Bicycle Mechanics - How to do identify the type of tubing

Is there a way to identify the type of tubing on a frame that has been repainted several times? For example, does Reynolds or Columbus stamp something onto the tubing that identifies the tubing?

Thanks

Is there a way to identify the type of tubing on a frame that has been repainted several times? For example, does Reynolds or Columbus stamp something onto the tubing that identifies the tubing?

ThanksNot that I have ever seen.

There are ways, but usually it takes an experienced eye to identify the unique characteristics of a specific tubeset. For example, Columbus and Reynolds can have unique fork blade cross sections at the junction with the fork crown. Columbus tubing may be rifled at the tube ends and at the fork end of the steerer tube on the inside of the tube.

Very rarely, if the paint is very thin, you may be able to spot the Columbus bird that is stamped in the tubes near the ends, but this is most often obscured by the lugs or paint. You may be able to ID it on the fork steerer though.

Probably the first way to identify a tube set is to shine a flashlight down the seattube and see if there is an obvious seam in the tubing. This will give you a first indication as to whether it is seamless or seamed. If it is seamless, it is cold drawn, which makes it more desireable.

Another method to guess at tubing is to identify key characteristics of the bike that may be common or unique to certain countries where certain types of tubing would most likely be used. Italian frames mostly, but not always, will use Italian tubing, either Columbus or Dedaccai, while Japanese would most likely use Tange, Ishiwata or what ever is available at the time the frame was manufactured. British frames most likely, but not always would have Reynolds tubing. If the frame has an english threaded bottom bracket, there is a very high likelyhood it is not Italian, so may have a good chance of not being Columbus, so forth and so on.

Lots of guessing as you can see. :)

One way of telling what the frame is made of is to look at the welds. An aluminum frame will have thicker welds because aluminum is a weaker metal than steel. Thus steel frames will have thinner welds. The thinner the weld on a steel bike than the heavier and less valuable it is. Old Columbia's hardly have any weld marks because they're made out of cheap heavy metal. This is also why Carbon frames have curves instead of welds. The curves are just large welds, basically.

As far as the grade of steel I usually just try and compare it to other cikes that have it written right on. It is usually written towards the top of the seat tube.

One way of telling what the frame is made of is to look at the welds. An aluminum frame will have thicker welds because aluminum is a weaker metal than steel. Thus steel frames will have thinner welds. The thinner the weld on a steel bike than the heavier and less valuable it is. Old Columbia's hardly have any weld marks because they're made out of cheap heavy metal. This is also why Carbon frames have curves instead of welds. The curves are just large welds, basically.

As far as the grade of steel I usually just try and compare it to other cikes that have it written right on. It is usually written towards the top of the seat tube.Yeah...and every bit of this is just flat wrong.

There are ways, but usually it takes an experienced eye to identify the unique characteristics of a specific tubeset. For example, Columbus and Reynolds can have unique fork blade cross sections at the junction with the fork crown. Columbus tubing may be rifled at the tube ends and at the fork end of the steerer tube on the inside of the tube.

Very rarely, if the paint is very thin, you may be able to spot the Columbus bird that is stamped in the tubes near the ends, but this is most often obscured by the lugs or paint. You may be able to ID it on the fork steerer though.

Probably the first way to identify a tube set is to shine a flashlight down the seattube and see if there is an obvious seam in the tubing. This will give you a first indication as to whether it is seamless or seamed. If it is seamless, it is cold drawn, which makes it more desireable.

Another method to guess at tubing is to identify key characteristics of the bike that may be common or unique to certain countries where certain types of tubing would most likely be used. Italian frames mostly, but not always, will use Italian tubing, either Columbus or Dedaccai, while Japanese would most likely use Tange, Ishiwata or what ever is available at the time the frame was manufactured. British frames most likely, but not always would have Reynolds tubing. If the frame has an english threaded bottom bracket, there is a very high likelyhood it is not Italian, so may have a good chance of not being Columbus, so forth and so on.

Lots of guessing as you can see. :) Too much guessing to be of any real value.What the fork blades are made out of may not tell you a thing about the frame tubing.There was lots of clumbus tubing that wasn't rifled. Dedacciai hasn't been around alot of years. Reynolds was used in italian frames.Bianachis have had English thread BB for a number of years.

There are ways, but usually it takes an experienced eye to identify the unique characteristics of a specific tubeset. For example, Columbus and Reynolds can have unique fork blade cross sections at the junction with the fork crown. Columbus tubing may be rifled at the tube ends and at the fork end of the steerer tube on the inside of the tube.

Very rarely, if the paint is very thin, you may be able to spot the Columbus bird that is stamped in the tubes near the ends, but this is most often obscured by the lugs or paint. You may be able to ID it on the fork steerer though.

Probably the first way to identify a tube set is to shine a flashlight down the seattube and see if there is an obvious seam in the tubing. This will give you a first indication as to whether it is seamless or seamed. If it is seamless, it is cold drawn, which makes it more desireable.

Another method to guess at tubing is to identify key characteristics of the bike that may be common or unique to certain countries where certain types of tubing would most likely be used. Italian frames mostly, but not always, will use Italian tubing, either Columbus or Dedaccai, while Japanese would most likely use Tange, Ishiwata or what ever is available at the time the frame was manufactured. British frames most likely, but not always would have Reynolds tubing. If the frame has an english threaded bottom bracket, there is a very high likelyhood it is not Italian, so may have a good chance of not being Columbus, so forth and so on.

Lots of guessing as you can see. :)


Thanks don d. Your answer is what I feared--no way to determine with any certainty what kind of frame you are looking at. I suppose that is part of the fun of bike collecting :)

A butted frame tube has a short butted section on one end and a longer butt on the other. When cutting the tube to length the framebuilder cuts from the end with the longer butted section. The way the framebuilder knows which end to cut is by the makers mark on the short end that you don’t cut.

On Reynolds it was stamped REYNOLDS 531 around the circumference of the tube and can be seen if the frame is stripped of paint. On Columbus the mark was their little bird logo; however sometime in the 1980s they switched from a stamped logo to a printed or etched logo that once the frame was finished and sandblasted for paint the mark was gone.

Columbus SLX is easy to identify by the ridges or rifling inside the tube. These can be seen inside the bottom bracket or you can feel them if you put your finger inside the tube.