# Columbus SLX years of production?



## RJohn (Mar 24, 2009)

OK, my friend and I are having a discussion on the years that Columbus SLX tubes were used. I know that may be a tough one because some builders may have had years of tubes stock piled. I have looked around on the internet looking for production dates but can't find anything.


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## IAmCosmo (Jul 26, 2005)

I know my 91 Tommasini was made with SLX. Not sure if that helps or not...


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## matanza (Jun 9, 2004)

My 2006 Specialized Roubaix is made with SLX.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

matanza said:


> My 2006 Specialized Roubaix is made with SLX.


I think that's "Specialized SLX" aluminum tubing, not the venerable Columbus SLX steel tubing the OP refers to. As far as I know, Columbus never made aluminum tubing called "SLX." You do sometimes see Specialized Roubaixs described in advertising copy and private sales pitches as having "Columbus SLX" tubing, but I think that's in error.


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

SLX was introduced in 1984, and was widely used until the early nineties when GENIUS and other OS air-hardening tubes were introduced.


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## slamy (Mar 15, 2004)

Yeah 1984 - early 90's is correct. Some builders continued to use them after that. I think Columbus has introduced a new set of SLX tubes.


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

my 06 specialized allez elite has the columbus tubing, man is that e-5 a sweet frame. switched out the alex's for eastons. i now own a rocket ship. keeps my new felt in the blocks, at least for now

but specialized has switched out the frame on the new elite, which is now pretty much a completely different bike. as far as i know 06 was the last time they used columbus


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## russotto (Oct 3, 2005)

Specialized SLX (or at least some of it) is Columbus; it has the dove logo. But it's not the same as the steel stuff.


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

no it wouldnt be, but the aluminum is columbus

and i'm tellin u, man, that frame is no joke..it really picks up and moves, bro


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

easyridernyc said:


> no it wouldnt be, but the aluminum is columbus
> 
> and i'm tellin u, man, that frame is no joke..it really picks up and moves, bro


I don't doubt that the aluminum is Columbus and that the frame really picks up and moves. It's just that Columbus never offered and doesn't offer now an aluminum tubeset called "SLX", so the mystery remains.


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## IAmCosmo (Jul 26, 2005)

The Columbus aluminum is called Squadra Course (at least that's what it says on my Allez)...


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

Columbus does currently market a carbon fiber monocoque frame from the Columbus Carbon Lab it calls "SLX"...

http://www.columbustubi.com/eng/4_5_1.htm


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## rothenfield (Jul 13, 2009)

Scooper said:


> SLX was introduced in 1984, and was widely used until the early nineties when GENIUS and other OS air-hardening tubes were introduced.


Where does TSX fit in the picture Scoop?


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## Scooper (Mar 4, 2007)

rothenfield said:


> Where does TSX fit in the picture Scoop?


TSX is very similar to SLX, but slightly lighter (the down tube and top tube butting profiles for TSX are 0.8/0.6/0.8; for SLX they're 0.9/0.6/0.9). Columbus called SLX "super-butted" because of the 0.1mm thicker butting. Both have the five helicoidal internal reinforcements and are the same Columbus Cyclex steel.


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## easyridernyc (Jan 10, 2008)

i dont say slx, let me check the specs i'll tell you what it reads on the frame


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## Gnarly 928 (Nov 19, 2005)

I have an 80's era race bike I had built to race back then. Just put it back together with modern (well, 9sp Dura Ace) components. It rides nicely..as it did back then and fits me to a T. I took it by my teammate's shop to weight it and he (a former Coors Classic racer and still the Current world TT (masters, of course) champ.. He commented on how he'd had a bunch of SLX frames, too. Asked me if it was "twitchy" or ever got 'speed wobbles'. It did. I always feels right on the verge of going into the Death Wobble and on my very first high speed downhill, it did do that. I went back to the builder and he found he'd mistakenly put SL forks on my frame...Swapped on an SLX fork and it never went into another Death Wobble, but it still always was a bit 'unnerving' on fast mountain descents.

That first wobble, it went so rad that my wristwatch flew right off my arm and it wobbled until I was down to about 5mph...Unnerving..


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