Originally Posted by
unterhausen
Did the OP somehow ask for free association and I missed it?
I suspect that even in the high strength steels, .4-ish is as thin as they feel comfortable drawing the tube. The heavier gauges are for when people want to build a stronger frame, for example a touring frame. Or for big people. For that matter, some of the CE testing requirements for frames are hard on a steel frame, so maybe that's the reason these higher strength tubes are available. Production bikes are often built heavier out of (possibly undue) caution, and it seems that there are 853 production bikes out there.
Good points about the heavier rider or touring frames. I did think of that and it is sort of like Columbus SL and SP both being made from the same alloy, just different gauges. It just seems strange that most of the tube configurations offered for 853 are for those special cases requiring heavier gauge AND higher strength steel. The whole point of 853 tubes is light weight (
AFAIK) yet most of the tubes offered in the product line aren't consistent with that goal.