These frames can actually weigh more than a high quality custom lugged frame, contrary to the manufacturer's literature. The joints can be left raw or finished with smooth beautifully flowing contours. We use high quality investment cast drop-outs, lugs, fork crowns and bottom bracket shells made by Henry James Folson of Henry James Bicycles. We join the tubing using a Silver brazing rod so that the temperatures never reach the glowing orange color. When assembling lugless frames we use fillet brazing and offer the frames in a finished or unfinished look.
Some tubing is straight gauge, single, double or even triple butted.
Spiral butts, internal and external, are also added to increase the strength without increasing the weight significantly. To achieve these butts the tubes can be drawn over a multi- shaped mandrel bar while the steel is almost white hot. The wall thickness may vary from 1.0 mm to ultra thin .4 mm. A 1.0 mm wall is typically used for steering columns. A typical top tube and downtube are .8x.6x.8.