasn't good for much other than ultralight pursuit frames or the occasional hour record bike. The SL worked for smaller frames and for lighter riders, but was fairly common on road frames in all but very large sizes. All in all, there just weren't many alternatives to select from, so tubing choice was pretty straightforward.
Each tubing evolved somewhat over their lifetime, so particular steel composition and precise butting tapers, wall thicknesses, etc. changed a bit, although the feel generally stayed about the same.

Don't forget KL, the ultra-light double butted tubeset.

This page (http://www.desperadocycles.com/The_Lowdown_On_Tubing/Tubing_Properties_For_Non_True_Temper_Tubing.htm) is excellent for comparison of the various tubing out there, covering Columbus, Ishiwata, Tange, Reynolds and Vitus. Interesting reading, those butt profiles.

As mentioned above, SP was at the same level as SL--the top of Columbus' line. Many frames were spec-ed SL with SP chainstays and or SP fork tubes etc., etc.

Oh, yeah, I had tried to forget KL. Colnago used it on the first Mexico's. You could flex the bottom bracket with your hand, and rust out the top tube in one summer with perspiring in Texas heat. Ever squeeze the top tube of a Trek Madone? It flexes inwards like a piece of paper tubing. KL was about the same. Ugh.