Scarfacexxx08
Retrobike Rider
- Feedback
- View
So I've always been a fan of kleins and older Cannondale with their oversize tubing, what other companies did the same?
Oversize alloy
- Thread starter Scarfacexxx08
- Start date
Most alloy frames were 'oversize' compared to the steel or even ti equivalents.
I've owned a Klein, a real boneshaker that sadly I didn't enjoy, though the gator fade paint job was a joy to behold. I've always fancied a Cannondale with a p-bone suspension fork. The one I hanker for has a white to blue fade, saw one at center parcs and it reminded me of the first proper mountain bike I had, a Raleigh Cajun with a lovely white, turquoise to dark blue fade paint job.
One day...
I've owned a Klein, a real boneshaker that sadly I didn't enjoy, though the gator fade paint job was a joy to behold. I've always fancied a Cannondale with a p-bone suspension fork. The one I hanker for has a white to blue fade, saw one at center parcs and it reminded me of the first proper mountain bike I had, a Raleigh Cajun with a lovely white, turquoise to dark blue fade paint job.
One day...
Scarfacexxx08
Retrobike Rider
- Feedback
- View
It just seemed like those 2 were larger than some
2manyoranges
Senior Retro Guru
- Feedback
- View
Ishaw my experience too. I was young in my off road riding in the 90s and everyone hailed Kleins as the pinnacle of design and performance. Foregoing a Cinelli Columbus frame, I went for a Klein build. Now, I know that was a huge error, and the Cinelli steel would almost certainly have been a far superior ride. But…fashion…and whilst on any sort of fireroad the Klein was lightning fast, it was a brutal ride everywhere else.
- Feedback
- View
Aluminium worked better for the larger rider. The material gets stronger when manipulated and heat treated into certain shapes and wall thickness
Cannondale and klein were those that took the time and effort to explore the material's properties over the majorly of companies that used it because it was cheap
They were some of the first to commercialy move away from bonded and lugged frames which tended to fail around the joins rather than the tubing itself
Many a cannondale only failed through over zealous paint removal because the walls were so thin!
Steel needed skill to manipulate and became expensive to produce over aluminium so the look of those fat tubes made for good marketing, it looked tough and sat nicely with the idea of mountain bike plus some funky looking aero Road and TT
Then carbon took over with arguably even bigger tubes and not being restricted by a crystalline construction, weird engineering shapes could be made that laughed at those inefficient lardy alu frames, even the funky hydroformed stuff
Aluminium hasn't gone away though
Just remember, aluminium frames became cheap to produce so by the mid 1990s just about everyone had a big fat tubed frame somewhere in their range
Cannondale and klein were those that took the time and effort to explore the material's properties over the majorly of companies that used it because it was cheap
They were some of the first to commercialy move away from bonded and lugged frames which tended to fail around the joins rather than the tubing itself
Many a cannondale only failed through over zealous paint removal because the walls were so thin!
Steel needed skill to manipulate and became expensive to produce over aluminium so the look of those fat tubes made for good marketing, it looked tough and sat nicely with the idea of mountain bike plus some funky looking aero Road and TT
Then carbon took over with arguably even bigger tubes and not being restricted by a crystalline construction, weird engineering shapes could be made that laughed at those inefficient lardy alu frames, even the funky hydroformed stuff
Aluminium hasn't gone away though
Just remember, aluminium frames became cheap to produce so by the mid 1990s just about everyone had a big fat tubed frame somewhere in their range
Scarfacexxx08
Retrobike Rider
- Feedback
- View
I think that was British Eagle BOSS. They were so heavy... maybe it was down to components though
Last edited:
- Feedback
- View
Heavy by whose definition? I have an estay frame from the same manufacturer that can be a sub 21lb build easy
Those Boss bikes hit the nail on the head with their fat tubes, exactly what was the antithesis to the skinny steel of the day
Once every other brand bought their fat tubes out, they all started to look the same
One stand out for me was the GT Pantera for the 1992 year, a fat down tube that made my dull and hefty 531 Magnum frame Claud Butler look like spaghetti
Those Boss bikes hit the nail on the head with their fat tubes, exactly what was the antithesis to the skinny steel of the day
Once every other brand bought their fat tubes out, they all started to look the same
One stand out for me was the GT Pantera for the 1992 year, a fat down tube that made my dull and hefty 531 Magnum frame Claud Butler look like spaghetti
Scarfacexxx08
Retrobike Rider
- Feedback
- View
At the time I had a Marin Eldridge Grade, which was really light
No way, Kleins were far superior to Cinellis. For sure less comfortable, but a rocket on climbs and very precise on DHs. The, I dunno what Cinelli you are talking about, but earlier Columbus Max tubed frames were very stiff. Finally, it also depends on the Klein. Attitudes were way better than Pinnacles.
