Why are their so few light gauge tubes offered even in the advanced materials?
#1
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Why are their so few light gauge tubes offered even in the advanced materials?
EDIT: I can't believe I spelled "there" as "their". Shame on me!
Here is what I don't understand. Take a look at post #2 in this BF thread:Reynolds 725 Tubing. Quality stuff?
Look at the chart of available Reynolds 725 tubes. Now 725 is essentially the same as the much-ballyhooed 753 of yesteryear, heat treated basic tubing that ends up with about a 1/3 increase in strength compared to the starting CrMo tubing it is made from. The difference is that 725 starts with 525 CrMo whereas 753 started with 531 MnMo tubing. But very much the same result.
Notice that the array of tubes that are offered are essentially the same as what has always been available in 525 and 531 tubes, i.e. no especially thin, light tubes. Where are the really thin tubes? The 0.8/0.5/0.8 tubes were always available in plain 531 (and Columbus as well) as the SL version, so that is no big weight improvement. Only one or two tubes out of a long list for each type is thinner than normal like 0.7/0.4/0.7.
Why go to the trouble of increasing the strength over CrMo if you aren't going to make lighter tubes out of the improved material? The two steel versions in the same tube specification will ride exactly the same, so what is the point of the higher strength steel. I am pretty sure if you had a similar chart for 831, you would see much the same thing. I know I have seen catalogs from tube suppliers that bear out that fact for 831.
My point is this. All the folks riding 831 and going on and on about how magical it is might be a victim of the emperor's new clothes syndrome. Unless they know for sure they are riding especially specified light gauge tubes, it is highly likely their bikes aren't any different than if they were made from 531C or 531SL tubes. Big whoop.
And even if the lighter tubes are used in a bike, why are so many more standard tubes offered than the lighter ones. If you don't need the extra strength, shouldn't you just use 525 for a standard tube and save the money?
Funny thing is, I would love to be wrong about this, but I can't figure out how that would be the case. Anyone?
Here is what I don't understand. Take a look at post #2 in this BF thread:Reynolds 725 Tubing. Quality stuff?
Look at the chart of available Reynolds 725 tubes. Now 725 is essentially the same as the much-ballyhooed 753 of yesteryear, heat treated basic tubing that ends up with about a 1/3 increase in strength compared to the starting CrMo tubing it is made from. The difference is that 725 starts with 525 CrMo whereas 753 started with 531 MnMo tubing. But very much the same result.
Notice that the array of tubes that are offered are essentially the same as what has always been available in 525 and 531 tubes, i.e. no especially thin, light tubes. Where are the really thin tubes? The 0.8/0.5/0.8 tubes were always available in plain 531 (and Columbus as well) as the SL version, so that is no big weight improvement. Only one or two tubes out of a long list for each type is thinner than normal like 0.7/0.4/0.7.
Why go to the trouble of increasing the strength over CrMo if you aren't going to make lighter tubes out of the improved material? The two steel versions in the same tube specification will ride exactly the same, so what is the point of the higher strength steel. I am pretty sure if you had a similar chart for 831, you would see much the same thing. I know I have seen catalogs from tube suppliers that bear out that fact for 831.
My point is this. All the folks riding 831 and going on and on about how magical it is might be a victim of the emperor's new clothes syndrome. Unless they know for sure they are riding especially specified light gauge tubes, it is highly likely their bikes aren't any different than if they were made from 531C or 531SL tubes. Big whoop.
And even if the lighter tubes are used in a bike, why are so many more standard tubes offered than the lighter ones. If you don't need the extra strength, shouldn't you just use 525 for a standard tube and save the money?
Funny thing is, I would love to be wrong about this, but I can't figure out how that would be the case. Anyone?
Last edited by rpenmanparker; 11-18-15 at 10:46 AM.
#2
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You still have to join them .. so the Butts cannot be too thin wall ..
oversize diameters increase the strength without boosting the Wall thickness ..
oversize diameters increase the strength without boosting the Wall thickness ..
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Wut? Are you saying that no bikes are made with thin-walled tubing? If that were true, there would be no point to even having specialty steels like 853. As it is, one has to wonder why the vast majority of the available tube configurations offered in such expensive and esoteric steels are the same ones that have been available forever in simple CrMo and MnMo. If you are going to have the thickness, you don't need the higher steel strength. If you are going to have the higher steel strength, you don't need the thickness. Why the insistence on doubling up? What is the point?
#4
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"Thin" has a number what do you have in mind? pretty "normal" Butt say 0.9 centers of 0.7?
in a 9/8"/28.6,, OD seat tube that thinner number on the top, leaves your 27.2 seat post fit.
