Tube recommendation

[veryredbike]

I'm choosing tubes for bike 3 and am contemplating if it's worth getting some nicer tubing. Right now I'm using nova's 8/5/8 chromo. It'd be cool to build a bit lighter bike... but I'm about 215 lb.

Anyone have thoughts on slightly thinner tubing? Is it a silly thing to look for at my weight?

The bike: silver brazed lugged touring.

[Too Tall]

I'm choosing tubes for bike 3 and am contemplating if it's worth getting some nicer tubing. Right now I'm using nova's 8/5/8 chromo. It'd be cool to build a bit lighter bike... but I'm about 215 lb.

Anyone have thoughts on slightly thinner tubing? Is it a silly thing to look for at my weight?

The bike: silver brazed lugged touring.

Work with your builder they ( cough ) know what you need.
Please comment if you wish.
Suggest you do some searches here and look at the Smoked Out section to find what builders you'd like to work with.
Peace, Josh

[afwalker]

I'm interested in this choice of recommendation. I built a silver fillet brazed touring bike with True Temper OxPlatinum/Versus and toured it this summer loaded with 40 pounds of bags and it was a bit flex-y for me.
Maybe the fillets instead of lugs, maybe too thin walls. I want to also do a lugged silver tourer...It'd handle weight better?
It was also my frame #3:)

How much weight will you carry, and where do you plan to carry it? Panniers, front/rear?

[Eric Estlund]

Fillets vs lugs vs TIG (on their own) won't affect the flex or ride in a noticeable way.

Tube diameter has a larger influence on flex then wall thickness.

Wall thickness is going to add some dent resistance and strength for a given alloy class.

Touring bikes may see a lot of weight (variable, I know) over mixed terrain in parts unknown. I would generally err on the side of bombproofness; especially with a larger rider.

"What tubes" has been discussed in depth over at the Framebuilders list and archive. Take a look at that info and ask over here for clarity as you weigh your options. There is a ton of good discussion in the archive- it's a great resource.

[veryredbike]

Work with your builder they ( cough ) know what you need.
Please comment if you wish.
Suggest you do some searches here and look at the Smoked Out section to find what builders you'd like to work with.
Peace, Josh

Should have been clearer... I am the builder (well... in that I'm building it). I'm trying to get a feel for things as I get some experience.

"What tubes" has been discussed in depth over at the Framebuilders list and archive. Take a look at that info and ask over here for clarity as you weigh your options. There is a ton of good discussion in the archive- it's a great resource.

I'll do that, thanks!

[veryredbike]

Honestly, I'm having real trouble finding specifics in the archives, so I'm going to put something out there, and then continue googling it...

7/4/7 spirit os for lugs (these are yours, e-rich, right?) or zona OS 7/4/7 at 220 lb. Silver brazed, newer builder. I'm not worried about dings (excuse to make more frames), but I don't want tubes to fold going down a hill. Raise your hand if you think "get ye back on the 8/5/8 chromo, interloper!"

[Erik B]

Honestly, I'm having real trouble finding specifics in the archives, so I'm going to put something out there, and then continue googling it...

snip... Raise your hand if you think "get ye back on the 8/5/8 chromo, interloper!"

for bike 3 I would raise my hand to that, build that and a few more straight, then step up to the thinner more expensive offerings

Keep in mind that my opinion is worth exactly what you paid for it.

[Too Tall]

Well, that's embarrassing. I plea the 5th. Thanks for the pass.
Rock on good sir.

Should have been clearer... I am the builder (well... in that I'm building it). I'm trying to get a feel for things as I get some experience.



I'll do that, thanks!

[Chauncey Matthews]

Honestly, I'm having real trouble finding specifics in the archives, so I'm going to put something out there, and then continue googling it...

7/4/7 spirit os for lugs (these are yours, e-rich, right?) or zona OS 7/4/7 at 220 lb. Silver brazed, newer builder. I'm not worried about dings (excuse to make more frames), but I don't want tubes to fold going down a hill. Raise your hand if you think "get ye back on the 8/5/8 chromo, interloper!"

Hmm, first I'd look at your eating habits as it seems like you've gained 5 pounds since the first post ;)
Seriously though, I think frame 3 is a great place to do some experimenting with different tubes. Build it close to frame 2 and see if you can tell a difference in the ride ( I'm betting you won't, but it's always fun to see), I'd go for the SFL just because of the longer butts.
Keep us posted!

