It's hard to be specific, but my 531c Gazelle feels a bit lighter and stiffer than my True Temper Trek and my Columbus Caldaro, but it could also be the slightly steeper geometry.

http://www.bretonbikes.com/reynolds.htm

I think it depends on the bike. My 1981 Carlton is a 531c frame, but I think it's just the main triangle. I need to check the tubing decal. But I think the fork blades and seat stays are probably straight gauge 531.

here's a great chart!

http://www.desperadocycles.com/Tubin...per_Tubing.htm

Because the Russians, who are #1 in working with stainless and nickel steel, don't have much of a bicycle industry.
We (the west) use Titanium for the same uses and have a lot more experience working with this. Hence, for us it's cheaper to design and make something in Ti than stainless: you can find multiple sources for tubing and you can hire people who know how to work with it. Good luck doing that with stainless. The few people who do have experience working with it are likely expecting compensation that makes hiring them to assemble bicycle frames impossible. (Such an operation will probably always revolve around the single person who retired from the aerospace industry and thinks building bicycle frames is a fun thing to do.)

Very interesting. Thank you for posting that.

By the way I am told that all Reynolds tube sets are pronounced as "Five,Three,One" or "Eight,Five,Three" etc.

steppy

I've never heard anyone refer to them this way, rather "Eight-Fifty-One" or "Nine-Fifty-Three"

Funny, I've never heard of them pronounced that way.

My Waterford 2200 is a lugged 853. When I was talking to the Waterford factory they referred to it as eight-fifty-three.

I pronounce it "nine-five-three" "eight-five-three" and same with everyone I've talked to.

its probably regional much like everything else in language

I bought a Lemond Poprad last weekend. True Temper OX Platinum tubing.... where does that stack up relative to the Reynold's lineup?

I have two steel bikes - a Bianchi Pista ("ChromeLite" tubing) and the Lemond (True Temper OX Platinum) and the Lemond is incredibly smooth over bumps comparatively.

Uh oh! According to this chart, I'm exceeding the rider weight limit of my 531c frame by 20 pounds!

Always the numbers in the UK.

eight five three.

Feel free to use the other way, call Campag campy and whatever else pleases you and that Webster fellow ;)

Don't forget about 501 Chromoly!
My '85 pug is made from this :)

some would say that OX Platinum ranks above all Reynolds tubing, because it's lighter.:)

It could be said that it ranks up with the most modern Columbus steels, Spirit and Life

It may be spelled "eight fifty-three", but it's pronounced "throatwarblermangrove".

Az

Agree about the ride but heavy compared to what? I have 2 Jamis Eclipse 853 bikes and one is 17lbs and the other is 18lbs. Components and wheels allow you to build a light steel bike today. Seem to make it up the same hills on an 853 steel frame and a full carbon frame.

The few 853 frames I've weighed have been slightly chunky by today's standards. For instance, I weighed a 57cm tigged 2003 LeMond Zurich, which was 1770g; only 95g lighter than my 1988 lugged 531c Raleigh!

Having said that, it's still unusual to see steel frames under 1600g (despite claims by manufacturers), except for small sizes, so 1770g isn't a brick; and my 2004 Ultrafoco steel Cervelo is 1670g, so....

When I got a custom frame built about 7 years ago I wanted 853. The builder steered me away. He showed me some 853 tubesets that were absolute rubbish. Dents, bent tubes etc. These weren't minor issues either. One of the downtubes was curved at least 10mm out of line, maybe more. Just a cursory glance was enough to note how bad they were. Quality control was crap, maybe even non-existant. Another frame builder told me similar stories about piss-poor 853 quality.

I'll qualify this by saying this was a while back. I certainly hope Reynolds have improved since then.

Reynolds does not build frames and forks. Reynolds makes tubes that are sold to makers. Any dents, bent tubes, or alignment problems reflect the builder's skill level. Any frame builder who builds a cr@ppy frame, and then blames Reynolds should not be building bikes, period. If a builder tells you Reynolds provided him with defective tubes and he PROCEEDED to build a bike with them, he is obviously a liar, and he assumes that YOU are a fool.

You have been told right. It's ain't ate'fity'tree.:)

FYI-725 and 520 are cromoly tubesets. If it has a 3 in it, it's a manganese-molybdenum tubeset, 'ceptin 953 stainless. 531c is drawn thinner than standard 531 which is thinner than 531st, st for super tourist.

I don't mean to rain on your Nishiki parade, but I think he was talking about bare tubes, pre-brazed. I have been told by a not so unknown framebuilder of 753 tubes drawn off center. It could happen, to Reynolds or any tubing manufacturer. The builder is the last line of quality control.

There is something seriously wrong with your reading comprehension Alan.

Where did I say that the framemaker built a frame using obviously defective tubesets? These were tubesets that were faulty from the factory, not faulty frames.

I have to take your comments about people assuming I'm a fool to heart. Being a complete and total fool yourself you have a great deal of experience in this area and should not have any difficulty in recognising one.