Originally Posted by
unworthy1
...So what is FRX tubing, specifically, besides yet another of the dozens of SLX varients?
That would would be the logical assumption as it has the red border, Cyclex, Superbutted and Rinforzi Elicoidali designations. This combination was unique to SLX/SPX. However, the pictured decal set is for a Gavia which was orignally a TSX model and would have an Elica Continua designation, as opposed Rinforzati Elicoidali. I have seen this decal on other Gavia, so my assumption was that the Gavia was eventually downgraded and the Montello discontinued. However, this has came up in the past and an owner has stated he saw the ridges down the entire length of the down tube, which would make at least the down tube TSX.
These various private branded versions all seem to have appeared in the mid-1990s. Steel's popularity was waning in favour of aluminum carbon fibre and titanium and Columbus had come under additional threat from newer Italian steel tubesets from companies like Oria (mid 1980s) and Dedacciai (1992). Pinarello themselves had offered models using tubesets from these two upstarts, so I think Columbus was forced to become more acceptable to private branding and custom blending of existing tubesets in order to regain some lost business.