Serotta Csi question

[Black Dog]

I know this probably a dumb question and I am happy to take my beats for asking.

What does the I in CSi stand for? This is assuming that CS = club special.

:confused:

[raven]

Colorado Steel Intelligent.

[oliver1850]

There are no stupid questions, just stupid people, right Mr. Hat? :fight:

Above comment not directed at the OP - Serotta had a pretty good history of dumb names. (I love my Strap Ons and my CSI).

Colorado Steel Iconoclast?

Colorado Steel Ignoramus?

Colorado Steel Idiot?

Colorado Steel Illegitimate?

Colorado Steel Illfated?

Get out your dictionary, there are several more words that start with "I". I'm anxious to here some non-English ones; be creative.

[Black Dog]

Hey hey. Thanks.

Ha ha for me CSi would stand for completly stunned ignoramus.

:)

[dekindy]

C = Colorado Concept

S = S-bend chain stays

i = ?????

[rwsaunders]

Colorado Steel Integration.

[David Kirk]

Colorado Steel Intelligent.

We have a winner!!!!

It's funny - when Ben came up with the model name and announced it we all liked the way it sounded and looked and not much was said about it. At some point it struck me that I had no idea what 'CSi' meant so I went and asked Ben. It became pretty obvious that the name was picked for the way it looked and sounded and that the meaning of it wasn't the driving force. So the full name was engineered from the CSi name to become Colorado Sport intelligence.

I never knew why the 'i' wasn't capitalized at first.

Funny how things so often work.


dave

[Black Dog]

Thanks Dave. Interesting backstory. I felt like knowing what CSi stood for was like knowing a secret handshake. Other than the dropouts, what distinguished the CSi from a colorado I or II?

[thwart]

My fact for the day. Thanks!

http://forums.thepaceline.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1697893096&stc=1&d=1420425403

That's a pretty sweet shot, Mark. But with your massive power, I'm not sure how long those cranks will last… ;)

[David Kirk]

Thanks Dave. Interesting backstory. I felt like knowing what CSi stood for was like knowing a secret handshake. Other than the dropouts, what distinguished the CSi from a colorado I or II?

You know........I've forgotten.

It may be hard to understand but the guys building the things rarely concerned themselves with the decals being put on the bikes (most never saw the bikes once they left the shop and went into paint) and each model had a shortened or nick name when being talked about on the shop floor. So tube changes, dropout changes, spec changes.....etc were and ongoing thing with no hard line in the sand. In so many cases we'd swap from one dropout to another only when the stock of the first version was gone and then someone handed the shops guys new parts and told to use these now.

I'm sure someone out there can define all the differences and pick out what year is what but I can't.

I wonder if one can tell from the catalogs?

dave

[Black Dog]

You know........I've forgotten.

It may be hard to understand but the guys building the things rarely concerned themselves with the decals being put on the bikes (most never saw the bikes once they left the shop and went into paint) and each model had a shortened or nick name when being talked about on the shop floor. So tube changes, dropout changes, spec changes.....etc were and ongoing thing with no hard line in the sand. In so many cases we'd swap from one dropout to another only when the stock of the first version was gone and then someone handed the shops guys new parts and told to use these now.

I'm sure someone out there can define all the differences and pick out what year is what but I can't.

I wonder if one can tell from the catalogs?

dave

Kinda figured this was the case. Ongoing evolution with minor changes and new names to keep the marketing fresh. I took a peek and the catalogues but not too much info. I was mildly curious and doubt that anything I learn will make me love my Colorado II any less. Thanks again.

[oliver1850]

That's a pretty sweet shot, Mark. But with your massive power, I'm not sure how long those cranks will last… ;)

Tom, there's a long story to go with that Topline crank. I had it on my first Serotta, a Nova Spl. purchased 20+ years back. Crank is in more danger from fire than my musculature. They may not be the stiffest crank ever made, but I don't think they're particularly known for failure.

I'm sure you remember last winter; it was a night about like tonight in December when I started that fire for the photo op. If it hadn't been so cold, I'd have started one in the twin fireplace 20' to the west as well. I still want to have fires in both fireplaces sometime with snow all around - before they collapse into the rubble of the rest of the house. Someone with the right skills could probably make a pretty good picture with the raw materials there.

[oliver1850]

You know........I've forgotten.

It may be hard to understand but the guys building the things rarely concerned themselves with the decals being put on the bikes (most never saw the bikes once they left the shop and went into paint) and each model had a shortened or nick name when being talked about on the shop floor. So tube changes, dropout changes, spec changes.....etc were and ongoing thing with no hard line in the sand. In so many cases we'd swap from one dropout to another only when the stock of the first version was gone and then someone handed the shops guys new parts and told to use these now.

I'm sure someone out there can define all the differences and pick out what year is what but I can't.

I wonder if one can tell from the catalogs?

dave

Thanks as always for the insight. I'd pretty much assumed that's the way it worked at Serotta, just from trying to sort out the detail changes on the Colorado II. From what I've been able to tell from catalogs, serial numbers and eyeballing various frames, the changes certainly didn't always happen in conjunction with model year changes.

[cmg]

from the 2001 cataloque, comparing to the Colorado III the CSi. the CSi has a fast back seat collar, swagged main tubes and 3D dropouts. The other difference is the tubing, double to triple butted.

[rounder]

And also, the CIII was tig welded rather than lugged. That could make for a lesser bike. I have a lugged nhx and a CIII. I think they are both great bikes.

[Black Dog]

from the 2001 cataloque, comparing to the Colorado III the CSi. the CSi has a fast back seat collar, swagged main tubes and 3D dropouts. The other difference is the tubing, double to triple butted.

The CII has fast back seat collar, swagged main tubes.

[zap]

And also, the CIII was tig welded rather than lugged. That could make for a lesser bike. I have a lugged nhx and a CIII. I think they are both great bikes.

There are a few tig welded CSI's frames made back in '95. My wife has one.

The build sheet (drafted by D Kirk) for my wife's bike states that CSI tubes were used. This arranged by our good buddy :) who was our local Serotta rep.
I understand a few more were built for some racers.