Best Reynolds Tubing

F

fignonFlyer

Dirt Disciple
Bet this has been discussed before but how do all the Reynolds tubing compare to each other, my experience is 531, 653, 753 and a bonded ‘653’ DynaTech. That’s where my Steel frame experience ends around the late 80’s early 90’s when I last bought a brand new steel frame. Have always really liked my 653, but it does have DA7400 and GEL 280 so the wheels have their part to play in my comparisons of my bikes.

I often wonder about 708, 853 and any others I’ve not mentioned.
 
853 is brilliant, considered by many to be the pinacle of steel tubing for bicycles. Unline more delicate steels such as 531, 853 actually becomes slghtly stronger when exposed to the heat involved in the welding process. Despite being way better than Cr Mo or 531, it was never all that common, because the thin walled tubing needed an experienced welder to build a frame, something that is not suited for outsourcing to a far Eastern factory for mass production. For what it's worth, I ride an 853 MTB and it's light and compliant and is my favourite bike.

Some might consider the 900-series stainless steels to be superior to 853 an it is 'better' in terms of tensile strength and weight. However, I hear it can be tricky to find the right balance between wall thickness (weight) and stiffness, so that basically nobody uses it for bikes where compliance is important. It's also expensive...
 
The sound a of the great slap of the generalising paint brush!

'531' was available in dozens of configurations, butted , double butted, 531c, 531ST and so on so shouldnt just be clumped into one category.

It was also down to the builder as to whether the frame was to be any good or not. I've ridden and owned quite a few 853 frames and got rid of them as they've not been very good.
 
531 and 'cro-mo' are totally different alloys and shouldnt be confused together.

Reynolds-transfers.jpg
 
'Best' is a difficult question. What do you mean? Lightest, stiffest, most comfortable, efficient, durable, versatile????

As LGF rightly says, until they are designed, it's just a stack of pipes. A good framebuilder will design a frame and select appropriate tubing for its intended purpose. The really good engineering-led framebuilders (for example Tony Oliver) mixed tubes between suppliers to achieve the intended result.
 
Ok, so my original post was perhaps over simplified.
My experience was training and racing on Raleigh off the peg 531 double butted and a 531c, plus an SBDU 531c. Another Raleigh off the peg 653, a Raleigh Special Products 653 dynatech. Lastly a M&B Dronfield 753.
The 531 Raleigh’s had Super Record groupset with Retrofriction levers and GP4s with a decent Clement tub. All felt good to ride as race bikes. The 653 off the peg has DA 7400 and lighter wheels, but the whole package feels better when compared with the 531s or the 753 which has a more modern Shimano transmission.
That said, all is subjective on my experience.
 
ultrazenith":3pndvpn5 said:
853 is brilliant, considered by many to be the pinacle of steel tubing for bicycles. Unline more delicate steels such as 531, 853 actually becomes slghtly stronger when exposed to the heat involved in the welding process. Despite being way better than Cr Mo or 531, it was never all that common, because the thin walled tubing needed an experienced welder to build a frame, something that is not suited for outsourcing to a far Eastern factory for mass production. For what it's worth, I ride an 853 MTB and it's light and compliant and is my favourite bike.

Some might consider the 900-series stainless steels to be superior to 853 an it is 'better' in terms of tensile strength and weight. However, I hear it can be tricky to find the right balance between wall thickness (weight) and stiffness, so that basically nobody uses it for bikes where compliance is important. It's also expensive...
Click to expand...

I’ve got a 953 frame which I had built for me. Beautiful to ride and I don’t think it’s expensive at all. £2k including a £400 Enve race fork, Chris King headset and painted to my spec.
 
Best thing to do is tape over whatever frame material decal is on the bike and go for a ride - that way theres no badge snobbery or assumption that because it has a certain badge on it it it will be brilliant/ terrible/ etc etc
 
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