Strange the debate that we're having about .7/.4/.7 vs .9/.6/.9 and yet I doubt anyone here would say that you couldn't tell the difference between Columbus SL and some thicker Hi-ten frame.

I liked the ride of the Ishiwata and Reynolds Treks before I knew that my Columbus Trek was SP and not SL. I know I like the feel of thinner walled tubes, Jan's studies have only confirmed that experience.

And for what it's worth, the French bikes even with the same wall thicknesses are going to be marginally flexier if only because of the metric sized tubing.

I thought Vitus made some laughably thin tubesets, but maybe not thinner than Ishiwata.