User Tag List

Results 1 to 11 of 11

Thread: NOVA Tube Sets

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Calgary, Alberta
    Posts
    19
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default NOVA Tube Sets

    I recently ordered 5 of NOVA’s Columbus tube set packages: 2 SL, 2 Spirit for Lugs, and 1 Cromor. When I was unpacking the box, I noticed that the sets were not strictly SL, Spirit, and Cromor (as I expected they would be based on the online description). Instead, I found other tubes were mixed in to the sets. For example, I found that all five of my seat tubes were Zona, and that the head tube they supplied for the Cromor set was NOVA’s own brand. A few other anomalies as well.

    Have others had similar experiences with the Columbus tube sets from NOVA?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    New Hampshire
    Posts
    6,042
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mentioned
    17 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)

    Default Re: NOVA Tube Sets

    My tubing supplier for Columbus is Metal Guru / Carl from Vicious Cycles FYI.

    However, you really should be talking / asking questions directly with NOVA about this.
    Last edited by fortyfour; 02-29-2020 at 11:20 AM. Reason: punctuation
    Kristofer Henry : 44 BIKES : Made to Shred™
    www.44bikes.com · Flickr · Facebook · Instagram

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Calgary, Alberta
    Posts
    19
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default Re: NOVA Tube Sets

    Quote Originally Posted by fortyfour View Post
    My tubing supplier for Columbus is Metal Guru / Carl from Vicious Cycles FYI.

    However, you really should be talking / asking questions directly with NOVA about this.
    Thanks Kristofer. I will definitely be calling NOVA Monday — I was just trying to gauge if others on this forum had similar experience to what I described (i.e. is this “normal”?). If it is “normal”, at a minimum it feels like NOVA should make their descriptions clearer. Again, something I’ll discuss with them when I call.
    Nick Graham

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Better to be ruined than to be silent atmo.
    Posts
    22,128
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mentioned
    24 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default Re: NOVA Tube Sets

    How can you tell if a seat tube is Zona, or if a head tube isn’t from a particular mill?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Calgary, Alberta
    Posts
    19
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default Re: NOVA Tube Sets

    Quote Originally Posted by e-RICHIE View Post
    How can you tell if a seat tube is Zona, or if a head tube isn’t from a particular mill?
    NOVA writes the SKU on each of their tubes with a sharpie. I cross referenced the SKU with the individual tubes on their website. The seat tubes all had the same SKU, and when I checked online it was the SKU that matched the Zona seat tube. Hope that makes sense.
    Nick Graham

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    New Hampshire
    Posts
    6,042
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mentioned
    17 Post(s)
    Tagged
    1 Thread(s)

    Default Re: NOVA Tube Sets

    Quote Originally Posted by nick.graham View Post
    Thanks Kristofer. I will definitely be calling NOVA Monday — I was just trying to gauge if others on this forum had similar experience to what I described (i.e. is this “normal”?). If it is “normal”, at a minimum it feels like NOVA should make their descriptions clearer. Again, something I’ll discuss with them when I call.
    Again, this is something that should be taken up with NOVA because if their description is misleading, they should know about it. No one here is going to give you much of any meaningful help.

    Tips on mitering, set up, best practices, brazing/tig/fillet techniques do's and do nots, etc.? That's what this is place is here for. Misleading descriptions on 3rd party supplier websites selling tubing? Contact the supplier.
    Kristofer Henry : 44 BIKES : Made to Shred™
    www.44bikes.com · Flickr · Facebook · Instagram

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Calgary, Alberta
    Posts
    19
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default Re: NOVA Tube Sets

    Quote Originally Posted by fortyfour View Post
    Again, this is something that should be taken up with NOVA because if their description is misleading, they should know about it. No one here is going to give you much of any meaningful help.

    Tips on mitering, set up, best practices, brazing/tig/fillet techniques do's and do nots, etc.? That's what this is place is here for. Misleading descriptions on 3rd party supplier websites selling tubing? Contact the supplier.
    Thanks again, Kristofer. Per my earlier comment, I will be raising with NOVA tomorrow when they are open. I posted the original question in this forum not to air grievances, but to see if other forum users have had similar experiences to mine. This is the first time I have ordered tubes — understanding whether what I received is either typical or unusual will help me have a more informed conversation with the supplier.

