Lenton58 

It seems that only when you start searching for exactly what you need in the way of decals in general, and Reynolds decals in particular, that you really become aware of just how many variations have appeared over the decades. Reynolds 531 has had a slew of them. Despite all my searching, I cannot come up with any exact history on the one you see below. This decal is what remains on my Simplon 4 Star road machine.

From the way I read things thus far, this degraded decal tells me —

(A) the stays and forks are most likely not 531, or the decal would say so. I think that the stays were a Simplon proprietorial tube, or one that was produced especially for them and marked by a decal ... "Simplon Spezial" The fork? I have no idea. (All dopouts are Campy)

(B) the 'TI' designation and gold area at the bottom suggests that that the decal is from 1977 or later. I can only date the frame in accordance with the decal.

All my searches have failed to find this exact decal. My best guess is that the decal and frame date from 1977 to 1981. The way I read it, complete frame sets of this period were designated with a diagonal "531" with 'REYNOLDS' printed through it — the English language version anyway. In 1977 the TI designation is added and the gold section at the bottom is apparent. In 1981, Reynold's starts producing decals that identify a range of tubing variants in the 531 alloy. Plus they have added the 'wing' and the "531" is horizontal. In 1985, the styling changes once again — one difference being that the wing is stubbier and now in two colors.

That's as far as I get.

SOME QUESTIONS — anyone?
Can anyone narrow down the date?
Can anyone add some more info
Can anyone suggest where I can find a replica decal? (No, Cylomondo does not list one)

tugrul

rhm

Similar, but the original has an R. And the colors seem pretty different.

Lenton58 

Thanks Tugral and rhm. I see what you mean about the "R". As for the color, I guess I could hope for a closer match. Maybe it is just the pic. Although they say 1970's, AFAIK the TI indicates that it cannot predate 1977.

dbakl

There were at least 2 versions of 531 decals with the gold bar underneath. One said Reynolds Tube, the later one TI. The ® may have been added later too. 77 or so seems about right. By 83-84 it had changed to an anniversary design.

That decal means the main tubes only were butted, everything else could have been straight Reynolds OR whatever else the builder chose to hit their price point.

As far as color: gold and black plus something that seemed to vary from a bright, rich green to something more bluish. Maybe they changed with age? Green is what I remember when new.

Here's a pic of the original 1938, and some of the later ones. I have info on 60s-70s ones here somewhere...

nlerner

Don Gillies has a nice catalog of Reynolds variations:

https://www.ece.ubc.ca/~gillies/reynolds/

It includes this one (which is pre TI!):



And then this one:



Neal

irwin7638

You might try HLLoyd cycles:https://www.hlloydcycles.com/

He has huge inventory of NOS decals all sorted and dated.

Marc

Lenton58 

dbaki
I had not considered the fact that perhaps the forks and stays were also Reynolds, but in straight gauge. It makes sense in one way. We weighed the frame complete with forks at my LBS — stripped bare except for the headset. The mechanic who is very much into vintage frames figured that it came in a tad heavier than expected. He suspected the forks might be where the weight is. The 'Simplon Spezial' decal on the chain stays may have been a model designation.

There is virtually no info about vintage Simplon to be had. The bike is a 4 star model. According to one source, fewer than fifty 5 Star bikes were ever built. One could conclude that those frames were 531 butted throughout.

Neal
Thanks for the citation. My trawl never got me to this page. (Gillies was a visiting Prof. at my alma mater in Vancouver) Excellent resource. The decal on the bronze frame seems to match mine.

Here is the frame as it was photographed in Hungry ... before I bought it over a year ago and had it flown over to the Land of of the Rising Mold.

Lenton58 

Thanks Marc; yet another source I'd not gotten to. I looked for Simplon decals there cuz if anone is going to have them .... Sadly no.

After I repaired the paint chips and scratches, and just before I clear coated the frame, I quickly washed the tubes with thinners on a tack rag. Dumb. The silver dyes on the vinyl Simplon stickers came off real quick. The larger DT sticker was no great loss. It was one massive piece of ugly vinyl that had gone rather milky in the clear area. And to be frank, I think the logo designer was having a bad week when he/she cooked this one up. With a hairdryer and a lot of effort, I pulled it, but not before trying to physically cut some of the milky expanse away from the frame. I failed. The head badge decal and the Simplon logo are still affixed — the latter on the rear of the seat tube. And the "S" for Simplon that (looking like an impacted colon) is pantographed into the chromed crown lug.