Anyone who has been interested in cycling for very long is certainly familiar with Columbus tubing. Good old SLX used to be the tubeset of choice for many of the best frame builders. When I first started cycling seriously in the late 80’s, I aspired to own an Italian made SLX frame. Now, I have a couple of 15+ year old Columbus lugged steel frames in my garage (I guess I am somewhat of a pack rat when it come to bikes). Of course, not all my old stuff is collecting dust. I still use my 20 year old Silca track pump that is made from Columbus tubing .

Today, Columbus makes more than just steel. In fact, my newest road bike, a Specialized S-Works E5, is made from heavily manipulated double butted and heat-treated Columbus aluminum tubing. In keeping with the times, the company also now produces carbon fiber “tubesets”. Their Mecano frame kit has recently been chosen by the ADI (Association for Industrial Design) to be published in their design index as one of the best Italian products of 2005. The frame kit is available to builders who want to create custom geometry with carbon fiber. You can find out more about the Mecano frame kit on the website of one of Columbus’ U.S. distributors, Pacenti Cycle Design.