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How does Columbus Aelle compare to Reynolds 501?

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How does Columbus Aelle compare to Reynolds 501?

Old 09-17-20, 08:32 AM
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otherself
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How does Columbus Aelle compare to Reynolds 501?

Both were entry level tubesets aimed at amateur club riders and recreational enthusiasts. Having said that I have seen high end time trial frames from the mid-late 80s and early 90's made from aelle. My 1988 Faggin 'funny bike' with 700c rear 650c wheel front was made from aelle.

From what I know aelle was seemed straight guage with 0.8 wall thickness throughout. 501 was seemed butted 0.9mm ends and 0.6mm mid tube. Both weighed 2.3kg for a 56cm.

There was 501 variants like 501 ATB with I believe 1.0mm tube thickness, but I'm mostly interested in road tubesets. If 501 was butted, then wouldn't it be superior to aelle?
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Old 09-17-20, 11:30 AM
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I don't know where you are getting your data but my charts show Reynolds 501 to be 320g lighter than Aelle for an uncut tubeset, which is significant. Reynolds 501 was also manufactured from a stronger CrMo alloy, while Aelle was CMn. I've always considered Columbus Matrix/Cromor to be the direct competition for Reynolds 501, as it was also seamed, butted CrMo and aimed at mid-range price levels. Aelle was already five years old by the time that Reynolds 501 had it's debut. It was closer to Reynolds 531 Plain gauge. There was butted version of Aelle, called Aelle R.

Butting may or may not be superior, depending on the relative gauges and what the designer is trying to achieve. Typically, it will be lighter and more compliant but it typically won't be a stiff. I could see some builders favouring Aelle on TT bicycles, especially if they are employing bent or aero profiled main tubes. An aero tube will not be as laterally stiff as an equivalent gauge round tube, so using a plain gauge tube with an aero profile was a method to maintain acceptable lateral stiffness.
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Old 09-17-20, 11:36 AM
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IIRC there were different levels of Aelle...... what I do know for sure my torpado super strada with DB aelle rode great. and again IIRC there was a classic test done back in the day by a bike magazine, where a builder made identical bikes out of different tubesets, including aelle and most could not tell the difference (heresy I know)
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Old 09-17-20, 12:22 PM
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A lot gets thrown around about quality and hierarchy of tubing, but TMar makes a good point about builder's choice/purpose. Wouldn't it also depend upon the rider and his or her strengths, weight, riding style, etc.? I'd bet both tube sets could make either a fantastic frame, or a crummy one. Depends on design.
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Old 09-17-20, 01:39 PM
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Originally Posted by squirtdad
IIRC there were different levels of Aelle...... what I do know for sure my torpado super strada with DB aelle rode great. and again IIRC there was a classic test done back in the day by a bike magazine, where a builder made identical bikes out of different tubesets, including aelle and most could not tell the difference (heresy I know)
If I recall rightly, Bicycle Guide magazine, early '80s, frames built by Mondonico, each with one of the then-available Columbus tubesets. Someone here provided PDF images of the article a few years ago.

Surprise conclusion from the reviewers who rode the various frames, which were identified only by code: most of them top-rated the ride of the Aelle frame.

Additional dovetailing anecdote: I once owned both a Bianchi Specialissima SL/SP Super Record-equipped road bike and an Aelle Bianchi Eco Pista. The road bike was great, of course, but that Eco Pista was probably my favorite steel bike among all I've ever owned.

In other C&V Bizarro World news, a recent poster in the Road Bikes section of Bike Forums reported extreme hand discomfort from vibration transmitted by his bike's steel handlebar and bullmoose stem that was cured by installing an aluminum bar and stem.

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Old 09-17-20, 04:26 PM
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Reynolds 501 vs. Columbus Aelle

I've owned bikes with both (sort of). A 1987 or 1988 Falcon Europa (Reynolds 501) and a similar vintage Concorde Colombo with Aelle R (the butted version of Aelle). 501 tubing was chromoly while the Aelle R was a carbon-manganese blend. I have no idea as to the exact weight of each frameset, but the Concorde was a far superior ride and the quality of the frame was miles better.

Overall, I hold the impression that Columbus tubing is just better quality than Reynolds (not a knock against Reynolds - just a subjective opinion).

It looks like an uncut Aelle tubeset came in at 2.345kg while Aelle R weighed 2.257kg. https://www.equusbicycle.com/bike/col...cat/index.html

And a 501 tubeset weighed in at 2.300kg.


TI Reynolds Tubes Tubing Chart Weights 501 531 753 453


Columbus Tube Tubing Chart Specifications Aelle SL SLX SP OR Record

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Old 09-17-20, 05:04 PM
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Originally Posted by T-Mar
I don't know where you are getting your data but my charts show Reynolds 501 to be 320g lighter than Aelle for an uncut tubeset, which is significant. Reynolds 501 was also manufactured from a stronger CrMo alloy, while Aelle was CMn. I've always considered Columbus Matrix/Cromor to be the direct competition for Reynolds 501, as it was also seamed, butted CrMo and aimed at mid-range price levels. Aelle was already five years old by the time that Reynolds 501 had it's debut. It was closer to Reynolds 531 Plain gauge. There was butted version of Aelle, called Aelle R.

Butting may or may not be superior, depending on the relative gauges and what the designer is trying to achieve. Typically, it will be lighter and more compliant but it typically won't be a stiff. I could see some builders favouring Aelle on TT bicycles, especially if they are employing bent or aero profiled main tubes. An aero tube will not be as laterally stiff as an equivalent gauge round tube, so using a plain gauge tube with an aero profile was a method to maintain acceptable lateral stiffness.
I see. Some sources say 501 was similar weight to aelle, but It looks not to be the case from your p.o.v.

I guess for TT frames the extra frame weight isn't an issue as maximum stiffness and aerodynamics from body tuck are more important than total bike weight.
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Old 09-17-20, 08:44 PM
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My first good road bike was a 1987 Peugeot Ventoux, internally-lugged 501. Very fuzzy memory says that that bike rode better than an Allele-framed bike I was also considering... might have been a Schwinn? To this day, that was one of the bikes I liked the best. (At least after I got rid of the crap rear derailleur and put sew-ups on it.)

After I crashed it, I bought a Giant Cadex 980C, which was lighter, shifted better, felt faster... and which I never liked as much as I did that Peugeot.

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