Hello

I have just had the bottom bracket overhauled on my vintage road bike, and the cups and the fixed cup have RFG printed on them. I have not been able to find any information on RFG. Does anyone know anything about this manufacturer? Were they French?. I am trying to find out what make the bike is since it has no markings on it. Were any frames in particular, built up with RFG cups.
A picture of the bike is posted below ,--- any information is welcome.


thanks.

I thought RFG was a French manufacturer of the BB shell, but not the BB itself.

Edit: Wrong letter order - I was thinking of RGF Raccord Gargette Freres

I believe it's one and the same...and I didn't know they made any BB units themslves, but I'm sure anything in a RGF shell will be first and foremost French threads or possibly BSC (since many British builders used RGF shells).
BTW, want an ID of that frame? We'd need pix of the BB, the rear drop-outs, and the seat cluster, for starts...looks like a nice '80s Japanese frame at a glance...not enough to go on, yet.

Thanks for the response,
Here are some more pitures, sorry for poor quality.
BTW the seat post is 26.2 and the cinelli stem is 22.0 - if this helps.

hmmm...strange details...seems to be a FR diameter stem (though an Italian brand) and the seatpost would be right for a Cinelli SC, except this is no Cinelli SC! Looks like the remnants of a 531 sticker on the seat-tube, so at least that much is a good thing, but that doesn't help me ID it, could be earlier than '80s and seems of good quality. More photos (and in focus) of the drop-outs and another view of the seat cluster might help. Are there any markings on the BB cups that are numbers?

Sorry for the delay,
The frame is as you correctly guessed a reynolds 531.The decal was printed in ENGLISH. (reynolds 531 Birmingham). Original crankset was stronglight 49d triple. b.b TA. ---- gears are Dura ace/CRANE. Headset was stronglight. no marking under B.B shell except for 5 3 (frame size).
The original crank was threaded for french pedals. Hope this helps.

well, there's nothing there that I can make any headway with: It has a 1mm too-small seatpost for standard Imperial 531 seat tube (should be 27.2), but if it were metric 531 it would still be too small, as that would take 26.6 or 26.4. Is there a brazed-in sleeve at the top of the seat tube?
The details are all good: 531 decal; Campy long drop-outs, nice lugs and forkcrown, tasteful chrome and paint...but there's nothing really distinctive that indicates a brand or builder: no piercings or pantographing, no decals or serial number. Seems like a mid-to-late 70's frame, the components (except the wheels and brake levers) could all be original and hung on a bare frameset. Given the number of FR parts (Crankset, headset, pedals, BB, brakes) I'd guess the build-up was done in FR or Benelux...all the guess I got

Many thanks for all the help and info. E.B.

Here's what I've found on RFG cups:



WTH is "German?"

I can only guess it's a confused way of saying "Swiss" (maybe because of the language they speak in Schweiss when they aren't using French, Italian or English?)