robbied196

Any Tips?

shorthanded

you can tell something about the alloy steel is comprised of by the sparks it throws when you cut it... you can try that.. but it makes resale a little difficult.

robbied196

lol I'm a bit worried about damaging the paint!

rhm

Pull the fork and examine the steerer tube for any markings there. My Trek 720 has the words REYNOLDS 531 stamped there, as well as the number 720 cut in with a Dremel. On the other hand, my Fothergill --which apparently came with a 531 decal-- has an Accles & Pollock stamp on the steerer.

Other than that... well, what's the seat post size? Reynolds butted tubing typically has a 27.2 post, though there are exceptions.

John E

The relationship between seat post size and seat tube OD will distinguish butted from straight-gauge. As rhm noted, 27.2/28.6 (26.4/28.0 for French bikes) indicates butted. Straight-gauge 531 bikes are usually more like 26.4/28.6.

A given frame builder may leave additional hints. All Capo frames exported to the U.S. ca. 1960 were full Reynolds 531, but the ones w/ butted tubing had additional brazed-on ornamentation at the tops of the seat stays, on the rear dropouts, and on the fork crown, which their straight-gauge cousins lacked. (Note diagonal 531 decal on first specimen and cursed bike license sticker on second one -- why did people so frequently do this?)

Ex Pres 

Strip the paint, then you can see a faint "Reynolds 531 butted tubing" etched onto the tubes. It seems to be easier to find on the seat and down tubes than the top tube

I found out one of my Columbus SL decaled frames was Reynolds 531 that way

Edit: rhm commented below that he did not see any markings on his. I will tell you that the lettering is not just faint, it's extremely faint, particularly after any mechanical means of cleaning (blast, sandpaper, etc) the final remnants of paint from the tubes. And it's closer to the ends than the middle of the tubes. Even after finding them, it wasn't easy to "re-find".

rhm

When I had all the paint off my Fothergill frame, I found no stampings on the tubes beyond the Accles & Pollock stamp on the steerer tube. The ghostly shadow of a 531 decal was evident, though.

RobE30

On my Free Spirit, Reynolds 531 is stamped into the upper inner side of the fork blade. Also, on my Astra (French 26.4 seat post) there is the faint remnants of a French 531 decal at the top of the seat tube

cudak888 

See if you can find out what model your frame is from matching it to others and manufacturer catalogs. Best method I've found; provided catalogs are available.

-Kurt

Uptown

Flick-tap at the center of your main tubes with your index fingernail. Is the sound produced a bright, clear ring? ...or is it more of a dull thwak? I find that my butted 531 bikes make a ringing sound (almost like crystal), while my Raleigh Grand Prix and junkyard Peugeot mixte make a noticeably duller sound.

old's'cool

Unfortunately, most non-destructive methods of material identification rely on non-deterministic discrimination. And the deterministic methods tend to be not only destructive (at least partially), but also expensive.

conspiratemus1

This has always confused me. The top end of a seat tube (where the seat post enters) is not butted, at least when you consult those charts that describe the gauge of the various frame tubes. So all else being equal (and it never is, that's why it's confusing) butted and non-butted tubes should take the same seatpost. Yet they don't. This implies that cheaper non-butted tubing is thicker throughout, which makes sense when you think about it.

sailorbenjamin

look inside the tubes with a flashlight. If there's a seam, it's not 531

Ex Pres 

On a seat tube, the thicker butted section is only at the bottom, so the post is inserted into the "thin" cross section of the tube.

JohnDThompson 

The ends of most Reynolds tubes were stamped:



This is usually most evident on the steer tube, but it sometimes can be discerned on other tubes as well. N.B. on smaller frames in particular, the stamped areas of the tubes may have been lost when the tubes were trimmed.

seypat

Speaking of stamping, was it common for older frames to have the angle degree of the various tube joints stamped into them? My Lejeune(not 531) has a 72 and 61 stamped on the top and down tube lugs respectively. It also has an angle # stamped on the seat tube lug as well.

cudak888 

Very common - lugs continue to be stamped or casted with these markings today, though most builders fill or file them off.

-Kurt

CV-6 

BE aware that even if the sticker says all 531, it may not be. Two of my "all 531" Lejeunes have Nervor steerers.

JohnDThompson 

Would you feel bad if you found one of these in your "all 531" frame?

CV-6 

I don't feel bad. It is just a statement of fact.

cudak888 

Were those Campagnolo steerers stamped as shown in the catalog, or are they yet another unmarked Campagnolo part?

-Kurt

JohnDThompson 

They were stamped as shown.

ViaBike

Still debating if a 1970's Velosolex St. Tropez (< 25 lbs) that shows no seams (per salorbenjamin) and passes Uptown's ring test above has some 531 tubing.

non-fixie 

Pictures for reference. A fork I found with an early seventies Mercier frame.