reynolds 531 questions
 

Hi,

I am new to this and really appreciate all the information available. I just purchased a locally built bike, from the mid 1980' and it has Reynolds 531 tubing. I own a new road bike already so I was looking for a beater bike for my rollers and just having fun with my kids and using in bad weather. I really don't know much about Reynolds tubing. Is it durable? How does it compare to Aluminum and Carbon frames? The frame is mint shape. Unfortunately the previous owner turned it into a Frankenstien of a bike by mixing and matching different brands of components, both Shimano and Campy. Do I have something special in the frame or will it serve the purpose of a beater bike?

You might want to post some pictures... 531 was the best around for a long, long time... 531 is still great riding stuff! For riding rollers, any gaspipe frame will do.

My Reynolds 531 Mondia is now 30 years old. It has many, many hard miles on it. The paint is a bit rough, the campy components are worn out & have been through a few replacements. But, the bike rikes like silk & has many more miles in it.

Don't worry about the mixture or components. Enjoy. Bob

Personally I think that 531 or any of the same era
columbus tubing rides better than the new plastic/carbon
or aluminium bikes (but that's just my very biases opinion).
with a little care (J. P. Weigle framesaver) a 531 frame
should last another 30 or 40 years!
As Bob S. said don't worry about the frankenbike mix of
components. Pre Ergo/Sti mix and match was the order
of the day, it was all compatable.
So, who is the local builder?

Marty

Absolutely agree with TheOtherGuy. Don't waste such nice tubing on a roller! Ride it out and soon you'll forget about your modern steed.


Roberto

The brand of the bike is Proctor. All I know is that it was a very desirable bike in its day. How do I post pictures on this site?

Hey; I want to see that one!

First, click on the "go advanced" button at the bottom of this page; that opens a new page. Next, write any text you like, then click the "manage attachments" button below. That will open another window allowing you to chose your image file, then upload it (first click "choose file", then when chosen correctly, click "upload").

I am at work now will do that later, thanks for the help!

I have a Peugeot Optima from around 1990 and that has a Reynolds 531 frame. I've rode all sorts of materials from alluminium, titanium and even had a go at carbon fibre. None of these had the same comfort, stiffness or nippy handling that this old Pug has. 531, unbeatable. It's a shame todays manufacturers don't realize this.

They do, but also realize that Ti, aluminum, and carbon fiber probably weigh a little less, and will sell better... It's all about the $$$ these days. I'll take the old steel over the modern stuff 'cause I'm comfortable with it for ride quality, aesthetics, longevity.... and 'cause I'm an old fart who doesn't feel a need for change.

Just like our grandparents used to say, "they sure don't make 'em like they used to".... It's up to you to decide if that's good or bad...

Sorry about taking so long, but here are few pics of the bike. The decals are bit worn but the frame is in great shape. After riding it I realized how smooth it is compared to my new aluminum/CF frame. It only has friction downtube shifters and I would like to upgrade it to indexed. The hubs, brakes and setm(?) are all Campy Record. The rest is Shimano. I think it was used a tourer because it has the bolts and holes for paniers and the rear rack. Is touring geometry that bad for club riding?

Thanks,

Mike

Nothing at all wrong with touring geometry as long as you don't need super-quick steering or get into lots of sprints... For the type of riding I do, comfort is the main thing, and touring/sport touring geometry works just fine.

I'm curious; what size is the bike...? I like it... If it's around 53-54 mm ctc, and you want to sell it....

It was a custom job and is about a 51 cm. I am not really sure about selling as I just got!

Looks like a cool bike; enjoy!

That bike does not look like a touring frame to me; from the angle the pics are taken it looks like a racing frame or at the very least a sport frame. Most sport frames came with braze ons for panniers and fenders especially back in the day your bike was built and in Europe where and England where a lot of people tour on bikes including racing frames. If the bike was custom made, the original owner may have requested the braze ons, when I bought my first Trek, a TX900, which was a racing frame, I could have ordered it with pannier braze ons. You can club race on either of those.

531 tubing, as others have already said, was the one of the best frame tube sets ever made for a very long time, and it was very durable and had a smooth ride-depending on the geometry of the frame of course. I have a 84 531cs frame and it now has over 145,000 miles on it and still going strong with no rust anywhere.

