Straight Gauge vs. Butted

[davids]

While helping my wife buy a bike last weekend, I had the opportunity to go for short rides on two different Serotta Ti frames, a Fierte and a Legend – opposite ends of the Serotta Ti spectrum. The rides were short, the bikes didn’t fit me all that well, I was riding platform pedals and wearing sneakers and chinos… All that said, they didn’t feel all that different to me. Now, I know that I was in no position to truly judge the bikes, and my purpose isn’t to even compare the two bikes.

But the experience got me thinking. If I understand correctly, given the state of the art, tube butting is not done (or is not necessary) to tune the frame’s ride; Ride tuning – engineering the relative compliance of a particular tube, or of the frame in a particular dimension – may be accomplished by varying the diameter of the tubes.

This seems to be reflected in the design choices made by at least one of the premier Ti framemakers, Moots, whose Vamoots is only made as a straight-gauge frame (Most of what I’ve read about this frame is that it rides and performs like a dream.)

If that’s the case, the only function of butting is to reduce the overall weight of the frameset.

If, for example, I had Seven build me an Alaris and an Axiom with the same ride characteristics (using their 4 parameters – Handling, Drivetrain Rigidity, Vertical Compliance, and Weight-to-Performance Ratio), they should ride the same. Only the Alaris should weigh about 6 oz, or 170g, more. I’d save $700 by going with the Alaris, which I could spend on better, lighter wheels, or a custom-made suit, or possibly both…

Some of you may think I’m just being cheap. Guilty as charged, but get some perspective - I’m fortunate enough to afford a high-end bike every few years, not every few months. The price difference between a highly butted frame and straight-gauge frame is significant for me.

So, am I missing something here?