26.8-(0.7x2)1.4=27.2..
if you want to be fussy Take it up with the Pro who will be building your frame Just for you alone .
and expect to pay them what they ask.
in a 9/8"/28.6,, OD seat tube that thinner number on the top, leaves your 27.2 seat post fit.
26.8-(0.7x2)1.4=27.2..
if you want to be fussy Take it up with the Pro who will be building your frame Just for you alone .
and expect to pay them what they ask.
Last edited by fietsbob; 11-18-15 at 01:25 PM.
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"Thin" has a number what do you have in mind? pretty "normal" Butt say 0.9 centers of 0.7?
in a 9/8"/28.6,, OD seat tube that thinner number on the top, leaves your 27.2 seat post fit.
26.8-(0.7x2)1.4=27.2..
if you want to be fussy Take it up with the Pro who will be building your frame Just for you alone .
and expect to pay them what they ask.
in a 9/8"/28.6,, OD seat tube that thinner number on the top, leaves your 27.2 seat post fit.
26.8-(0.7x2)1.4=27.2..
if you want to be fussy Take it up with the Pro who will be building your frame Just for you alone .
and expect to pay them what they ask.
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Ishiwata's "Alpha" tubing used 0.6/0.4mm walls, but that's about as thin as I've seen. Dents become a real concern with these extremely thin wall tubes. Alpha was thin enough that you could actually dent it with your hands with a strong squeeze.
#9
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What is 'advanced materials' to your mind ? Beryllium? carbon Hexcel L https://www.hexcel.com/
Magnesium is old hat by Now..
As JDT is pointing out there are Physical limits to wall thicknesses for practical Purposes
the Light Aluminum Trek Domane frames dent pretty easily Too.. I assume these are no different in that regard
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bi...nda-alr/c/B212
Magnesium is old hat by Now..
As JDT is pointing out there are Physical limits to wall thicknesses for practical Purposes
the Light Aluminum Trek Domane frames dent pretty easily Too.. I assume these are no different in that regard
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/bi...nda-alr/c/B212
Last edited by fietsbob; 11-18-15 at 03:59 PM.
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That is one of the questions, yes. 853's only contribution is the ability to thin out tubes made from it. Why would you spend more for a thick tube than you had to.
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What is 'advanced materials' to your mind ? Beryllium? carbon Hexcel L https://www.hexcel.com/
Magnesium is old hat by Now..
As JDT is pointing out there are Physical limits to wall thicknesses for practical Purposes
the Light Aluminum Trek Domane frames dent pretty easily Too.. I assume these are no different in that regard
Émonda ALR | Performance Race | Road | Bikes |
Magnesium is old hat by Now..
As JDT is pointing out there are Physical limits to wall thicknesses for practical Purposes
the Light Aluminum Trek Domane frames dent pretty easily Too.. I assume these are no different in that regard
Émonda ALR | Performance Race | Road | Bikes |
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Are you saying a tube of 853 would be the same weight and strength to an equal size tube of 520? Not sure what you are getting at.
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I'm sure that's right, but how then do you take advantage of the strength of 853 to lighten a steel bike?
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Of course that is what I am saying. And it would feel the same too. Not understanding that is what causes so many folks to throw money away on expensive tubing to no purpose.
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As many say, there is a point at which you have to put some amount of trust in a frame builder. I guess unless you show up at their factory with some digital calipers... this would be one of those times
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You are not understanding this conversation very well at all.
Last edited by rpenmanparker; 11-18-15 at 04:38 PM.
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So you're suggesting that frame builders would purposely choose a more expensive, but also heavier tubeset to build a frame from just to trick a buyer into thinking he got a thinner tubeset? Well... I suppose that is possible
As many say, there is a point at which you have to put some amount of trust in a frame builder. I guess unless you show up at their factory with some digital calipers... this would be one of those times
As many say, there is a point at which you have to put some amount of trust in a frame builder. I guess unless you show up at their factory with some digital calipers... this would be one of those times
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Did the OP somehow ask for free association and I missed it?
I suspect that even in the high strength steels, .4-ish is as thin as they feel comfortable drawing the tube. The heavier gauges are for when people want to build a stronger frame, for example a touring frame. Or for big people. For that matter, some of the CE testing requirements for frames are hard on a steel frame, so maybe that's the reason these higher strength tubes are available. Production bikes are often built heavier out of (possibly undue) caution, and it seems that there are 853 production bikes out there.
I suspect that even in the high strength steels, .4-ish is as thin as they feel comfortable drawing the tube. The heavier gauges are for when people want to build a stronger frame, for example a touring frame. Or for big people. For that matter, some of the CE testing requirements for frames are hard on a steel frame, so maybe that's the reason these higher strength tubes are available. Production bikes are often built heavier out of (possibly undue) caution, and it seems that there are 853 production bikes out there.
