Originally Posted by
horatio
Well, we went from bikes, i.e. frames, to gruppos. IMHO, one of the reasons Italian bikes ride so well is because of the Columbus tubing. I have three bikes with Reynolds 531 tubing, two of which are rideable. 531 compares favorably to Columbus SL. My "Japanese" Italian Bianchi Brava is made of Ishiwata tubing, comparable to Aelle I imagine, as it is heavier. It has a nice ride. I think the best mixed classic combo I've ridden was a Basso Gap (Columbus SL) with Shimano 600 components.
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..Ishiwata made all levels of tubing, and I think they still do under a different name, but little of it leaves Japan now. Ishiwata 022 is pretty comparable to everyone else's good stuff from that period.
