Mannesmann tubing?
 

Is anyone familiar with Mannesmann steel tubing? I was looking at the current Viper frame (comparing it to circa 2000 one I own) on the Basso website and noticed the specs list "Mannesmann tripple butted steel custom shaped tubes". I seem to recall this brand of tubing being used many years ago but didn't think they still were in the bike tubing business. Anyone here know the story on this stuff? Maybe they have a bunch of NOS tubing at Basso?

My Viper doesn't have a tubing sticker (except for the one that says "Basso tube concept") but is supposed to be OS Deda Zero.

Mannesmann is a German company that invented the first drawing and butting technique for seamless tube. There's about eight major holdings across Europe, making everything from water pipe to automobile transmission and suspension parts, via shaped hydroformed tube and stents.

There won't be that much difference between Mannesmann steel and another manufacturers, except in control over impurities in the base metal. German steel tends to be very clean.

Falanx,

I guess what puzzles me is why I don't see anyone else these days claiming their steel bikes are made from Mannesmann tubing. When you think about the (relatively low) number of steel frames currently being made it is amazing that a builder can still choose from Reynolds, Columbus, Deda, True Temper and Tange. So why Mannesmann?

Because almost every drawn steel tube uses the same technique as the Mannesmann process - they're all made the same way. The only reason those tubes you have seen have the name on them is because they were actually made at a Mannesmann plant, not a Tange plant, or True Temper one... But the process pretty much everyone uses is based on, developed from or identical to the process Mannesmann themselves use.

Primarily because the distinction of them being made by Mannesmann means nothing anymore.

basso viper
 

if you can tell me who you purchased your basso viper from.

I bought it a few years ago from a vendor in the UK called Cycling Interactive Ltd. This guy had a bunch of NOS Basso frames that he was selling off at very nice prices (especially before the dollar went south). It doesn't seem his website works anymore, so I won't post the link. Basso no longer has a US distributor - they still seem to be popular in Germany, however.