fender76

Hey all,

I was hit last week on my '04 Zurich by another cyclist coming around a corner too fast. He locked up his brakes and plowed right into me, and my Zurich's frame suffered a slight abnormality in the rear triangle carbon that warrants replacement (I also lost two teeth, separated a shoulder, and had to be taken away in an ambulance...but that's another story). I luckily tracked down an '04 triple and had it converted to a double, but to my surprise when it arrived, it was a True Temper Platinum OX frame, and not a Reynolds 853 frame as my other Zurich had been (same model year). The bike is only a day old....should I care about this difference? Will there be a weight difference or ride difference between the two bikes? I'd test this out myself, but I can't ride for a good 6 months, so I want to make sure I got as good of a bike as I'd already had. Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks very much...

Jason

Jakey

Platinum OX is nice stuff... I don't think it will be a downgrade...but I don't know the weight differences and stuff....

fender76

thanks! Can anyone else give me some good insight on this? I need to decide if I should keep the bike or not. I swear it feels heavier to me, but I could be imagining it....

travis200

I cracked an '03 853 tubing Zurich this year. Lemond warrantied it with a '05 Maillot Jaune with the Platinum tubing and I can't seem to crack it so I think it is stronger. Not sure on the weight though but i think it is heavier also.

sydney

That's just nonsense.

sydney

What choice do you have?? The 853 frames are out of production.Lemond warranted a crash damage which they aren't required to do. In a blind test you could not tell the difference between ox pltinum and 853. Time to move on.

fender76

No no they didn't warrant anything. I tracked down another '04 and paid 1899 for it! (it was a triple that I converted). So yes, there is more to consider here....no free frame

***Butch***

I've read that the OX is a little lighter for the same strength when compared to 853. Getting an OX frame is an upgrade, plus it's American made.

sydney

Ah so....improper comprehension of the term 'warrants'. But, I think since you bought it, it's yours...so enjoy.

fender76

Thanks Butch! This is the kind of info I'm looking for...

80vette

What is with all the cracked frames?
What are you doing to/with them? How much do you weigh?

fender76

80vette, do you have Reynolds frame or TT?

531Aussie

I weighed a 2003 57cm 853 Zurich at 1770g (3.9lb), which ain't that light......if that means anything to ya

sydney

That's lighter than the original Zurich 853 that went over 4 pounds.853 never was a contender in the weight wars. FWIW, 3.9 isn't bad for that size frame,especially if it's got paint on it.Now back to your regularly scheduled carpet smoking.

Peek the Geek

Jason,

I did a bit of Googling, and it looks like you were neither upgraded nor downgraded. 853 and Platinum OX are similar tubing materials put out by two different manufacturers, 853 being from Reynolds and Platinum OX being from True Temper. Both are air hardened and heat treated. It's like gettting a Coke instead of a Pepsi, not like getting an RC Cola instead of a Pepsi.

Companies change vendors all the time, and that seems to be what happened here. Gunnar bikes actually used a mix of 853 and Platinum OX in some of their frames for a time during their switch from one to the other, I believe.

By the way, I'm in no way an expert in this stuff. I just got my info from Google and the following link:
https://strongframes.com/tech_geeks_l...=171&copyID=98

fender76

this is great info....thank you very much!!

brokenrobot

This is my favorite new (to me) slang.