The history of the Casati company is typical of Italian frame builders. Company founder Pietro Casati was a racing cyclist and won the title of Lombardy champion in 1921 at the age of 30. In the same year, he set up his own small bicycle factory, which is why the family business based in Monza, not far from the famous motor racing circuit, is celebrating its ninetieth anniversary this year. His grandsons Massimo and Luca are now carrying on the family tradition and building exclusive racing bike frames together with six other employees. Pietro Casati would certainly be proud of his work today. The name Casati may not have the same ring to it among Italian frame builders as Colnago, Pinarello or Bianchi. However, customers appreciate the fact that to this day only handmade frames leave the small forge in Via Prampolini 7. Frames made of aluminium, carbon and classic steel frames - many of them custom-made and individually painted.
Slim and elegant
The Hinox T99 is fillet brazed from seamlessly drawn XCr stainless steel tubes from Columbus, which are thinned down to a wafer-thin 0.4 millimetres in the centre of the top tube. The name suffix T99 refers to the silver solder with which the frame is joined at a material-friendly 750 degrees Celsius. The Casati team solders all its steel racers using this method.
The appearance of the Hinox T99 with its round, slim tubes is classic and straightforward, while the partial paintwork gives the stainless steel ample opportunity to gleam beguilingly in the sun. The soldered joints at the tube junctions are very neatly executed and almost discreet compared to the rough weld seams found on many aluminium frames. The classic pull stops on the down tube will make the hearts of fans of traditional steel frames beat faster. Typical Casati features such as the seatpost clamp integrated into the seat tube or internally routed cables as on the Laser model are also available for the Hinox T99 - unfortunately only at extra cost. An individual choice of paint finish is no problem, the Casatis can fulfil any colour request. The head tube houses a lightweight 360 gram carbon fork in a classic press-fit headset. In this configuration, the stainless steel-carbon fusion weighs 2,200 grams, which is an acceptable weight for a frameset of this design.
Slim and stiff
On the road, the noble Italian convinces with neutral steering behaviour, the riding position is sporty to race-like. The black and silver racer masters fast, winding descents with ease thanks to its very high steering head stiffness for a steel frame (85 Nm per degree). The lateral stiffness of the fork lags somewhat behind this, heavy and tall riders may miss the last bit of steering precision at top speed. The comfort on the saddle and handlebars is acceptable - just as you would expect from a classic steel frame; sophisticated carbon frames are now capable of much more in this discipline.
With the exception of the Vredestein tyres from the Netherlands, the equipment on our test bike comes exclusively from Italian manufacturers. The drivetrain and wheels are supplied by Campagnolo, while the other components such as the stem, handlebars and seatpost come from Deda Elementi and the saddle from Selle Italia. The parts form a harmonious, well-functioning whole, only the slight rubbing of the brake pads on the Eurus rim disturbed the riding impression somewhat.
The slim silhouette of the stainless steel racer is a treat for fans of classic frame construction for whom current racing bikes made of carbon or aluminium are too bulky and who don't care about the last gram. The price of €5,450 (€2,900 for the frame set) is no bargain - but in a relationship that is supposed to last a lifetime, you have to invest a little more ...
Reference/Info www.ciclicasati.it
Price complete wheel 5,450 Euro
Weight 7.5 kilos
Frame sizes** 50 to 61; 1 cm each, 55Sloping: 45, 47, 51, 54; Dimensional frame
Seat/steering angle 74°/73°
Seat/top tube/head tube 590/560/171 mm (classic headset)
Wheelbase/caster 990/55 mm
Stack/Reach/STR*** 567/399 mm/1.42
EQUIPMENT
Fork Casati Carbon, 1-1/8 inch
Steering bearing FSA, classic
Gearshift/brakes/crank Campagnolo Chorus (50/34 t., BSA)
Impellers Campagnolo Eurus tyres Vredestein Fortezza UltraLite
Handlebar/stem Deda Zero 100
Saddle/post Selle Italia SLR Carbonio/ Deda Zero 100
MEASURED VALUES & INDIVIDUAL NOTES*
Weight of complete wheel 7.5 kilos (without pedals)
Frame/fork/steering bearing weight 1.720/368/113 g
Standardised weight frame set**** 2.220 g - 4 , 3
Steering head stiffness 85 Nm/° - 2 , 3
Lateral stiffness fork 35 N/mm - 4 , 0
Bottom bracket stiffness 50 N/mm - 2 , 7
Comfort frame 315 N/mm - 2 , 7
Comfort fork 77 N/mm - 2 , 7
* The grade includes further individual grades which we have not printed for reasons of space.
** Tested frame size in bold.
*** Stack/reach: projected vertical/horizontal measurement from the centre of the bottom bracket to the top of the headset; STR (stack to reach): Values between 1.45 and 1.55 indicate a sporty riding position, values below are race-like, above are comfortable.
**** Adjusted weight for frame size 57 cm and fork steerer length 225 mm.
