Help with Columbus MAX OR tube dimensions.

[Dogsbolx94]

Hi,
I know this is a bit of a nerdy question. I am trying to confirm which Columbus MAX tube set I have on my 1994 Roberts DOGSBOLX. The original Roberts build sheet quotes MAX and I think it may be MAX OR. I have looked everywhere on line and I cannot find any Columbus MAX OR tube dimensions for the early 1990s.

Measuring the mid section round diameters on my frame I have the following rough measurements:

Top Tube. 31.4mm.
Down Tube. 35.2mm.
Seat Tube. 28.6mm.

If anyone has the MAX OR tube dimensions or if you own an MTB frame with MAX OR tubing circa early 1990s and confirm the diameter of their tubes mid section (round cross section) then I would be very thankful for the measurements.

 

[Tsundere]

Mine's at the painters, if nobody responds before it comes back I'll measure.

Here's what I know about the composition of the entire Dogs Bolx tube set, taken from various sources and articles.

Main frame
Top tube, seat tube - Columbus Max
Down tube - Columbus Max OR

Composite rear triangle
Monostay - Columbus SL
Horseshoe - 4130
Lower seat stays - Silver soldered Reynolds 753
Chain stays - Columbus Max

Other
BB shell and dropouts - Ritchey

Still not sure what they used for head tube, but probably Columbus Max

 

[Dogsbolx94]

Mine's at the painters, if nobody responds before it comes back I'll measure.

Here's what I know about the composition of the entire Dogs Bolx tube set, taken from various sources and articles.

Main frame
Top tube, seat tube - Columbus Max
Down tube - Columbus Max OR

Composite rear triangle
Monostay - Columbus SL
Horseshoe - 4130
Lower seat stays - Silver soldered Reynolds 753
Chain stays - Columbus Max

Other
BB shell and dropouts - Ritchey

Still not sure what they used for head tube, but probably Columbus Max

Thank you for your offer I will be interested in seeing what your tube measurements are. I think your tube set listed is exactly what I have got and was commonly used in the early 1990s. I know Roberts would mix and match tube sets despite my build sheet just saying MAX. I have the Ritchey BB and drop outs. My down tube is so much larger than the top tube hence my suspicion it’s Max OR and so why I am asking the question. I was lucky to get a copy of the build sheet Chas filled out while he measured me and discussed my requirements. There was a link on their website after they closed so you could request a photo of your order sheet if you paid them £15.

 

[Tsundere]

Thank you for your offer I will be interested in seeing what your tube measurements are. I think your tube set listed is exactly what I have got and was commonly used in the early 1990s. I know Roberts would mix and match tube sets despite my build sheet just saying MAX. I have the Ritchey BB and drop outs. My down tube is so much larger than the top tube hence my suspicion it’s Max OR and so why I am asking the question. I was lucky to get a copy of the build sheet Chas filled out while he measured me and discussed my requirements. There was a link on their website after they closed so you could request a photo of your order sheet if you paid them £15.

View attachment 864549

Nice bit of history!

As I understand it all DBs were built using this eclectic mix of tubes, each selected for its properties and placement on the frame. Downtubes were definitely Max OR, Chas himself confirmed this in an interview where he said, and I paraphrase - 'Max OR for the downtube because of its strength, saving weight wasn't the main focus, performance was'.

They were quite secretive about the exact blend of tubing, but over time people have managed to piece most of it together.

edit - Please feel free to post pics of your bike : )

 

[Dogsbolx94]

Nice bit of history!

As I understand it all DBs were built using this eclectic mix of tubes, each selected for its properties and placement on the frame. Downtubes were definitely Max OR, Chas himself confirmed this in an interview where he said, and I paraphrase - 'Max OR for the downtube because of its strength, saving weight wasn't the main focus, performance was'.

They were quite secretive about the exact blend of tubing, but over time people have managed to piece most of it together.

edit - Please feel free to post pics of your bike : )

Hi,
you can search my name for a few posts about my DOGSBOLX which incidently I collected the frame from Chas Roberts cycles 30 years ago yesterday! Here are some photos to be getting on with.

 

[Tsundere]

Beautiful, happy anniversary for yesterday

 

[danson67]

Here's the Columbus Max main tube spec sheet from 1995



You'll see that there are several different options for each tube position, depending on the use etc. They could be mixed up for road, cyclocross, touring, MTB etc. Columbus offered it to builders just as the 'Max' range with that generic decal, but various more specific decals were also available if wanted, such as Max OR, Minimax, Max Custom etc. There were cast lug sets made for standard road Max and Minimax. Much of the range is still available from Columbus suppliers 30 years later, which is a testament to its quality and variety.

Looks like you've got the fatter MAXL11 top tube and MAXL12 down tube set, so biggest options all round.

Since the tubes ends are roughly elliptical, you can take the average of the 2 axis dimensions to get an indication of the round section that the tube originated as. EG: MAXL12 = (40.3+30)/2 = 35.15mmØ. This is also the diameter of the roughly round section in the middle where the two tapered ellipses meet.

You might have any of the 3 seat tubes since they're all 28.6Ø at the post end, but the BB end varied, so you should be able measure that to see which you have:
-MMXI13, which is just a standard EL 28.6Ø round road bike seat tube squished down to 31.3x25.9 at the BB end, designed primarily for road use.
-MAXR13 is flared out to 31.2Ø at one end then heavily ovalised (37.5x25) for added stiffness at the BB, with heavy walls (1.0mm).
-MAXL13 is flared out more to 31.4Ø at one end then more lightly ovalised (37.2x26.4) at the BB, with lighter walls (0.8mm).

All the best,

 

[danson67]

For completeness, here's the rest of the Max spec sheet.
You'll see there are similar options to be had with the chain and seat stays:




All the best,

 

[Dogsbolx94]

Thank you Danson67. This is very useful information.
I really appreciate your time and effort getting this and explaining the MAX tube most likely used for my bike.

Mike