Originally Posted by T-Mar

While Cromor was seamed, it was not a conventional seamed tubing technology. The blank or billet was welded and then the tube was drawn to size and butted. According to Columbus, performing the drawing operations after the welding operation resulted in a stronger tube. It also served to make the seam virtually indetectable.

Saying that Cromor is 0.1mm thicker than SL is oversimplifying things. It used an SP gauge downtube with an SL gauge seat tube. The top tube was SL grade butts with an SP gauge center section. Fork bades were SL gauge while the chain and seat stays split the difference between SL and SP. All three tubesets used the same alloy so the Matrix/Cromor set bascially split the difference between SL and SP, though overall, it leaned closer to SP.

The intesting thing about Matrix/Cromor is that it follows Bianchi's previously established Super Set philosphy of heavier gauge down tube and chainstays to stiffen the bottom bracket area. This is another reason why many believe that the Formula tubesets are Matrix/Cromor based. Given that Bianchi was Columbus' largest customer, I would not be surprised if Matrix/Cromor was developed as a result of joint efforts between the two companies. It certainly is an intelligent compromise between SL, SP and cost.

It's a bit hard to state the price difference for a couple of reasons. Matrix/Cromor was a mid-range tubeset and generally only available on complete bicycles. Initially, manufacturers did not offer separate Matrix/Cromor frames for custom building, as most cutomers still viewed seamed tubing as inferior and considered SL the minimum level for a custom bicycle. The other complicator is that since Matrix/Cromor was a mid-range tubing the frames did have the same level of workmanship and amenities. The latter can be seen on the Bianchi models of the era, with the SL and better models having Campagnolo dropouts and brazed-on front derailleur tabs, while the Formula frames used Bianchi branded Gipiemme dropouts and clamp style front derailleurs. Most manufacturers did not start offering separate sale Cromor framesets until around 1988-1990, by which time the stigma around seamed tubesets had subsided and increasing prices had forced consumers to consider lower grade frames for custom builds. For most Italian manufacturers, the Cromor frames were about 70% that of SL. Circa 1986, Italian SL frames were typically $400-$500, so a Matrix/Cromor frame of that era should have been around $275-$350.