[Dadoflam]

Originally Posted by jamesdak

"The steel tubing arms race of the 90's and early 2000's was epic. Legendary manufacturers Columbus, Dedacciai, Reynolds, Tange and True Temper pushing the properties of steel to the absolute limit. Sculpted lugs gave way to shaped tubes with hidden internal lugs and insanely thin sections that became characters themselves in some metialurgical anorexic fever dream. Thron, Genius, Cyber, Foco, 853, Infiti, OS III Ultimate, SAT 14.2 and the legendary EOM 16.5. Demigods all of them forged in fire, science, and blood."

Out of all the steel to pass through my hands this 1999 Coppi is the pinnacle to me. At least in terms of trying to do aero with the steel frame tubing. Every tube on the bike is shaped except for the seat post. Top tube ovalized, head tube teardrop shaped with the pointy side forward, down tube teardrop shaped, seat stays down low and bladed, chain stays ovalized, the fork is weird in that it's blades are crimped triangular but the pointy end points out not forward. The whole bike with all the alloy parts, hefty saddle and fairly heavy wheels only weighs 20 lbs 2 ozs and could easily be less with lighter parts. Full C.F. tubular wheels and a proper road saddle would easily put it under 19 lbs.. It is a rocket under me yet nowhere near stiff feeling. Once you get above 20 mph it seems to just take off on its own as you ease off on your pedaling effort.

This one is oversized Neuron Mega tubing.

Stunning framebuilding.