the unofficial 'cool' 1980's Reynolds 531/501 bike thread

took its winter clothes off today for a 'proper' ride out tomorrow.

Deehead parts and a budget KMC chain and NOS STX 7spd cassette and we're off

Tis a fine gentleman's steed you have there... on with the breeks...

Mr K

Nice one, LGF! Great to see my old Dawes Ranger there, and my mates Raleigh Banana Super Maverick.

Here, also, for the thread is my Ilkeston-built Raleigh Panasonic Super Maverick on its' first outing on the Muddy Fox/Bike Magazine Trailblazer on the North Downs near Dorking, back in 1985. Sadly this machine is no-more as it was stolen, stripped of parts, the frame damaged, and then left in the street until found and returned to me by the police. What's left of it is still in the garage...maybe somebody with a welding torch could repair the frame and see if they could get it road/off-road-worthy again?

This one was 531ATB main frame tubes and forks and I was measured-up for it by the great man himself, Gerlad O'Donovan. What a great character he was, so-enthusiastic as he showed me around the Ilkeston workshop.

I like this thread.
Here's the Ridgeback with DX mech and Thumbs fitted.

LGF - I think a 'Drops' thread would complement, don't you... ;-)

Mr K

No pics sadly but I had a Raleigh Cajun which I think was 531 framed with lugged forks. Nice colour scheme and nice groupo, sadly not owned it for many years, but nice thread!

Someone needs to get the Raleigh Montage up...I did have one but have no pics. I believe that was lugged 501

Neil G":3mdtewkm said:

Someone needs to get the Raleigh Montage up...I did have one but have no pics. I believe that was lugged 501

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remember dem rules! 3 piece forks! No unicrown nonsense here

Mr LGF,

When you say these 531/501 frames are "generic" do you mean that they arrive at the various bike manufacturers already complete for them to finish how they wish or are they just made to a certain template so to speak from pre made tubes, considering they all look pretty much the same throughout. And are those 3 piece forks all identical regardless?

Can you explain it a bit further. What is the score with them all?

Great collection of bikes here btw

Aeronaut":jzl6j9j7 said:

Mr LGF,

When you say these 531/501 frames are "generic" do you mean that they arrive at the various bike manufacturers already complete for them to finish how they wish or are they just made to a certain template so to speak from pre made tubes, considering they all look pretty much the same throughout. And are those 3 piece forks all identical regardless?

Can you explain it a bit further. What is the score with them all?

Great collection of bikes here btw

Click to expand...

I say generic as there are so few differences in the basic layout - I would love to know what they were copied from. Each manufacturer had there own touches such as the wraparound stays on MrK's Overbury or the pencil stays found on others. Some have very neat cable stops whereas some are quite cheap and cheerful.

The tubes I guess, would have come from Reynolds and the used by the individual frame builders.

I was just tracing the bloodlines of the early UK MTB framebuilding scene


As far as I'm aware, the forks are all the same design except where carrier mounts are added. either 501 or 531