Reynolds 531 tube frames with clearance for 32 mm tires

Hi,

I'm looking to purchase a road bike frame build with reynolds 531 tubing from the 70's, 80's or 90's that has clearance for 28 mm+ or 32 mm tires. My rims are pretty wide so some brands of 28mm tires even inflate over 30 mm.

What are your recommendations on specific vintage frames using 531-tubing that will take larger tires? Gazelle Mondial A and AB frame are on the list.

Maybe Nigel Dean lightweight tourers?

I think you might struggle to find a frame from that period with clearance for 28mm+ tyres.

For reference, I've built up a few late eighties/nineties frames with 25mm tyres on wide rims, which can be a total of 27mm wide, and the clearance between the rear stays and the tyre is pretty close.

There may be cyclocross specific frames that you could use with more tyre clearance, but you'd probably have to use cantilever brakes.

If you want a steel frame with generous tyre clearance then you probably have to look at modern gravel/touring framesets.

Hope this helps

A lot of the frame builders in the 70's & 80's would have what was called a 'Club Frame' in their range. This would have racing geometry and have clearance for mudguards with sprint's & tub's or the new narrow section 700c rims and clinchers. These were good all-rounder frames that could be raced in the summer as well as club runs and winter training.
I have a Ribble which can take 28mm tyres without mudguards and with the dropout adjusters removed to allow the wheel to go right back I reckon I can run 32's. This is also without crimped or flatened inner chainstays.

viewtopic.php?f=23&t=419928

Agreed with the above - in fact a lovely Witcomb club frame that vcballbat sold me a few years ago will take 33C tyres. Picking a 27" (630 ETRTO) frame with 700C wheels gives a couple of extra mm of clearance as the tyre its a little further away. Here with 28C and mudguards.

I have a late 90s Roberts Clubman, it does 30mm with mudguards, 32 without. I could go wider on the front, but not the back. I'm not sure how that would affect things? I run open pro's if that helps for reference.

viewtopic.php?f=47&t=419091 Sold, but a late 90s frame I belive, easily doing 32's and I think their are some King Of Mercia on the forum that have slightly wider clearance too?

I stand corrected on the tyre clearance for 80's/90's steel frames.

The framesets I've built up, have mainly been the type that would have been raced or used without mudguards.

There is a difference in handling characteristics between a short wheelbase (non Mudguard) and a long wheelbase (Mudguard/Touring).

Basically the shorter the wheelbase the more responsive the handling.

Hope this helps

Thanks for all the good input! I'm gonna look deeper into club frames and see if I can find any listings!

@Hamster: Really nice - looks racy and comfy at the same time!

I'm afraid most lightweight tourers may lack the full springyness/suppleness in the frame that I'm looking for if a thicker tubing is used in some parts of the frame (like Reynolds 531 ST, whereas I'm looking for 531 double butted tubing to be used throughout the frame as I won't put on panniers). However, if you come upon any full 531 DB touring frames please let me know!

Doing a bit more reading, there seems to be some consensus that the tire clearance was more generous in the 70's even on the really racey frames, and that they became narrower in the 1980's.

Cheers,
Karl

Dawes Galaxy?

Later Galaxies were 531ST.

Thorn Audax springs to mind, even though the tubesets varied, plus a lot of smaller framebuilders: M.Steel, Tony Oliver, Bob Jackson, George Longstaff etc.