mowyang

The ad copy for my late 90's bike says it has a "True Temper sequentially TIG welded double butted Cromoly" frame. I don't understand much of that. But I'm curious to know how this frame compares to what's on the market today. What bikes have frames comparable to this one?

Jeff Wills

It's butted chrome-moly tubing. It's comparable to contemporary butted chrome-moly tubing. Beyond that, 95% of the difference between bikes is determined by the components, and 99% of the difference between two cyclists is determined by the rider. The frame matters very little, and differences in the frame might make a gnat's whisker of difference.

In other words, don't worry about it. Put it together, make sure it fits, ride the snot out of it. It's a bicycle, not a work of art. (Unless your name is Art...)

SlimRider

Hello there Mowyang!

The tempering process of steel is a heating technique used to "toughen" the metal in order to make it stronger for its intended use. Whereas annealing tends to soften steel, tempering tends to harden steel, but not to the point of being brittle. "TIG"- Stands for "Tungsten Inert Gas". It's a type of welding process used to weld the joints of the bicycle tubes together. It uses a tungsten electrode which is surrounded by the inert gas, argon, which protects the weld area from contaminants. It usually leaves a clean weld due to the absence of smoke and airborn contaminants.

Chromoly is an alloy of ferrous iron, it usually contains a small amount of carbon, silicon, chromium, manganese, sulphur, and molybdenum. By adding carbon to iron, it becomes the alloy steel. By adding molybdenum, chromium, maganese, and silicon, it becomes chromoly steel, a specific type of iron alloy. Chromoly steel is a very stronger alloy of iron. It has a variety of sub-categories, classes, or grades of chromoly steel, based upon relative quantities of various metallic elements it contains, as well as the type of processing it undergoes, in order to strengthen it. Most quality bicycles contain chromoly steel, because these bicycle frames can be made just as light in overall mass, as of some of the lightest aluminum frames. Chromoly 853 bicycle frames can be made lighter than many aluminum frames. Not only will they be made lighter, but they will also be stronger, and more durable than any aluminum frame of the same mass. If kepy dry and not abused, a chromoly steel frame can last for many decades longer than any aluminum frame. Chromoly steel is innately superior to aluminum alloy in any bicycle application.

Double-butted frame just means that at the point where the welding took place, the thicker ends of the tubes were joined together via the process of TIG welding.

Sir, you are very fortunate to be in the possession of such a distinguished, proven, and durable, bicycle frame.

Most Respectfully,

- SlimRider