"B. Sanders" wrote in message
news:08odb.601367$Ho3.118011@sccrnsc03...
"U-Bob" wrote in message
. ..
I see these Velorazzo frames on eBay, and I'm just wondering if anyone
has
heard of them. I would assume these aren't top of the line, but how
would
they compare to a GT Ricochet or GT Aggressor frame? I'm only a part
time
rider, not too serious, so I don't want to spend a lot of money, but I
do
need to get a smaller frame for my GT Ricochet. Would this Velorazzo
TereMoto be an option for me? Be gentle with me!

No way to tell. It's impossible to judge the frame without knowing more
about it, riding it, destruction-testing it. Might be good, might not be.
My bet is that it would hold up just fine; but it might not be a light
frame. Geometry would be deciding factor. Is it adjusted for a 65mm fork?
120mm fork? Is the top tube long or short? Geometry, more than any other
factor, is what separates the good frames from the unacceptable frames,
and
it's entirely a matter of personal taste. I prefer Kona's classic Joe
Murray
frame design (which has become very common, I've heard). Not everybody
agrees.

There are container loads of aluminum-framed bikes being imported into
North
America, with dozens of boutique brand names as well as big brand names.
Most come from China or Taiwan, including the ones labelled "Kona", "GT",
"Schwinn", "Specialized" and other well-known brands. Even the lowest-end
aluminum frames I've seen in recent years appear to be well constructed
(if
the "eyeball alignment table" is any judge). They're often built in
gigantic
high-output, automated factories, with mid/high end frames being built on
the same factory lines as low/mid end frames. Same welders, same frame
jigs, similar QC. As others have pointed out, the difference between a
high-end bike and a low-end bike - aside from the tubing - is likely to be
the percentage of rejects that are allowed. More high-end frames end up in
the dumpster than low-end frames. OTOH: If QC remains high via automation,
the fewer frames from all production runs will end up in the dumpster. In
highly automated facilities, there's a likelihood that virtually all
frames
are acceptable. Human errors are reduced greatly through robotic
automation.
I don't know if these imported frames are robotically welded; but I'd bet
money that they are, from looking at the perfectly-consistent welds. The
welds aren't pretty; but they're consistent.

Follow-up: I tried to locate good info on who-is-using-what technologies
for mass fabrication of aluminum frames. Here's an article about Raleigh
Canada and their laser cutting and automated robotic welding technologies
(they don't talk about materials much). This article claims that imported
frames are hand-welded. It's certainly possible; but the machine-like
consistency of the welds on many imported bikes has me wondering. In any
case, this should be interesting reading if you're curious about how they
actually make bike frames.

http://www.mmsonline.com/articles/109505.html

-=B=-