I'am also with the crowd of people that think that steel is the real deal and it's more durable and comfortable; sure the new material is a tad lighter but if your not racing who cares? My bike when it was in it's racing form weighed 21.5 pounds; if I replaced the steel fork with a CF fork that would reduce the bikes weight by at least 1 pound, now put on some lighter wheels, CF handlebars and seat post and other odds and ends and you will begin to see a bike in the 19 pound range. Todays lighter weight 853pro tube set with Campy Record will weigh 17 pounds maybe? But that particular tubeset is very thin and easy to ding...at least according to what some folks have said on forums like this one. But wait Reynolds also made a 531pro tubeset that weighed about 1/2 pound less then mine-now your beginning to see a 18 pound bike range from a frame made back in the 80's. So I guess all my mumbo jumbo is saying that todays light weight bikes cost more money and you don't lose that much weight and you lose some durablity and comfort for what your paying.

As others have said it's all about marketing and making money.

Nothin' wrong with touring geometry. Racing geometry will get the bike handling a bit sharper, but it's less comfy on a longer ride. Not to mention and old saying, "The man maketh the bike, not the bike maketh the man!" Enjoy it. Few bikes made in this day and age have the same feel or life as the old bikes.
Technology? Pah!

Somebody out there may still be riding around on the first set of 531 tubes built in the 30s---it's that good! Many late 30s 531 bikes are still ridden--I have a 52 Claud Butler that rides very nice---sam

How can you tell if it has racing geometery or racing. My custom GURU has geometery that seems closer to that of the Specialized Roubaix, yet it is supposed to be a racing bike. I have a short torso so the top tube needs to be shorter. I do know that the seat ube is steeper and the head tube is more relaxed on my Guru that it is on this older bike.

Please note: I said it appears; photos can sometimes show things differently then they really are. Based on the appearance of the photos, the rear tire appears to be very close to the seat tube, and the rake of the fork is shallower then a touring fork thus bringing the front tire closer to the downtube, and the calipers appear to be either short or medium reach brakes whereas most touring bikes use long reach calipers to clear larger tires and fenders.

The Roubiax you mentioned has a more stretched out frame, or what appears to be a more relaxed geometry, BUT Specialize beefed up the frame to give lateral stiffness for racing but stretched out the frame for a more comfortable ride. What Specialize did is something that bikes back in the day before carbon fiber could not do and that is to try to have the best of both worlds. And if you ask anyone who rides a Roubiax they all remark that it is a comfortable bike yet stiff when they crank hard on it.

By the way, that last question was not meant to be an insult or put down in anyway, after reading my own question, I realized I sounded negative. I am really curious. I have a hard time telling the differnece between geometries. Thanks for your input!

Racing geometry and touring geometry differs substantially from one manufacturer to another. One thing that does make a difference though is wheelbase. Your typical touring bike will have a longer wheelbase to make it more stable when carrying loads and less of a pain to keep in a straight line over long distances, whereas a typical race bike will have a shorter wheelbase so the bike is more nimble and quite twitchy for quick handling. You'll be more stretched out on a racing bike (aerodynamics and better power transfer) and less stretched on a tourer (comfort). The wrong frame size can quickly screw up these differences though. You can also change these characteristics by changing the stem for a longer/shorter one, and raising or lowering the handlebar height. There's a million things to consider when deciding between touring/racing specs and a good book can usually answer all or most of these questions, but at the end of the day, if you're happy with the way the bike handles, don't worry about it too much.

My '71 Raleigh International has decals on the seat tube designating the tubing as Reynolds 531c. 531 I've heard of but not 531c. Any info out there?

Reynolds expanded the 531 line-up to include tubesets of varying wall thickness. Some of these tubesets were, from lighest to heaviest: 531P or 531Pro for Professional, 531SL for Special Lightweight, 531C for Competition, 531ST for Special Tourist and 531CS for Club Sport. There may have been more, but this is all that comes to mind at this time. The 531C tubeset was intended for racing or sport touring and to accomodate all weights and levels of riders.

I suspect that what you have is a replacement decal. In 1971 there was only one grade of Reynolds 531 butted tubes. I'm not sure exactly when Reynolds introduced 531C, but I believe it was in the mid-1980s. The Reynolds 531C decal was probably used because was the tubeset that was closest to the 1971 tubeset.

Does anyone have a sketch, drawing, or reference for racing and touring dimensions (typical) that they could eMail to me so I could educate myself and be able to better identify even my own bikes. Thanks.
Skip Magnuson

spaddy, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm curious if the bike is set up for you, and if so, if you're comfortable on it? The seat post seems kind of high relative to the bars, the stem length is enormous, and the bars have huge hooks. I'd bump my chin on the stem if I tried to ride that in the drops. ;)