I'll weigh in with my two cents. I think a '71 Masi requiring a 26.8 post is probably a bit ovalized, distorted or such at the opening.
On the other hand, Italian bikes from the mid-sixties and earlier often used very conservative tubingguages. On reason a Frejus is so versatile and rides well with large clearances is because the tubing guages are a bit heavier than later bikes. A Reynolds 531 Frejus takes a 27.0 seatpost and I believe I recall that a Columbus one (they came both ways) was 26.8.
Joe Bender-Zanoni
Great Notch, NJ
> Brian,
\r?\n> Thanks for the explanation. But now I'm a bit more puzzled
\r?\n> because - back in the old days - I worked on many lightweight
\r?\n> Italian bikes that used 26.8mm seatposts. Typically, these
\r?\n> didn't have tubing decals, but it was clearly lightweight
\r?\n> frames with steerer tubes that had the rifling which typical of
\r?\n> Columbus tubing.
\r?\n> So what was the story? Were these bikes made from Falck
\r?\n> tubing or something similar? Did they use plain gauge seat
\r?\n> tubes? Or did they use SP seat tubes whose inner diameter was
\r?\n> reduced to 26.8mm due to brazing heat and frame construction?
\r?\n> (And then the high production builders decided not to ream them
\r?\n> out again...)
\r?\n> Or something else entirely?
\r?\n> Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia (USA)
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> --- "brianbaylis@juno.com" wrote:
\r?\n>
\r?\n> > Fred,
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > An SP seat tube will take a 27.0 seat post, and it's not
\r?\n> > uncommon for
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > Italian builders to reem those seat tubes to 27.2 for
\r?\n> > convenience,
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > since the seat tubes were often reemed on a machine along
\r?\n> > with all
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > the other tapping and slotting required on a frame. I suspect
\r?\n> > most
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > were too lazy to change the reemer, if they even had the
\r?\n> > other size
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > handy.
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > Other brands of tubing will be generally the same as Columbus
\r?\n> > or
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > Reynolds. For a seat tube to be 1 1/8 in OD and take a 26.8
\r?\n> > seat
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > post, one has to use a tube with a .049 wall all the way up
\r?\n> > to the
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > top. A Cro-Mo tube of that sort, like one would use for a
\r?\n> > tandem seat
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > tube for example, will not appear on a Masi as far as I know.
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > Something is odd here. Metric tubes will have those smaller
\r?\n> > seat post
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > sizes, but the lugs and everything else would also have to be
\r?\n> > metric.
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > Brian Baylis
\r?\n> > La Mesa, CA
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > -- Fred Rafael Rednor wrote:
\r?\n> > Can it be something as simple as this particular frame using
\r?\n> > a
\r?\n> > Columbus SP seat tube - or a tube from an alternate supplier
\r?\n> > such as Falck? In that case, a 26.8mm seat post diameter
\r?\n> > would
\r?\n> > not be at all surprising.
\r?\n> > Fred Rednor - Arlington, Virginia (USA)
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > --- "brianbaylis@juno.com" wrote:
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > Bob,
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > An upsidedown seat tube is a plausable explaination; but a
\r?\n> > > mistake
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > that drastic would probably never make it out of the shop;
\r?\n> > at
\r?\n> > > least
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > one would hope. Since either Faliero or Alberto would
\r?\n> > > assemble the
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > bike (generally very few just frames were sold) I would
\r?\n> > > expect them
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > to not let that go. Just my opinion, having known Faliero
\r?\n> > > personally.
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > Brian Baylis
\r?\n> > > La Mesa, CA
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > -- BobHoveyGa@aol.com wrote:
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > Jeffrey writes:
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > Attention Masi Mafia. I recently purchased a 1971 Masi
\r?\n> > Gran
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > Criterium,
\r?\n> > > stamped M56A on the bottom bracket with 11 71 stamped on
\r?\n> > the
\r?\n> > > fort
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > tube. I
\r?\n> > > t
\r?\n> > > is came as a very original bike with all correct dated
\r?\n> > Nuovo
\r?\n> > > Record,
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > etc.
\r?\n> > > and what appears to be original paint. The seat post is a
\r?\n> > > 26.8 and
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > appear
\r?\n> > > s
\r?\n> > > to be a proper fit. Is this correct? Also, does anyone
\r?\n> > know
\r?\n> > > the
\r?\n> > > significance, if any, of the "A" suffix on the bb stamp?
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > Jeffery Pyzyk
\r?\n> > > Milwaukee, WI
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > Jeffrey;
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > I've got photos of a few early Masi stamps with suffixes
\r?\n> > but
\r?\n> > > I have
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > no clue
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > what they mean. I do know that at least one suffix
\r?\n> > thought
\r?\n> > > to be a
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > letter
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > turned out on close examination to be a ".5" (Masi
\r?\n> > > occasionally did
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > half siz
\r?\n> > > es on
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > special order).
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > The 26.8 seatpost is a mystery. Assuming that the opening
\r?\n> > > is not
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > severely
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > ovalized, one might suspect that the seat tube was
\r?\n> > > accidentally
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > > installed
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> === message truncated ===
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
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