tig serotta

(Peter Rowe) said:

Am looking around for a lugged steel frame. Saw the following (older)
post on rec.bicycles.marketplace:

53cm Serotta colorado tig, 53.5TT, with EMS fork, king HS, $350, w/o
$250.

Can anyone help me understand what the tig means? I assume it's a
kind of weld.

Peter

Tungsten inert gas. You can google it for details.

For the purposes of a bicycle, it means welded joints, not lugged.
Think of an aluminum frame- that bead of 'toothpaste' around the
joints.

It can be beautiful when done well. But it sure ain't lugs!

"Peter Rowe" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Am looking around for a lugged steel frame. Saw the following (older)
post on rec.bicycles.marketplace:

53cm Serotta colorado tig, 53.5TT, with EMS fork, king HS, $350, w/o
$250.

Can anyone help me understand what the tig means? I assume it's a
kind of weld.

Peter

Here is a site on TIG welding...lots of info out there.

http://www.alpharubicon.com/elect/tigbasic1.htm

(Peter Rowe) said:

Am looking around for a lugged steel frame. Saw the following (older)
post on rec.bicycles.marketplace:

53cm Serotta colorado tig, 53.5TT, with EMS fork, king HS, $350, w/o
$250.

Can anyone help me understand what the tig means? I assume it's a
kind of weld.

Yes, it's a kind of weld. Tig welds don't use lugs, and they're hotter
than brazing.

A Serotta Colorado TG is an excellent frame, I rode one for 5 years.
It's reasonably light (probably less than 4 lbs in a 53 cm) and it's
strong (I don't know of any systemic problems with weld-related
failures). It's a cheaper way to make a bike than lugs or fillet
brazing, so you're giving up a bit of "panache" for a bike that's just
as functional and less expensive to make.

TIG welding IS hotter than brazing but the heat source is much more concentrated resulting in a smaller heat affected zone than brazing. It is better suited for steels which air harden (Rey. 853) and for tubesets which are butted (most high grades).

Steel is easily welded with this process (and its used for Ti and Al). If the steel TIG weld is an object of beauty, the chances are great that the weld is sound, unlike Ti and Al where beautiful welds can be of low quality and ugly welds can be acceptable.

Bill Lloyd said:

A Serotta Colorado TG is an excellent frame, I rode one for 5 years.
It's reasonably light (probably less than 4 lbs in a 53 cm) and it's
strong (I don't know of any systemic problems with weld-related
failures). It's a cheaper way to make a bike than lugs or fillet
brazing, so you're giving up a bit of "panache" for a bike that's just
as functional and less expensive to make.

But not any less expensive to purchase...

"Steve Palincsar" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Bill Lloyd said:

A Serotta Colorado TG is an excellent frame, I rode one for 5 years.
It's reasonably light (probably less than 4 lbs in a 53 cm) and it's
strong (I don't know of any systemic problems with weld-related
failures). It's a cheaper way to make a bike than lugs or fillet
brazing, so you're giving up a bit of "panache" for a bike that's just
as functional and less expensive to make.

But not any less expensive to purchase...

TIG welded Serotta's are considerably less expensive than the lugged CSI but
they are excellent steel frames. My wife rides a 43 cm with 650 wheels and
she loves it. You couldn't give me another frame to replace my CSI which is
lugged. However, I have a friend with a TIG'd Serotta that he loves. Very
small sizes are only available as TIG welded.
Bill Brannon