# True Temper steel tubesets



## anthonyinhove (Nov 3, 2007)

Does anybody know the hierarchy in True Temper steel tubesets? I have the impression that OX and later OXII were at the top, but I don't know whether AVR is a higher or lower grade than TT Lite. 

Also am I right in saying that OX was heat-treated, while AVR and TT Lite were also double-butted but not heat-treated? Similar to the progression between Tange Prestige being heat-treated and Tange MTB not?


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## Xizang11 (Feb 3, 2008)

I have a couple of Diamondbacks that are TT Lite, and I contracted True Temper about where that tubeset fits into the hierarchy a few years ago. They said that TT Lite was a custom short-butted version of OXII made specifically for Diamondback. I don't know if anybody else got to use it or not.


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## Fred Smedley (Feb 28, 2006)

Xizang11 said:


> I have a couple of Diamondbacks that are TT Lite, and I contracted True Temper about where that tubeset fits into the hierarchy a few years ago. They said that TT Lite was a custom short-butted version of OXII made specifically for Diamondback. I don't know if anybody else got to use it or not.


I had a Diamond Back Axis Pro that had TTlite tubing if I remember correctly. I , like a foolish idiot traded it for a road bike not knowing what I actually had at the time. The woman who now owns it loves it and won't sell/trade it back...heavy sigh!


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## doctor-bond (Sep 8, 2008)

I think it's ony the VERUS HT that is Heat treated. OX is Air hardened.

Bit of info here:

Double Butted True Temper 4130 steel bicycle tubing


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## anthonyinhove (Nov 3, 2007)

doctor-bond said:


> I think it's ony the VERUS HT that is Heat treated. OX is Air hardened.
> Bit of info here:
> Double Butted True Temper 4130 steel bicycle tubing


Thanks, that's a useful site.The price list gives the current price hierarchy - say for a given 28.6 top tube, Verus is $13.25, Verus Heat-treated is $20.45 and OX Platinum is $33.85.

I read that as meaning that both Verus Heat-treated and OX Platinum are heat-treated, but on top of that OX Platinum also has a more sophisticated alloy mix, which gives the same air hardening qualities as Reynolds 853 and Columbus Life.

It's interesting that the thinnest-wall tubes are available only in OX Platinum, clearly indicating that that is the strongest of the three. Also the code names for Verus tend to begin AVR, suggesting that Verus is a reworking of the AVR tubeset used BITD. Also some of the Verus HT code names begin HOX, suggesting that Verus HT may be a reworking of the OX tubeset from BITD.

Still no clue as to where TT Lite used to fit in though, but it was offered on some mid-price bikes, so I don't think it can have been heat-treated.


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## doctor-bond (Sep 8, 2008)

anthonyinhove said:


> I read that as meaning that both Verus Heat-treated and OX Platinum are heat-treated, but on top of that OX Platinum also has a more sophisticated alloy mix, which gives the same air hardening qualities as Reynolds 853 and Columbus Life.


That makes sense. I've never had a play with an OX tubed bike: is it pingy and springy like Prestige?


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## honkinunit (Aug 6, 2004)

I recently had a touring bike built out of True Temper OX Platinum by Pierre Chastain at Blaze Bicycles in Moab. It is indeed "springy and pingy", while also being remarkably stiff. It is hard to describe, but it rides great. Touring bikes are an interesting problem, because you want comfort for long distances while remaining stiff enough to track correctly with a heavy load. The various braze-ons and clearances for racks and fenders are a challenge, also. My bike is a work of art, with Henry James dropouts and various stainless steel braze-ons, with gorgeous paint.

Many tubing configurations are available from TT as far a wall thicknesses. The tubing is Made in the USA, which is cool.

Pierre makes hardtail 29'ers out of the same tubing. I'm saving up....


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## Xizang11 (Feb 3, 2008)

I think it was offered on some mid priced bikes because DB used the same frame for the Axis and the Apex. And they sold a ton of Apexes... looking at the receipt for my '96 Apex SE, the MSRP was $710 bucks for a bike with a crappy Manitou Mach 5 comp, STX drivetrain and no-name brakes and hubs. At the time I was tempted to take a GT Timberline FS that at least had alivio parts instead of un-marked stuff. Then I test rode them, and there was a night and day difference. Not to mention the weight difference. 

I still have the Apex, though all the parts were upgraded when I was a kid (still fits great, though!) and out of all my bikes, it rides the best. Second best is my 90 MB-1 which is Prestige. Granted, there's more to a bike's ride than tubing.... I also have a GT Avalanche that is TT GTX tubing, it is very non-compliant, but it's super stiff and takes off like nobody's business. Nowhere near as pleasant to ride as the Apex or the MB-1.


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