Quote:
Originally Posted by tommyrod74
Thanks for the information from someone who was there when they were being made 
Out of curiosity - would you characterize the carbon used in these models as inferior to what was generally used in the marketplace, or just inferior to the Ottrott and Meivici carbon? Should I be concerned about damage to the carbon going forward, beyond the (admittedly minimal) clearcoat lifting, which appears to be merely cosmetic?
I checked the seattube and, yep - it's a shim. I'll grab a 30.9 post when I build it up, thanks for the heads up.
Thanks, as I'm hoping this will be a sweet rig once refinished.
Also - my HSG steel is a very nice ride.
ETA: while I'm bothering you (and apologies in advance) - would you consider this model to be equivalent to the Nove, or significantly different?
Thanks,
Tommy |
The introduction of the HSG IT followed that of the Nove, and as you guessed it, was a close equivalent. The materials, in some cases, were identical.
Yes, you should be concerned about damage to the carbon going forward. During the early period, some of the riveted cable guides and their riveted fasteners were likely to corrode, and clear coat problems sometimes started in these areas. The cable stops themselves and the aluminum bosses at the dropout might be un-anodized, and at any of those locations there could be resulting unintended contact between carbon and aluminum. The tubing itself may not have been inferior to what else existed and/or continues to exist in the consumer sporting goods marketplace, but that doesn't mean that it's what you'd ideally like to have. Let's just say that the tubing itself can be flexed in a workstand, or in some cases by hand, further than the elastic range of most clear paint. Treat it as if it's fragile, and if only loaded in the way that riding a bicycle loads it, the tubing will deliver long lasting performance. If a shovel falls off your garage wall onto it, there's no assurance that it will withstand that abuse the way that a traditional bike would, or that a Meivici/Ottrot would.