Columbus Max

[J.Greene]

After seeing the Gord Fraser MX leader in the gallery I am wondering what are the ride impressions of other bikes built with Columbus Max? Were there many other factory bikes built with the stuff?

JG

[Grant McLean]

Despite the people who love their max tube bikes,
I asked Steve Bauer what the worst bike he ever
had to ride as a pro, he said hands down the max
Eddy Merckx bikes. He described them as being
relentless at pounding the crap out of him.

YMMV.

g

[texbike]

A buddy of mine had a Max-tubed Tommasini that was a 55 cm. I rode it a couple of times and found it to be a bit jarring. He switched tires, saddle/seatpost, and finally the wheelset before selling it due to the rough ride.

I'm not sure what Merckx did with the MXL, but it seems "right". My main ride is an older MXL as of early this summer. It's been on 3 centuries and numerous 70-80 mile rides. I haven't felt beat up after the rides (tired definitely, but never beat up).

Other than the Tommasini, I'm not sure of any other production Max-tubed bikes. It's my understanding that the tube-set was created for larger, heavier riders.

Cheers,

Texbike

[NAHBS]

It's my understanding that the tube-set was created for larger, heavier riders.


Or its the perfect set for Track bikes...

DW

[J.Greene]

Or its the perfect set for Track bikes...

DW

This is where I was heading atmo!

JG

[Chris]

Despite the people who love their max tube bikes,
I asked Steve Bauer what the worst bike he ever
had to ride as a pro, he said hands down the max
Eddy Merckx bikes. He described them as being
relentless at pounding the crap out of him.

YMMV.

g

After the way Steve had his bike built, his opinion carries very very little weight... :)

[NAHBS]

This is where I was heading atmo!

JG


You arent the first to realize the brilliance (think Guinness ads) of these tubes for the track, nor will you be the last...

DW

[Archibald]

MAX is the best all-around steel tubeset ever made. Period.

Anybody who says otherwise is a heretical, baby sacrificing, devil worshipping, pagan!

Or Canadian.
http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/brands/0011/2113/brand.gif

Same, same.

:banana:

[Grant McLean]

MAX is the best all-around steel tubeset ever made. Period.

Anybody who says otherwise is a heretical, baby sacrificing, devil worshipping, pagan!

Or Canadian.


:banana:

How about 'mini' max? Us lightweights need a break.

g

[Archibald]

How about 'mini' max? Us lightweights need a break.

g
Those who like to wear high heels and lipstick while riding should stick to EL/OS.
http://www.sfbike.org/images/resources/diva.jpg

:banana:

[NAHBS]

Those who like to wear high heels and lipstick while riding should stick to EL/OS.
:banana:


Ouch...I would have said Genius, but I reckon EL/OS is appropriate...

DW

[J.Greene]

You arent the first to realize the brilliance (think Guinness ads) of these tubes for the track, nor will you be the last...

DW

Since the lugs are drying up, there won't be many lugged versions done anymore. Maybe it's tme to learn to filet braze.

JG

[J.Greene]

MAX is the best all-around steel tubeset ever made. Period.

Anybody who says otherwise is a heretical, baby sacrificing, devil worshipping, pagan!

Or Canadian.
http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/brands/0011/2113/brand.gif

Same, same.

:banana:

dude...you gotta way with words
JG

[NAHBS]

:rolleyes: Since the lugs are drying up, there won't be many lugged versions done anymore. Maybe it's tme to learn to filet braze.

JG

Ohhhhhhh, what makes you think there are no more lugs for those?

:rolleyes:

DW

[mgd]

i could use a set or two of lugs for max tubes...nobody i know's givin' them up, though...

[J.Greene]

:rolleyes:

Ohhhhhhh, what makes you think there are no more lugs for those?

:rolleyes:

DW

some guy in TX is hoarding them? I know the parts are out there, but I'm under the impression stocks are limited. But I guess a new run of them would not be far fetched. I'd rather buy them from a US source than go overseas.


JG

[obtuse]

very few bikes were ever made out of max tubing with lugs other than the merckx mx leader. most were fillet brazed.

obtuse

[Archibald]

very few bikes were ever made out of max tubing with lugs other than the merckx mx leader. most were fillet brazed.

obtuse
Correct, and the Columbus MAX lugs are not the same as Eddie's MXL lugs.

[obtuse]

Correct, and the Columbus MAX lugs are not the same as Eddie's MXL lugs.


neither is the top tube as i recollect; or maybe the orientation was just different?

obtuse

[Jeff N.]

I own a Land Shark Road Shark in Colombus Max, lovingly fillet brazed by John Slawta, that rides like a dream; a sweetheart of a bike. I'll never sell it, thats for sure. Jeff N.

