Walter, The ovalization of your Bottecchia parallels ovalization that can occur at that area from high-temp' brazing(brass), either lugged or more often, when fillet-brazed. Perhaps the installation of the headseat rounded everything out, yet with cups removed, the metal sprung back? Joe Starck summumbonumboojum bicycles Madison, WI
> my just-acquired bottecchia (used, columbus SL,
> lugged) has what appears to be an oddly ovalized
> head-tube.
>
> the lower-opening of the head-tube is wider
> laterally than it is longitudinally. this strikes
> me as very strange, as any ovalizing i've ever heard
> of in the head-tube placed the stretched axis
> longitudinally. there's nothing extraordinary about
> the condition of the head-tube or frame that would
> suggest any sort of major impact damage, although i
> dont have the original fork to know for sure.
> regardless, if there was a significant front-end
> impact i would still expect any
> deformation/stretching to be front-to-back, rather
> than side-to-side.
>
> strange. anyone have any ideas? it's destined to
> be an indoor-trainer bike, so it's not really that
> important...but puzzling nonetheless.
>
> walter manning
> metro-detroit-area, michigan
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