I have inventoried the parts I ordered for the frame, and I've noticed one major issue so far. I bought the Nova Cycles standard "road" tubeset, but none of the tubes are marked. One end of the tube usually has a longer butt than the other end - the long end is the one that should be cut to length - and the longer end is usually marked in some way. These aren't, and it's very difficult to tell which end is which - the difference between the thick wall and the thin wall is only 0.3 mm!
A full description of all the parts with photos will be forthcoming. Let's look at the tube set characteristics right now.
Tube sets are broken into two main categories: standard and oversize. These categories define the outer diameter of the tubes; larger diameter tubes are stiffer and can withstand larger loads. Heavier riders and mountain bikes tend to utilize oversize tubes, but any bike may use oversize tubing for the extra stiffness.
The standard size tube set includes a 25.4 mm (1 inch) top tube and 28.6 mm (about 1 1/8") down tube and seat tube. The head tube is sized for the steerer tube that was previously chosen; I have a 1" steerer, so a 31.8 mm head tube will accommodate it. The larger 1 1/8" steerer is paired with a 36 mm head tube.
Seat stays and chain stays can be purchased separately or may be included in the tube set, and there are a wide variety available. Straight seat stays seem to be the most prevalent; "straight" in this case means that the tubing is of a constant, round diameter the entire length of the tube. Chain stays are generally either "round-round" (RR), "round-oval-round" (ROR), or "oval-round" (OR). Round-round describes a tube that has a round cross-section the entire length of the tube, but is a smaller diameter at one end than at the other. Round-oval-round tubes start (from the larger end) as a round cross-section, gradually meld into an oval section mid-tube, and then return to a smaller-diameter round section at the dropout end. Oval-rounds have an oval cross-section at the large end and a round section at the narrow end.
The differences in chain stay styles is, I believe, largely cosmetic, but there may be some minor performance differences between them. The biggest difference to note at this point is that the style of chain stay must match the bottom bracket shell that has been purchased - some BB shells accept oval chain stays, and some accept round. Always note which type of chain stays are required before purchasing the BB shell.
The tube set that I purchased include the following dimensions:
| Dia. (mm) | Wall (mm) | Length (mm) | |
| DT | 28.6 | 0.8/0.5/0.8 | 650 |
| TT | 25.4 | 0.8/0.5/0.8 | 600 |
| ST | 28.6 | 0.9/0.6 | 650 |
| CS | 22 RR | 0.8 | 420 |
| SS | 14 ST | 0.8 | 560 |
| HT | 31.8 | 1.1 | 200 |
Notice that the down tube and top tube are both double-butted, and the seat tube is butted only at one end. The notation "0.8/0.5/0.8" indicates that one end of the tube has a wall thickness of 0.8 mm, the tube tapers to a 0.5 mm thickness in the middle, and then expands again to 0.8 mm at the other end. This can also be notated as "8/5/8". Nova also requires specifying a head tube size when ordering, so I picked the one that is meant for a 1" steerer.