[cdimattio]

very few bikes were ever made out of max tubing with lugs other than the merckx mx leader. most were fillet brazed.

obtuse


A bit obscure, but Battaglin made a Lugged Max frame. I still have regrets about parting with one.

[Grant McLean]

After the way Steve had his bike built, his opinion carries very very little weight... :)

Ya, you're probably right.

http://www.pezcyclingnews.com/?pg=fullstory&id=978
Rob: Of all the bikes you ever used in your career (Excluding yours) what was your favourite?

Steve: I had two... A Litespeed that was painted up by our sponsors Eddy
Merckx and Caloi. I also enjoyed my Trek OCLV during my Saturn Cycling
team year.

g

[Fivethumbs]

Quattro Assi has/had a tig welded MAX tubed bike. I spoke with the owner on the phone regarding this frame. He said it was built in the U.S. and painted blue by Cycleart. I would have bought one if they still had my size. Apparently there are only three left.

Excerpt from the website:

"Columbus Max Quattro Assi steel frames: shaped and strong 54, 58 and 60 cm met blue by Cycle Art in California $400.00"

http://www.wmlewisimports.com/closeouts.html

[texbike]

Quattro Assi has/had a tig welded MAX tubed bike. I spoke with the owner on the phone regarding this frame. He said it was built in the U.S. and painted blue by Cycleart. I would have bought one if they still had my size. Apparently there are only three left.

Excerpt from the website:

"Columbus Max Quattro Assi steel frames: shaped and strong 54, 58 and 60 cm met blue by Cycle Art in California $400.00"

http://www.wmlewisimports.com/closeouts.html

Interesting! Bill Lewis is just down the road. I'd love to see one of these frames.

Also, I believe Basso had a filet-brazed Max bike at one time. This morning a buddy of mine mentioned a Max-tubed Somec called a Promax that his brother owns. He was thinking that it is lugged construction.

Texbike

[Archibald]

Quattro Assi has/had a tig welded MAX tubed bike. I spoke with the owner on the phone regarding this frame. He said it was built in the U.S. and painted blue by Cycleart. I would have bought one if they still had my size. Apparently there are only three left.

Excerpt from the website:

"Columbus Max Quattro Assi steel frames: shaped and strong 54, 58 and 60 cm met blue by Cycle Art in California $400.00"

http://www.wmlewisimports.com/closeouts.html
Save the 58 or 60 for Obtuse. He needs a decent bike.

[Fivethumbs]

There used to be a photo of frame on the website. It looked like a nice frame. No fork though. But the paint job alone is worth $400.00. By the way, your Telekom MX Leader is one of my favorite bikes. I keep going back to the thread to look at it. I wish Eddy made a last 100 Telekom MX Leaders. I bought one of the last 100 Motorola MX Leaders. It rides great but I'm a little bummed that the right chain stay and dropouts aren't chromed. It also doesn't look quite right with a threadless stem but it's all I could find in my size.

[obtuse]

Save the 58 or 60 for Obtuse. He needs a decent bike.


yeah i do. where's dwf when the jerk needs him?

http://anvilbikes.com/?news_ID=18&catID=3


obtuse

[Climb01742]

yeah i do. where's dwf when the jerk needs him?

http://anvilbikes.com/?news_ID=18&catID=3


obtuse

i bet someone like carl strong would build ya a max-tubed steed.

[obtuse]

i bet someone like carl strong would build ya a max-tubed steed.


i don't think i could do any better than the bike i'm borrowing now.

obtuse

[Climb01742]

i don't think i could do any better than the bike i'm borrowing now.

obtuse

yeah, our italian pal knows a thing or two, eh?

[obtuse]

yeah, our italian pal knows a thing or two, eh?


he knows some stuff sure.

obtuse

[Archibald]

yeah i do. where's dwf when the jerk needs him?

http://anvilbikes.com/?news_ID=18&catID=3


obtuse
I heard that dude quit building and is now some wine-headed derelict sleeping on steam grates down on 16th & Market. You know what they say, "The gates are down, the lights are flashing, but there ain't no train coming!"

Carl would probably have that bike to you before your check even cleared. How about Dario? I'd bet he'd hook you up with some sweet MAXness! Or that guy who builds those Rivendells....Curt Nobilette or something like that! I bet he could hook you up!

[Grant McLean]

How about Dario? I'd bet he'd hook you up with some sweet MAXness!

My guess... and it's just a guess, is that Dario prefers the tubes he uses currently
to the max. Like, totally to the max. :)

g

[Archibald]

My guess... and it's just a guess, is that Dario prefers the tubes he uses currently
to the max. Like, totally to the max. :)

g
A builder's preferences and the market's preferences are rarely the same.

