What can you tell me about Columbus Neuron?

Found this on the web.

"Neuron (0.7-0.5-0.7). This is a very sophisticated tubing, much finer that one would guess from the 0.5mm wall thickness. Columbus pulled out almost all the stops to make a lightweight 0.5mm tubing, using zone butting, elliptical butting, the works. The result is a tubing that is lightweight, yet very stiff. Mondonico continues to offer frames made of Neuron because it makes a good, stiff, light frame. This tubing still has a very devoted following among serious steel frame lovers."

Cool. And thanks. Now I am even more intrigued.

Jared

Bummer!! I just came across the same info. it is from Bike Forums of all places way back in '05.


Zona (0.7-0.5-0.7). In order to offer a tubing only 0.7mm at the butt, Columbus developed a reduced price Nivacrome that is 1000 Newtons/square meter tensile strength. This compares to the 900 used in Brain OS (and old SLX) and 1200 used in EL-OS, Genius, and our Torelli/Nemo 747.

Neuron (0.7-0.5-0.7). This is a very sophisticated tubing, much finer that one would guess from the 0.5mm wall thickness. Columbus pulled out almost all the stops to make a lightweight 0.5mm tubing, using zone butting, elliptical butting, the works. The result is a tubing that is lightweight, yet very stiff. Mondonico continues to offer frames made of Neuron because it makes a good, stiff, light frame. This tubing still has a very devoted following among serious steel frame lovers.
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trackandtrials
11-30-05, 02:55 AM

I had that same choice and made my bike out of neuron. Don't know how zona rides, but the elliptical butting made it a pain both to miter and weld. They basically have little tongue depressors of steel inside the top and down tubes in the butted section at the major stress axes (like on the top/bottom of the down tube where it hits the head tube).

It's definitely more complex than zona and the downtube is significantly lighter, but I can't tell you much about the ride difference. Oh, yeah, and I couldn't find neuron in oversize or megatubes, if that's important to ya....

https://www.bikeforums.net/archive/in.../t-156371.html

the frame looks interesting what is it? or are you afraid to tell us because we will yell at you for stripping it?

I've got a Cinelli SC that's made out of it. It's a smooth riding bike.....

Thanks for the info.

And I was not intentionally hiding anything. I just have not had any time to clean it up for good pictures. But is a Colian, a custom bike by Colin Laing.

Actually most likely make as a collaboration between Ian Laing and Colin Laing.

Ask Pat, he knows more than anyone here.

I wondered who bought that one, Colian's keep popping up on CL! can you take a better picture of the head badge? my guess would be mid 90's?

The seller said he had it built in 2001. I am pretty sure that the Daytona 10 speed groupset is post 2001.

The seller had another Colin bike-- a fixed gear made from 531. That bike was really sweet. The seller said that he and Colin had once ridden to Tucson together (with Colin riding a fixed gear all the way Tucson).

But now that I say this, I am not sure if he was referring to Colin or Ian.

The seller had several really nice bikes.

Wow, I'd have bought it for the frame!

It looks super sweet. I'd have a hard time gutting it.

I know, I know, but you don't understand-- I just can't keep any more bikes. The wife is not going to tolerate me keeping all these bikes.

And I am not sure how how it is going to fit. The top tube is right (57cm) but the seat tube is only 55cm (I usually ride a 58). But it is hard to know what it might ride like. I haven't even seen it with the wheels on it. The head tube seems short, but the fork seems . . long? Actually, I don't know what the fork seems like.

More pics (note-- I blacked out the sellers name on the top tube. I am not sure he would want his name spread around like that):

One more question-- can someone identify this headset? The headset is in bad shape. The seller said he took it to a very large tri shop in town and they butchered it up good. It looks like they used rusty vise grips on the headset.

A very nice distinct frame. The fork should have been conventional crown instead of unicrown, IMHO.
It does look a bit small for you, smaller than your first Zurich.

interesting much different head badge than the one in my possession

I agree that it looks smaller. The headtube looks smaller. And the seat tube is definitely smaller. But look at that fork. Look how "low" the brake mounting is on that fork. Compare it to the fork on my 55cm Zurich. It looks to me like that fork makes the headtube effectively taller. Or something like that.

I think need to get some wheels on it and see how it sits.

Some pictures of the bike with wheels on it.

Can anyone give me some thoughts as to the geometry of this bike? The short head tube/fork still confuses me.

Jared

probably goes pretty fast and feels twitchy/nimble..

Fits someone with a relatively long torso and shorter legs than the average.
This allows for the shorter head tube, giving room for saddle to bar drop.

Not really sure what to say about the fork except that tig'd forks are fugly.

That head tube/fork is interesting. Have you had a chance to ride it? How would you say it rides/handles? I wonder what would happen to the geometry if you ever needed to replace the fork. (I bet that bike would fit me perfectly--short legs, long torso; usually ride a 56cm with long stem.)

THe axel to crown (bottom of headset race) measurement for the fork is probably quite long, a short headtube was probably thus necessary to allow for the long fork while keeping the top tube level. Putting a more conventional deminsioned fork onto this bike would probably steepen the heatube & seattube angles a bit and slope the top tube forward slighlty.
I would guess that the long fork/short headtube would not have much impact on the bike handling. The relativly short seattube allows for lower stem/handlebar placement. Might be OK for somewhat wanting a super low racer position but riding in the drops will be a bit more difficult for someone used to a more upright position.

Interesting that the tube decal shows that this neuron tubeset was made with the older CrMo Cylex steel (same steel formulation as used in SL/SP,SLX/SPX/TSX and MAX tubesets). Most of the references I found to Neuron tubing show it was more typically made from stronger nivacrom steel.

+1

Im glad you pointed that out; I haven't seen this before.



My 2004 Cinelli SC has a decal like this one.

You guys are right about the two different kinds of Neuron. See my new thread about my second Neuron Colin Laing in two days:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...on-Colin-Laing

I think this bike rides pretty darn good. But it is just a bit outside my normal size range. I will have to give it more time.

Jared