I shoulda added a disclaimer: that was Jerry's view and not mine; I don't have enough to knowledge about those sorts of details. However, I figure a framebuilder probably has that kind of knowledge.

The info came from one of the "Hot Tubes" features in one of my Bicycle Guide magazines from the mid-90s.

I once heard of a similar remark attributed to Ernesto Colnago in explaining away the ugly chrome decal he placed on the chainstay of the early 80s super. Hah. That was more likely a cost cutting measure, because in subsequent years the frames got more and more chrome, including the odd fully-chromed or even gold plated versions.

DD