Trot out the latest & greatest marketing department in charge of engineering gee-whiz pipes every 9-months accompanied with pictures of the latest cycling boy-toy humping the top tube and you'll sell them in droves. Hard to compete with that by telling folks that the pinnacle of steel tubing was actually developed in the 80's. It took me a while to figure this out. Today's boy-wonder steels are too damn thin, too damn fragile, and too prone to failure. Steel should always play its strengths and not its weaknesses, thefore it should never give up its inherent strength, toughness, and durability to compete on weight with other materials; that's a lose, lose, situation.

If I was ever to become a framebuilder, I'd do it the Atmo way - you could tell me what you want and as long as it fit in with my view of what you need we'd be buds. If not, you can be buds with someone else.

Not trying to harsh your mellow, Grant, you know I love ya!

:banana:

[Big Dan]

:confused:

[gone]

I own a Land Shark Road Shark, lovingly fillet brazed by John Slawta, that rides like a dream; a sweetheart of a bike. I'll never sell it, thats for sure. Jeff N.
Ditto.

[obtuse]

I heard that dude quit building and is now some wine-headed derelict sleeping on steam grates down on 16th & Market. You know what they say, "The gates are down, the lights are flashing, but there ain't no train coming!"

Carl would probably have that bike to you before your check even cleared. How about Dario? I'd bet he'd hook you up with some sweet MAXness! Or that guy who builds those Rivendells....Curt Nobilette or something like that! I bet he could hook you up!


i didn't say i wanted that derelict building anything other than frame jigs.....i was wondering where that proponent of the cult of max tubing went off to....

obtuse

[Archibald]

i didn't say i wanted that derelict building anything other than frame jigs.....i was wondering where that proponent of the cult of max tubing went off to....

obtuse
My bet is he was knocked off by the carbon fiber & aluminum conspirators.

[atmo]

My bet is he was knocked off by the carbon fiber & aluminum conspirators.
to surpass the supermaster is to repay the debt atmo.

[Grant McLean]

A builder's preferences and the market's preferences are rarely the same.

Trot out the latest & greatest marketing department in charge of engineering gee-whiz pipes every 9-months accompanied with pictures of the latest cycling boy-toy humping the top tube and you'll sell them in droves. Hard to compete with that by telling folks that the pinnacle of steel tubing was actually developed in the 80's. It took me a while to figure this out. Today's boy-wonder steels are too damn thin, too damn fragile, and too prone to failure. Steel should always play its strengths and not its weaknesses, thefore it should never give up its inherent strength, toughness, and durability to compete on weight with other materials; that's a lose, lose, situation.

:banana:

I hear you. The funny thing about a lot of marketing is that it's mostly not true.
(sorry, i'm sure ya'll are shocked!)

Every year it's "lighter, stiffer, faster..." blah blah blah. Except that if you
weigh it, or measure it, it's like the same as last year. So sure, i'll take the
"new" with a rock of salt. Easton is the master of this. "Ultralight" tubeset
is not ultralight at all. Their tubes are very conservative, yet people believe
the hype.

My 1996 specialized hardtail mountainbike is 21 pounds,(sid, xtr, and crossmax)
yet 10 years of
"lighter" have come and gone, and they're still selling this same bike,
which is even heavier if you go with the discs.

There is genuine innovation. But also a lot of misguided detours that waste
a lot of time and effort to get the market back on track.

g

[J.Greene]

I hear you. The funny thing about a lot of marketing is that it's mostly not true.
(sorry, i'm sure ya'll are shocked!)
g

G,

your lying, that isn't right, someone could take you seriously.

JG

[Grant McLean]

G,

you're lying, that isn't right, someone could take you seriously.

JG

Oh crap... have i said too much?
If there's a knock at the door, i'm not home!

g

[hybridbellbaske]

sorry to be late to this thread, but I had a lugged MAX frame, which was built in Padua by a small framebuilder called Vetta- no conncetion to the accessory company. it had chrome lugs with "MAX" etched into them. Cool.
I evetually broke the right chainstay- but it was a great frame.

i also recall that the Merckx MXLs did use a different top tube to soften things up a bit. the talk at the time (phil anderson in an old aussie cycling mag)was that if they did'nt do that they would break them on the cobbles!

[NAHBS]

i also recall that the Merckx MXLs did use a different top tube to soften things up a bit. the talk at the time (phil anderson in an old aussie cycling mag)was that if they did'nt do that they would break them on the cobbles!

WHat would break? The frame or the riders?
:D

DW