Re: [Classicrendezvous] Colnago Bititan background

(Example: Component Manufacturers:Campagnolo)

From: <FiRUSA@aol.com>
Date: Sat, 11 Nov 2000 16:00:12 EST
Subject: Re: [Classicrendezvous] Colnago Bititan background
To: alfa011@prtc.net, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org


The original BiTitan was first produced in 1993 AFAIK. It was a development of the Alan made Carbitubo and a previous (short lived) Alan manufactured/marketed aluminium model. The only rider I know of who used the Carbitubo with any frequency was Rominger in his early Clas years, some of the Buckler guys used them as well (Rooks used to have a resprayed TVT though). For the '93 Vuelta Rominger had two Bititan's, one built as a silly light bike (with drilled components harking back to the days of Merckx) and the other as a more normal bike along with two Carbitubo's. I actually got to ride with Rominger at the beginning of '94 near Nice a couple of times, and he was using (rebuilt with Dura Ace) the same frame he had used for most of the Vuelta and the Tour of that year. I saw him last year on a ride, he was on a Bititan still. When the C-40 became available in 1994 he had to switch, but in the Tour he was still using a Bititan, I have a picture from his Giro ride of '95(?) where he is still on a Bititan also.

The apparent goal was to increase lateral stiffness, while also reduce vertical stiffness to make a stiff, but comfortable frame. While it didn't really work, they were nice frames that had their fans (I'm one, in '95 I raced on a Bititan and a C-40, the C-40 hardly got ridden) despite the reported problems with them. I have never seen a broken one, or know anyone that has personally, but everyone has heard stories about how they break....

There is an Italian company called Piton who make a steel frame using specially drawn Dedacciai tubes with a lugged double downtube, it's kind of neat, and in 20 years if I put one in a box now I bet someone on Ebay would want it for it's curiosity value (c;

Mark Hoskin. US Representative, F.i.R srl Ph: 1 401 521 6916 Fax: 1 401 521 6917 Email: FiRUSA@aol.com http://www.FiR-USA.com

FiR - As used by Kelme, individual and team winners of 2000 La Vuelta, mutiple Tour de France stage winners and the current World Cyclo Cross Champion Richard Groenendaal.