wunderkind

Dunno anything about steel frames. Especially old ones. I know Reynolds seem to be quite well received. Anyways, how about Tange CrMo? Are they mid-range? Bottom of the barrel stuff?

LesterOfPuppets

They have made the full range of quality. El-Cheepo to Primo.

Tange Super-Lite was used in my favorite MTB frame of all time.
Tange Champion (forget if it was 1 or 2) was used in the second favorite road frame I've owned.

Dr. Banzai

Of more concern is not the quality, but how you pronounce it.

Some say tanj
Some say tahn-gay

Ex Pres 

(for Road frames) Tange Prestige is their lightest and top line.
The Champion line, or more simply just Tange, starts at #1 and goes down the pecking order to #5.
Tange #1 is double-butted, and has similar weight and post-brazing characteristics of regular butted Reynolds 531 (aka 531c).
They have a seamed tubing you'll see quite a bit: "Infinity".
You'll also see "Mangalloy". Trek used this on my '83 model 600 for the fork and stays, paired with a 531c triangle

Sixty Fiver

Tange tubing is very good within it's respective ranges and the level is indicated by both grading numbers (1-5) and more descriptive titles like Prestige which indicates that a top quality tube set was used.

Tange Champion tubes came in straight gauge and butted versions IIRC... the frame sticker will indicate this.

Had a Sekine roll into the shop the other day and it was built on Champion butted tubes... was quite surprised by how light this rather over sized frame was when I picked it up.

JohnDThompson 

Tange tubing was very nice. "Champion" tubes were double-butted chrome-moly, in various gauges.

bobbycorno

Nobody's really come out and said it, but Tange's high-end tubing (Champion and Prestige) is as good as anything out there. In fact, the quality and consistency are probably better than "Brand C" or "Brand R", if only because Tange's machinery is newer.

SP
Bend, OR

Sixty Fiver

Once upon a long time ago many of the best bicycles were built with Reynolds or Columbus tubesets and then the Japanese came along and started doing everything better... and this applied to tube making.

Ishiwata and Tange make tubing that is every bit as good and some of the nicest riding bicycles I have ever ridden were built on these tube sets.

But we should keep this hush hush as most people will see a Champion db sticker on a bike and not even give it a second thought thinking that it is an inferior frame to a Reynold's or Columbus based model.

LesterOfPuppets

Mums the word. We must keep the masses salivating for 3 digit numbers and white birds only.

wunderkind

Well this pretty much apply to products that Japan makes. Look at Toyota and Honda. they trump our once beloved Dodge and Chevys. The Mazda Miata enable open top fun driving does not equate to miserable unreliable British (triumph) nor quirky Italian (Alfa) equivalents.

Anyhoo the Tange model that's in question is Infinity. Heard of that?

Sixty Fiver

Infinity is a double butted tube set that is formed and welded (seamed) rather than drawn (seamless)... this should not cause you any worries as it is of excellent quality and was used on many high end bicycles.

roccobike

Tange 900 is another less expensive, double butted chromoly steel, seamed, that was/is found on lower end frames, but is good quality. Tange made a wide range of steel tubing, but they didn't make any crap. Or at least they didn't put the Tange decal/name on any crap tubing.

thirdgenbird

i have a tange 1000 frame that is a little heavy but otherwise a nice frame for the money

auchencrow

I've owned bikes in Tange 5 through Tange Champion, and can attest that they are equivalent to, not better than, the same grades of tubing from the other manufacturers.
-Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluding themselves into thinking everything that is Japanese is necessarily better: Regarding Honda and Toyota, my sister had two of them until recently and her experience explains why she is back to happily driving a Dodge.

Sixty Fiver

My last Nissan Sentra had the odometer roll over to 000,000 and it was only because I found a virtually new engine that I swapped out the old one as it was still running very well.

Sold it when the odometer had worked it's way back up to 200,000 km.. it is still ticking along just fine.

Am hoping my new Sentra is as good as the old one.

LesterOfPuppets

I had a bunch of 80s and early 90s Corollas (a Nova and Prizm here and there, also) and those were some of my favorite cars. I'd buy one with about 100k miles on and run it 'til major engine work was needed (250-350k, usually).

Then I got all fancy and got a 1996 Camry. Full of gremlins.

If I were to buy American (even though some of my Corolla/Nova/Prism run was assembled in America), I'd probably go for one of those gigantic 1991-96 Buick Roadmasters. Straight pimpin!

Rip Van Winkle

Ahem...getting back to bicycles....

I have at least three bikes with Tange Champion Tubes...30 years later they still ride great....light, springy, responsive.

I also had an MG Midget...sucked big time! :-) Broke down every two weeks like clockwork.

paulmac

I have a Tange 2 frame that was branded Repco in Australia, purchased from the president of a cycle racing club which I gradually built up to Dura Ace with Mavic CXP33 wheels. I loved that bike but bent it when I drive under a carpark with it on the roof. My wife purchased a Bianchi Boron Steel Pinella with her insurance payout and I purchased a replacement down tube identical to the Tange 2 DB spec and had it welded into the frame and then repainted Bianchi colours. I prefer the Tange frame to the Bianchi.

bikemig 

My Specialized Team Stumpjumper is Tange prestige; nice stuff, the bike rides great.

thirdgenbird

Timely. My tange frame from above is good enough that I decided its going back together.

r0ckh0und 

Where does Tange Champion (without any # designation) fit into the scheme of things?

On Sekai brand bicycles in particular, on the 2500 and 2700 models I have seen frames marked Tange Double Butted Hi-Ten, Tange Champion #2 and Tange Champion

brian3069

The Tange Champion decals without a number are usually red or green. My understanding is that the red decals are Tange # 1 and the green are #2 .

crank_addict

Can someone direct me to a Tange tubing i.d. chart circa 1980's? Lots of confusion and speculation threads.

kehomer

Let me take a wild guess. You live in Detroit, Mich, right? By the way, what's a Dodge? Oh yea, a discontinued Chrysler (now owned 100% by Fiat).

3alarmer 

...I don't know why exactly, but a couple of my top favorites are constructed of Ishiwata 022 tubing.
I think someone still makes the stuff, but under a different name ? Anyway, I guess it got used in some good designs.



Ishiwata Tubing Catalog circa early 1980's






Tange Catalog from 1997