snipped:
>"I don't know of any bike builder who actually prototypes with every
>available tube set and material before settling on a preferred range.
>I doubt that even you dismiss the tubeset specs out of hand in favour
>of trying them. Or do you?"

m?z
my prototyping - if it can be called that - is limited to trying different
assembly processes so that the yielded frame better fits the goal i had in
mind when building it: trying various assembly and brazing sequences.
pinning versus tacking. using different torch tips and regulator settings.
flux consistency. these types of things. for me, it's about technique, and
it always has been. new material offered up by tubing suppliers does not
get me wet and sticky. i think most of it it concocted and produced primarily
for industrial use. 853 is a case in point. just for the record, my opinion on
here is based on that this is a framebuilder list, not rec.bicycles.tech.
i'm certain some of the points made in this and in the "engineer" thread
have merit, particularly if you're trying to design the best bicycle you can
that will ultimately be assembled several generations away, by folks who
are "just" workers following the lead in your blueprint. but -and this is
my point - if you're building the frame (i.e., if you're a 24/7 framebuilder)
you're probably happy that mr dedacciai and his ilk have some trained folk
on staff, but you are more concerned that you know how to tame it.
e-RICHIE