Who Still Makes Lugged Steel Frames & Forks?
 

Title says it all but maybe I should add, that are top quality and don't cost a kidney.

What is the tubing set to buy; is it still 531 or has it morphed to 753 or...?

Is it more just practical to buy C&V frames? Practical - cost is low and and benefit is high.

This is just my idle curiosity but if you have links to web pages, those would be appreciated.

There's a lot to unpack here.

Top quality in anything usually costs a kidney. Nobody is making production lugged steel frames that I'm aware of that would keep costs down, so each lugged steel frame is essentially made to order.

If you take out the lugged part though, there are a lot more options for tig welded steel frames.

531 and 753 aren't really available anymore, unless you happen to work for Raleigh. There are still plenty of Reynolds tube sets available: https://www.reynoldstechnology.biz/m...l/s-953-steel/

Columbus tubing is still available and Tange gets a fair bit of use, too.

Probably. Depends what your desired outcome is. If you want a lugged steel frame with a modern groupset, a vintage frame may not be compatible.

A lot of the high end Italian framebuilders still offer lugged still frames, but cheap they aren't.

I don’t think you’re going to find a new production lugged frame especially with name brand tubing for under a grand. However the only frame I’ve personally checked on recently is the Soma Buena Vista and it’s $900 for lugless Prestige but a crowned fork.


https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fe42f9883.jpeg

Yeah but it has a funny shape!

https://www.merlincycles.com/merlin-...me-266810.html

something like this maybe?

Marinoni

Rivendell bikes and the Crust Romanceür come to mind.

Back up and consider must haves besides basic geometry. If you need an especially short top tube, modern custom.

otherwise-
planned tire size.
brake attachment and reach.
Rear spacing.

there are other factors of course, but any of the above could be a fork in the road.

Waterford's Rando 22-Series frames appear to be lugged. But prepare to bring money.

Mercian: https://www.merciancycles.co.uk/prod...tegory/frames/

C&V lugged steel frames come from an era when technology was expensive and labor was cheap. Times have changed.

If there's one available in your area, you could take a framebuilding class and build your own.

Pashley Countryman and Country Clubman: Production lugged 531

https://www.britishbicycle.com/pashley-cycles/

In a more traditional vein, there's the Hero City Prince.

https://www.herocycles.com/product/prince-jr

AliExpress has lugged steel of your choice. No kidney is required unless you choose Renoylds 853.

I am not a C&V guy but look at the fancy lug work on this one, exactly what they always talk about. Fancy Bike

Sometimes a current manufacturer decides to release an old-timey build. See my Lincolnshire Poacher from 10 or so years ago as an example.

Guess it depends on the gong price for kidneys. Tommasini and Battaglin are still doing lugged. In the Columbus steel, Spirit seems to be the latest and greatest but I seem to remember Battaglin was using SL recently.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ca4a5b7f88.jpg
Colnago still makes them. That being said, anything from the 1990's with vertical rear dropouts (so you can use modern lightweight wheels) is a great choice.

Why vertical? Classic steel lugged bikes had horizontal dropouts, and the hubs of yesteryear typically had serrated steel contact surfaces because you needed it so that the wheel wouldn't "slip" forward. The system needed to be tight, so everything was beefy. Put some modern wheels in a classic horizontal dropout, and see just how quickly you can pull the wheel forward when you give it the gas.

Once bikes started getting vertical dropouts, the hubs could also change, and no longer required the brute force to stay in place. The hubs then started using lightweight components/designs. The vertical dropout is where I draw the line between classic and modern when it comes to lugged steel bikes. Not much else has changed.

What does a kidney cost? Well, I believe that the going rate from a living donor in some parts of the world is around $2500 - $3000 for a kidney, so there is your yardstick. In these days of $10,000+ carbon fiber bikes getting a bike for the cost of a kidney is a deal!

I have seen similar frames from AliExpress, and those are not actually lugs. Look closely at the junction of the headtube and the downtube. The ones that I saw were welded with super thick "lugs" (sectioned and blended) brazed on as a decoration.

ETA- I hope that they are also using counterfeit tubesets, because if not, what a waste.

Ah, a C&V throwback to Claud Butler's bi-laminate lugs!

Yes. Except that the CB ones were more than just eyewash.

The Bianchi L'Eroica and the Cinelli Supercorsa. Both a bit pricy, however. But both are stunning.

Unless one really wants a "custom" frame, In my estimation, given the cost of the above, I would prefer to buy a complete and high end bicycle......
A complete Colnago (name your poison/preference), would get you in at or under the price of a new frame and its components AND would be a classic to boot!
Best, Ben

There's plenty! While there are many small time shops that will build you custom sized frames, some manufactures still make production, stock sized ones. Besides those already mentioned, I bought a De Rosa Nuovo Classico ten or so years ago, and they still make that bike but change the available colors every year. I bought a frame that was a year or two old at the time, so it cost significantly less. Cinelli also has one that comes in some cool colors, too.
With the help of a Japanese salesman at work, I ordered a completed lugged frame bike directly from Panasonic. They keep their line open, and it's all made to order in set sizes. I think it came out to 2500 or 3000 bucks, ready to build.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...4274563762.jpg
Marinoni SL image from www.marinoni.qc


The frame is listed at $1400 CDN for stock sizing.