flik9999

Hey so I found this 531 tourer set on ebay.

I emailed him and he said

"Frame is around 2.26 kg without the fork so i guess it would be around 3.5 kg apx
Thanks"

Does this weight sound right for a 531 touring frame or does this sound like its straight gauge 531 not butted?

Vintage townsend Reynolds 531 classic touring frame set 54cm | eBay

cb400bill

Thread moved form Appraisals to C&V.

T-Mar

I wouldn't sweat it. The difference between Reynolds 531 butted and plain gauge main tubes is going to be less than a pound. However, if you want to know for sure, contact the seller and ask for the required seat post size. Since Reynolds 531 butted used a single butted seat tube, it will be easy to tell from the measurements whether it's butted or plain gauge.

flik9999

He just told me its 25.4mm

Prowler 

FWIW: My winter project, 1974 Crescent Pepita, is, at least, 10 tubes 531, DB main tubes ( I cannot confirm the steerer tube is 531). As you know, "frame weight" is influenced by the frame size and by what else is still on the frame when weighed. My Crescent is a larger frame (so heavier) - ST=60cm c-c and TT=58cm c-c and when weighed had ONLY the 2 headset cups still in. Everything else had been removed. Frame = 2205 grams. BTW that's exact via a calibrated scale. I don't measure to the gram then say "around" and "I guess". Those do not seem like helpful terms here.

And I checked my ST. 28.8mm OD (with the paint) and 27.4 mm ID (measured with Starrett snap gauge, 3cm below the seat lug). However, due to some heat induced distortion during brazing (which Chaz has discussed before) the seat lug ID is 27.1mm at it's narrowest point so will only accept a 27mm post. I could ream it out but I'm not that fuzzy. A thinner post is SO MUCH lighter ya know.

Fer those who care - the 531 fork is 720 gr with the crown race still in place.

juvela

This size, if correct, would suggest ordinary hi-tensile tubing. Lugs and ends are too nice for this. Perhaps binder ears have been pinched down at some point by someone using a too small diameter saddle pillar.

You may wish to give some thought to the opened up axle slot on the right hand drop out. Cold setting a forged item like that could result in a crack. If you do purchase frame it would be best to have a framebuilder address the straightening. They could check frame alignment for you at the same time.

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rhm

Going by seat post size, 25.4 mm generally indicates plain gauge hi ten steel tubing, not 531. There are exceptions (1940's-50's Raleighs, including those made of 531, took 25.4 mm seat posts), but between the weight and the seat post size I'm inclined to think the frame in question is not531.

T-Mar

Agreed, most of the frame characteristics are too nice for a 25.4mm post but the cinch slot does not appear to be pinched noticeably in the photo. The size differential between even a plain gauge Reynolds seat tube and a 25.4mm post should be enough to pinch shut a standard width cinch slot. The inside of the tube appears to exhibit a lot of rust but even that should not make this extreme a difference. Maybe the seller misread or typo'd the post size. 26.4mm would be correct for a plain gauge Reynolds 531 seat tube.

USAZorro

It has thinned lugs, forged dropouts and dropout adjuster screw holes. Those are features one does not typically find on a hi-ten frame. If I were in the market, and was contemplating a bike for a project (to include repainting), the need to address the dropout wouldn't be a difference-maker. Yes, there's a risk that it isn't made of 531, but the price would tempt me to take that risk (if it were my size and I were in the UK).

Salamandrine 

It not unusual for a 531 DB touring frame to weigh about that much. Traditionaly they use a tubing set that is slightly heavier than racing tubesets. I'd expect a frame that size to be about 2.15kg. Another .11 kg isn't much of a stretch. Perhaps it's the brushed on (?) paint.

The 25.4 seatpost throws me though. Are you sure that's correct? Unless it it much older frame it doesn't make sense, especially in light of the nice forged dropouts etc.

Another thing: is that a crack on the right rear dropout? It looks like it from the photo.

Reynolds 

A 54cm 531 frame should be about 2.1kg IMO.

seypat

Interesting. I have a 72 Crescent Pepita 56cm. I weigh all of my frames/forks with the headset/BB on including the BB spindle. I weight them all at the local Post Office. My Crescent weighed 7.82 lbs with Campy NR headset and BB set. French threaded/size headset/BB. 27.0 seatpost size.

All of my rider frames are either 54-56cm with a TT around 56. All weighed the same way. The heaviest is a 72 Lejeune/seamed Sauvage tubing Stronglight headset/BB at 8lbs even. The lightest is an 84 Lotus Legend Compe Col. SL/Campy GS at 6.12Lbs. It could be 7.12, I can't remember. I have a 56 Tange 1 and Miyata TBS at 7.45 and 7.42lbs respectively. My 54ST/56TT Tange 2 weighs less (7.12lbs) than the 56 Tange 1 with the same range of components. The differences are not enough for me to really notice. I also have a 52cm Team Miyata TBS and 49/50cm Lotus Tange Magaloy 2001 that both weigh less than the bigger frames. There is a lot more to the final weight of the bike than the type of tubes used.

As for stiffness, the 52cm Team Miyata is the stiffest by far. Quite a bit stiffer than the 56cm Miyata made from the same tubing.

Bikerider007

This is true, size, tubing, lugs, etc.

I broke down my Tange 2001 double butted Shogun Touring recently and weighed. Only left drive bb cup in. 58 cm. Double eyelet drops, rack mounts at brake bridge, brazed cable guides on BB, chain hanger, single bottle mount, and solid countersunk post clamp. 5.6 lbs

Fork, double eyelet, stamped Tange 1B ( not sure what that is) 1.9lb. 7.5 lb F/F.

juvela

Puzzled by reference to "French threaded/size headset." Varberg did something a bit odd with the 318/319/320 models. They employed a BSC/ISO tubeset yet built with a metric ("French") shell. So the cycles have metric BB and BSC/ISO headsets.

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seypat

I just pulled the locknut off and checked. The headset is indeed 25.4 x 24. The BB is 25 x 1. The steerer tube has both a notch/groove and a flat side to accept either kind of washers. The notch/groove is actually a hole in the filed flat side. You have to cover all bases, I guess.

old's'cool

I have a 56cm Cilo touring frame that is supposedly 531DB, and weighs 2.1 kg. The fork is about 0.75kg.

juvela

Interesting to note dual keying. There were Brit frames of yesteryear which came with a flatted steerer. Their convention varied from those across the channel in that they placed it to the front. Then there were of course the gazillions of machines produced by Sir Wally & Co. which had no keying...

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