Andrew R Stewart 

Started this frame about two months ago. I can get pretty single minded sometimes... Now I need to break for the holidays. It's almost done. Here's a shot of positioning the head badge prior to brazing and of the soon to be replaced bike's same area.

The bike will be what I call my station wagon. Suitable for commuting to slow but not loaded touring. I'll return to this thread in a while when there's color to show (at this point the same marine blue metallic the old bike has). Andy

guy153

Looks really nice! What are those rings of brazing material around the top and bottom of the HT?

Andrew R Stewart 

Head tube reinforcing rings have had fillets at their edges so there is no "shore line". Andy

guy153

I'd never heard of head-tube reinforcing rings before, but just googled them. They seem like a good idea on larger diameter HTs, like the Columbus braze-on cups. Do you braze them on before attaching the DT and TT? That might help to keep the HT round.

Andrew R Stewart 

The rings are more to prevent the HT ends from expanding when a headset is pressed in. On a lugged frame it's the lug that provides that extra strength. On a luggless frame something else (the reinforcing band or a machined butt) do the job. On filleted frames I like to avoid having sharp edges, corners, shorelines for aesthetic reasons. This frame violates this goal in a few areas but otherwise follows that theme. More photos after completion. Andy

guy153

Interesting. Apart from the MTB frame where I brazed on the cups I have just used one of the thicker walled HTs from Columbus or Reynolds. They aren't butted just about 1.3mm thick. The thinner ones they make I think are intended for lugs but I guess you could use those reinforcement rings for lugless.

bikingman

I see both lugs and reinforcement rings... Just wondering about the choice to use both in this case when it seems the lugs would have been plenty strength against headset pressins. Is this to reinforce the headtube from ride shock load (hitting potholes)?

Andrew R Stewart 

The choice, for or against, to do a fillet frame has nothing to do with strength. That either style of joining has added strength about the HT ends is the issue.

But bikingman isn't correct in his seeing both lugs and rings on the same frame (or in the same photo). The un finished frame has fillet joints and reinforcing rings. The blue frame is lugged. Am I not writing well enough to describe what the photos show? Andy

unterhausen

there have been lugs made with reinforcing rings, notably Nervex Pro.

Andrew R Stewart 

I took guy153's comment to say that thin rings are made for adding to lugs. Maybe, but not any I've seen. Andy

guy153

I meant you could maybe use those rings if you were making a lugless frame but with a thinner walled HT such as is usually used when you have lugs. If you use the thicker 1.3mm HTs for a lugless frame then I don't think you need those rings.

unterhausen

you probably don't need them. Can't hurt.

duanedr 

With my bikes (steel, non-TIG welded), I require a flourish on the HT ends (and ST end). It makes the frame look finished. When the tube just ends, it looks like the frame was made to hit a price point rather than instill pride of ownership (or craftsmanship).