Just seen that True Temper are closing manufacturing of bicycle tubing.
http://www.handbuiltbicyclenews.com/c33-tubing/142-true-temper-to-discontinue-bicycle-tubing-line
I’m sure lots of us have had a true temper frame at some point. I’m sure one of my konas was platinum OX.

Sad news…

I wonder if someone or a group will club buy the mandrills etc?

Dunno about sad news, more like business news really…

But yeah, golf is once again the new golf, so far as true temper are concerned…
Are there any other major US frame tubing suppliers? Or will all the yanks niche brands have to turn to Reynolds, Columbus or Tange now?

They did me some special Ragley only Fathead tubing to my specs for a season.
Even then, bicycles was a tiny part of the business. Much of it military and telecoms masts.
I thought they had stopped doing bike stuff some time ago.

I’m not sure why this would even interest anyone outside the niche continental USA where two companies might have a downtube in their bike.

It’s a sign of the times the custom market is tiny and self promoting and people like me who realised the far east just make awesome stuff don’t really do the semantics and buy very good if not better production frames/bikes

The last bikes I recall using true temper in any volume were KHS and they were just the CUBE CANYON YT of their time, plus anyone who cared also didn’t let friends ride anything less than tange prestige.

http://www.handbuiltbicyclenews.com/c33-tubing/149-interview–chris-merrill-of-henry-james-bicycles

Here it is from the horses mouth

😥

Some decent frames have been built with that stuff. Never owned one myself, but a mate had a custom built Standard in OX Platinum. It was lovely.

I know some UK custom builders that use True Temper – I would have thought with the general increase in interest in cycling that there would also be more demand for custom…

I wonder if someone or a group will club buy the mandrills etc?
😕 I’m oot

It’s sad, but to be honest I don’t think I’ve ever used a bit of True Temper tubing in my life. More sad really for Henry James, who have done a huge amount for framebuilding in the States.

Easily the sweetest steel hardtail I owned were 2 x khs Montana Team made from true temper ox ultra ii heat treated chromoly steel.

Ruined the first one during a 5 mph slide into a tree going down a steep in chopwell forest. Ruined the second at a XC race in catterick.

Both suffered “beer can” failure with very thin tube walls buckled. Frames were crazy light for steel, so not really surprised

Was gutted until khs hooked me up with a Montana team titanium:)

I had a Montana team ti affectionately called “the wet noodle” talk about flex. Gotta be said the only true temper frames I ever had were diamond back accent ex and vertex back in the 90’s ow and a kona cinder cone and they were OK

My 1995 Trek has a True Temper frame.
I’ve had some fantastic adventures on it in Northumberland, the Highlands, the lakes and Dartmore.
It’s heavily disguised under a respay / surface rust and is used as my commuting bike. The only things to have survived the original build are frame, stem and bar.

I had an ascent ex, it was true temper AVR wasn’t it? it was a pretty nice frame.

I still have my AVR Tru Temper DB Response Sport from ’95.

Still runs sweet as a pub/trails bike.

Selling it to a friend who wants to take it to India.

Didn’t Salsa use True Temper tubing?

Shame. I had a DB Apex c.1998 vintage, lovely frame

If I remember correctly my Trek 990 was made with True Temper steel, not sure what was more noodley, the frame or the RS Mag 21 SL’s. Loved riding it though, was my first custom, top of the range mtb.

Edit, bought from Pete at McClain (sp?) Cycles in Wolverhampton in maybe 1994.

Sad news, still quite please I got my S3 road frame now as its a keeper!

Didn’t Salsa use True Temper tubing?

Have a True Temper framed a la carte from about 2007 built up fully rigid.

Reminds me on my first proper MTB which was also True temper framed but the brakes now work in the wet.

My salsa pistol is ox platinum and has been a great companion for 5 years. It’s been all over the UK and over the 3 highest roads in the alps. What a shame.

That’s a shame, I was out on my early 90’s Diamondback earlier, can’t remember model, its at True Temper TT Lite frame, lots of people think it’s titanium with its raw shiny finish. Had it donkeys years and still a prefered ride to other stuff, a really light for steel and strong frame.