[veryredbike]

Hmm, first I'd look at your eating habits as it seems like you've gained 5 pounds since the first post ;)
Seriously though, I think frame 3 is a great place to do some experimenting with different tubes. Build it close to frame 2 and see if you can tell a difference in the ride ( I'm betting you won't, but it's always fun to see), I'd go for the SFL just because of the longer butts.
Keep us posted!

I eat a u-lock every morning to gain its power. It's not light. ;-)

My thought process is like yours, I think: "I've been doing this a bit, why not try something new?" I just have no calibration for where it starts getting risky. I don't want to hit a pothole, fold or crack a tube, and find my teeth on the pavement.

I'll definitely spend some time staring at the SFL tubes, thanks for the advice!

I'm also looking at heat treated versus... Henry James has a table for recommended combinations and rider weights that gives me some kind of benchmark. It'd be the same thickness as the current stuff I'm using, but a little stronger.

Well, that's embarrassing. I plea the 5th. Thanks for the pass.
Rock on good sir.

No worries at all, it's good advice!

[Andrew R Stewart]

I had to look back at the OP to see if a use for this #3 was stated. It was not so I'd say the tube choices are still not well ditermined. Except that srtonger/stiffer is almost never wrong for a big guy. As said diameter is a larger difference then wall. Andy.

[veryredbike]

Oh, yep, that'd be important. Road, will have a rack but it won't be loaded up much. No racing. It'll be OS tubing.

[Dallas Tex]

Frame #3, 220lbs rider, go with the 8/5/8..........depending how #1 and #2 turned out, don't rule out 9/6/9. Good luck!

[Erik B]

Chasing grams in frame weight for your third build on a light touring bike when you yourself are 200+ pounds seems like a strange priority. (maybe strange isn't the right word but IMO at your stage in the game chasing straight is a better goal than grams)
You may already have straighness nailed in which case never-mind.


I'm a big boy myself, so if your looking to figure out what different tubes feel like, I'd suggest roughly replicating a current ride in UOS or OOS depending on which nomenclature you want to use in a nice cheap 858 tube set because fat tubes rock.

[suhacycles]

I'm sorry, did you say how tall you are? Cuz tube length also affect how stiff it's gonna feel, especially the torsional part.

I say get some eRichie or Dazza lugs, go double OS and some 8/5/8 Columbus or True Temper and you'd be good to go... oh yeah, and round CS's with at least 16mm SS's... my 2 cents... =D

[cement shoes]

I'm 5' 10" and around 205 right now. I've been riding the pego-richie stuff for about 3 years now (same frame), silver brazed, lugged. It feels really good for my needs/terrain. I'm 39, 2 kids, full-time day job, ride about 6 hours/week. Joe average I guess. My local terrain is hilly, biggest climbs about a mile, easy to hit 40+ on many of the downhills. It's seen lots of dirt and has dime size dent in the top tube from when it fell into the corner of one of the cabinets in my shop along with 3 other bikes on top of it. It's a great material.

But, it's thin. I wouldn't use it on my 3rd frame. There are things you don't know you don't know (not a typo). I would absolutely not use it for a loaded touring rig. I think it would be fine for a weekender, credit-card, fenders, change of clothes kind of rig.

[veryredbike]

I'm only about 5'9", so flex itself shouldn't be too big of a deal.

Good advice all, thanks! I'm going to split the difference and get a versus heat treated set in 8/5/8... so stronger and probably better quality control than the nova house brand tubes I've been using, but the same thickness. That way I get to play with something new without more risk.

[steve garro]

versus heat treated set in 8/5/8....

I've used Verus and VHT for years and still do and I can tell you that regular verus is just as durable if not more so due to elongation + elasticity and it's straighter and much easier to work with by hand.
My Dos Centavos, Garro.

[edoz]

I've used Verus and VHT for years and still do and I can tell you that regular verus is just as durable if not more so due to elongation + elasticity and it's straighter and much easier to work with by hand.
My Dos Centavos, Garro.

I followed this advice from Steve a couple of years ago and my seat tube reamer thanked me.

[Dallas Tex]

I followed this advice from Steve a couple of years ago and my seat tube reamer thanked me.

Not only is non-HT easier to miter, etc, but also MUCH easier to pull into alignment after brazing....which I assume you will need to do on #3.