Originally Posted by
duanedr
Wow, that seems impractical but maybe they are cheap enough and the quality of finish high enough that it's not. Thanks!
This was at Match, late-'90s. Bossmang Tim Isaac said that 853 was too hard in the HAZ to ream, though I didn't try it. Maybe someone here has reamed 853 and can dispel this rumor?
Tim said that many frames out there with an 853 decal on them actually used something else for the seat tube, for this very reason. Match used "lesser" steel for the HT, to avoid ruining our HT reamer, but the ST was real 853.
So I can't say whether it was worth it or not, but the result was uber-sweet. And the replacement stones are not expensive. I don't remember what they cost (if I ever knew — I was not the buyer), but divided over 10 frames, the cost of the stones was considered negligible. Swapping out the stones only took a minute or so.
Mark B