    I will report back after my conversation with NOVA if I learn anything that might be helpful for future users with similar questions.
    Nick Graham

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Happy Valley, PA
    Posts
    3,403
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default Re: NOVA Tube Sets

    Can't speak to the head tube, but there is some crossover between the tubes since many of them are made from the same steel with the same heat treatment. It is confusing sometimes when a tube somehow gets separated from its brothers.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Better to be ruined than to be silent atmo.
    Posts
    22,128
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mentioned
    24 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default Re: NOVA Tube Sets

    It’s been six days since the OP checked in.

    I’d like to read about the outcome.

    Was there an error?

    Is someone culpable?

    What. Happened.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    Calgary, Alberta
    Posts
    19
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mentioned
    0 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default Re: NOVA Tube Sets

    Quote Originally Posted by e-RICHIE View Post
    It’s been six days since the OP checked in.

    I’d like to read about the outcome.

    Was there an error?

    Is someone culpable?

    What. Happened.
    Thanks for checking in, Richard. I was able to connect with NOVA on Friday finally. They appreciated my confusion, and provided a helpful explanation.

    They prefaced the conversation by advising that NOVA has been dealing with Columbus for over 30 years. They indicated that a number of the lines that Columbus markets are made from the same material (e.g. Niobium, Nivacrom, 25CroMo4, etc.). As such, you do end up with situations where Columbus is selling the identical tube (e.g. a 635 mm single butted 0.8/0.6 seat tube) under different lines (e.g. SL, Spirit, Zona) while charging different prices for each line. So when NOVA packages tubes together to make tube sets, they take advantage of these anomalies in an effort to pass on better pricing to the customer.

    I did dig in a bit though with respect to my specific situation, as I understand that Zona is made with 25CroMo4, and SL & Sprit are made with Niobium (though now I think they’re made with Omnicrom). NOVA indicated that Columbus has changed this in the past few years, and that they all used to be made of the same materials. I confirmed the same on another VS forum thread. In any case, they gave me assurance that if they’re providing a Spirit or SL sticker with the tube set, the builder can have confidence they aren’t misrepresenting in applying the sticker.

    Hope this helps. At the end of the day, I’m not selling frames (and don’t ever plan to), so the issue should probably matter less to me than it may to others. In any case, I was happy with the response I got from NOVA, and wanted to share.

    Nick
    Nick Graham

  11. #11
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Better to be ruined than to be silent atmo.
    Posts
    22,128
    Post Thanks / Like
    Mentioned
    24 Post(s)
    Tagged
    0 Thread(s)

    Default Re: NOVA Tube Sets

    Thank you for the update.


    Quote Originally Posted by nick.graham View Post
    Thanks for checking in, Richard. I was able to connect with NOVA on Friday finally. They appreciated my confusion, and provided a helpful explanation.

    They prefaced the conversation by advising that NOVA has been dealing with Columbus for over 30 years. They indicated that a number of the lines that Columbus markets are made from the same material (e.g. Niobium, Nivacrom, 25CroMo4, etc.). As such, you do end up with situations where Columbus is selling the identical tube (e.g. a 635 mm single butted 0.8/0.6 seat tube) under different lines (e.g. SL, Spirit, Zona) while charging different prices for each line. So when NOVA packages tubes together to make tube sets, they take advantage of these anomalies in an effort to pass on better pricing to the customer.

    I did dig in a bit though with respect to my specific situation, as I understand that Zona is made with 25CroMo4, and SL & Sprit are made with Niobium (though now I think they’re made with Omnicrom). NOVA indicated that Columbus has changed this in the past few years, and that they all used to be made of the same materials. I confirmed the same on another VS forum thread. In any case, they gave me assurance that if they’re providing a Spirit or SL sticker with the tube set, the builder can have confidence they aren’t misrepresenting in applying the sticker.

    Hope this helps. At the end of the day, I’m not selling frames (and don’t ever plan to), so the issue should probably matter less to me than it may to others. In any case, I was happy with the response I got from NOVA, and wanted to share.

    Nick

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •