Another SBDU Time Trial Special - This time in 531c

originalshinkicker

rBotM Winner
I found myself being the only bidder for the 2nd time on an SBDU frame on eBay a few weeks ago. I only put one bid on it before travelling down to Lincolnshire for my frame building course. When I got there, the auction was over and I had surprisingly won it. The pictures on eBay weren't great but it looked clean and tidy with good paint.



The pictures didn't really do it justice and the colour wasn't obvious apart from it being some shade of red or orange. But once I got it back, it is a lovely 'Team' red.



It is as far as I can see, original condition - the only thing throwing me was the 531c decal - this is SB5794 which puts it towards the back end of 1982, which ties in with when this decal was introduced by Reynolds. I have 2 other time trial frames, one in 753 and one in 531SL. Both are extremely light and this one is the same. Its weight is amazing for a 531c frame. At first I though it must be either 753 or 531SL with the wrong decal on it, but I've checked and done lots of research and measuring, and I'm happy that it is a very thin gauge, metric tubed 531c. Most 531 frames are Imperial tubing with a 28.6 mm seat tube. Metric tubing has a 28.0 mm seat tube. It takes a 26.6 mm seat pin!



These are the lightest steel forks I have, even lighter than both the sets of early 753. I'm not a weight weenie and only weigh things to clarify the tubing. If this was normal 531c I would expect about 1800+ grams for the frame and maybe 700 grams for the forks.



This came with foil head badges and vertical drop outs, so I've measured it against SBDUs time trial geometry for a 56cm frame and this matches. Curiously, the forks, which match the frame, have a 42mm rake (normal road) and not the 37mm rake that their time trial frames normally had.




I've only just got time to start building up another time trial special, SB5464, so I've no idea when I'll get around to this one :-(
 

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Nob":346mtyyt said:
Ensure a 56 or 57 ring is fitted as standard :)

That is the next thing on my list for the other TT build, SB5464 - rear mech, BB and H/set already sorted, just need a chainset and chain ring.
 
Re:

Looking forward to seeing this one come together.

Would really like to do a late '70s early '80s TT build at some point.

:mrgreen:
 

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