Shiney Bikes

[Spokes]

I was looking at a 957 the other day and noticed an Easton symbol stamped into the left hand side of the top tube near the head tube. Did only the polished bikes have this stamp or do the painted frames have it under the paint. Ive read that the 9'' ranges were put together in USA, where as the rest were in Tiawan. Is this stamp a to tell the difference between the two?

[whisperdancer]

In the x97 range, the Easton Badge was in the:

957
857
757
Animal
Beast

[orange]

yes I've removed paint on a Beast and found that Easton diamond hidden near the head tube

[shovelon]

From the conversation I had with a former K2 employee, and now Easton employee, the 1997 shiney  bikes were always 6061 alloy, and the painted ones were always 7005. Easton liscensed the 7005 chemistry real cheap to Asia, so the painted ones were produced in Asia and assembled in the US.

To offset the cost of the shiney bikes, the material was 6061 and drawn by Easton for Proflex, then fabed and welded, then heat treated. Easton would not allow domestic production of 7005, or maybe the cost was outrageous.

It is my guess that the shiny bikes had extensively butted tubes, and somewhat lighter than the painted ones.

This is all of the x57 seriies I am refering to. In 1997, developement of the Evo series was underway, and in 1998 all bikes were 7005 alloy. Whether all of the Evo series was Easton origin I don't know.

I believe the World cup series was all US made.

Can anyone add?

[Spokes]

So what is the difference between 6061 and 7005 ?
Do I take it that 6061 is a lighter alloy than 7005 or is it the paint that makes the  painted frames heavier ?
If you speced a 857 and a 957 exactly the same,would they ride any different - apart from the weight ?

[shovelon]

So what is the difference between 6061 and 7005 ?
Do I take it that 6061 is a lighter alloy than 7005 or is it the paint that makes the  painted frames heavier ?
If you speced a 857 and a 957 exactly the same,would they ride any different - apart from the weight ?

6061 heat treats and anneals very quickly, like in minutes or seconds. 7005 heat treats slowly, like in hours. 7005 is really neat because you can weld it and not risk  much annealing in the HAZ(heat affected zone)right next to the weld. All that is recommended is an easy stress relieve in an oven at about the same temp as powdercoat. 7075 is a technically more expensive to produce, but only slightly.

6061 is really the only commercially viable material for Americans or Europeans to use, so we do. The drawback is the welding usually detempers or anneals the HAZ requiring reheat treat. The reheat treat usually cost more than the material itself. The upside is that the material can be heavily manipulated before heat treat, and some material like monocoqe sheet is formed T0. Also the reheat treat is more uniform to some extent.

I would have to believe that the 7005 tubed frames are a bit heavier, but not much. 7005 is a breeze to weld repair if the need arises.

The frames come from different factories, and probably have a slightly different feel, but heck if I know what that is.

[Spokes]

Most interesting. Thank you for your detailed replies.