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Ultimately, a frame builder can do whatever they want. They can say its all Reynolds and use a mix match of any supplier. They can say all True Temper S3 and slip an OX Platinum chain stay in there. Who would know?
There are other tells that would likely stop this sort of issue. If two different builders are in the business of building OX Platinum frames and one builder's frame routinely comes in at 3.7 lbs and the other routinely comes in at 5.2 lbs because he's slipping in some straight up 4130 in there, which builder will get more business?
I like Rodriquez's stance on this:
Honest bicycle weights
It reminds me of this $6000 2016 carbon fiber bike I saw on the scale recently:
Last edited by Jarrett2; 11-18-15 at 04:59 PM.
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Did the OP somehow ask for free association and I missed it?
I suspect that even in the high strength steels, .4-ish is as thin as they feel comfortable drawing the tube. The heavier gauges are for when people want to build a stronger frame, for example a touring frame. Or for big people. For that matter, some of the CE testing requirements for frames are hard on a steel frame, so maybe that's the reason these higher strength tubes are available. Production bikes are often built heavier out of (possibly undue) caution, and it seems that there are 853 production bikes out there.
I suspect that even in the high strength steels, .4-ish is as thin as they feel comfortable drawing the tube. The heavier gauges are for when people want to build a stronger frame, for example a touring frame. Or for big people. For that matter, some of the CE testing requirements for frames are hard on a steel frame, so maybe that's the reason these higher strength tubes are available. Production bikes are often built heavier out of (possibly undue) caution, and it seems that there are 853 production bikes out there.
#24
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Don't just look at the tube thicknesses, but look at the butting profiles as well. You'll find that as you go higher up the scale, the gauge thins out, the butts get shorter, and the tapers longer, and/or the thinner gauge gets longer. Some tubes also have a double zone butt profile. I'm not going to do the calculus on this, but I'll say that you just might end up with a lighter tube overall.
631 tube @ 25.4mm x 600mm long has 0.8/.05/.08 wall thickness, and a butt profile of 100/50/300/50/100mm.
725 tube @ 25.4mm x 600mm long has 0.8/.05/.08 wall thickness, and a butt profile of 85/40/330/40/85mm.
853 tube @ 28.6mm x 600mm long has 0.7/.04/.07 wall thickness, and a butt profile of 40/50/350/50/110
Found at - https://www.torchandfile.com/assets/i...ist%202014.pdf
The higher up the scale, the more choice you have as well when it comes to diameter, wall thickness (looks like they are thinning them out more), and butting profiles. This should allow the frame builder to not only build a lighter frame, but a stronger one as well. It also gives them much more control in being able to fine tune the ride quality of the frame.
The other thing about wall thickness and oversize dimensions is suitability. Steel is strong, but it is also heavy. Oversizing is the best way to stiffen a frame tube, but with steel, you can only take this so far before you start to incur a weight penalty, along with walls that are too thin. Nobody wants a heavier bike with fragile tubes. In this respect, it is better to go with a different material if those are your goals. I can have a super stiff track bike built out of aluminum, one that will be much stiffer than a steel bike, and still have it be lighter. Because of Aluminum's density, the walls will still have sufficient thickness to not be too fragile. To try and offer tubes in steel that approach this compromised overlap would be futile, as no one would use them.
631 tube @ 25.4mm x 600mm long has 0.8/.05/.08 wall thickness, and a butt profile of 100/50/300/50/100mm.
725 tube @ 25.4mm x 600mm long has 0.8/.05/.08 wall thickness, and a butt profile of 85/40/330/40/85mm.
853 tube @ 28.6mm x 600mm long has 0.7/.04/.07 wall thickness, and a butt profile of 40/50/350/50/110
Found at - https://www.torchandfile.com/assets/i...ist%202014.pdf
The higher up the scale, the more choice you have as well when it comes to diameter, wall thickness (looks like they are thinning them out more), and butting profiles. This should allow the frame builder to not only build a lighter frame, but a stronger one as well. It also gives them much more control in being able to fine tune the ride quality of the frame.
The other thing about wall thickness and oversize dimensions is suitability. Steel is strong, but it is also heavy. Oversizing is the best way to stiffen a frame tube, but with steel, you can only take this so far before you start to incur a weight penalty, along with walls that are too thin. Nobody wants a heavier bike with fragile tubes. In this respect, it is better to go with a different material if those are your goals. I can have a super stiff track bike built out of aluminum, one that will be much stiffer than a steel bike, and still have it be lighter. Because of Aluminum's density, the walls will still have sufficient thickness to not be too fragile. To try and offer tubes in steel that approach this compromised overlap would be futile, as no one would use them.
Last edited by taras0000; 11-18-15 at 05:53 PM. Reason: added link
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I'm pretty sure I have seen stories of 853 breaking on loaded touring bikes, so maybe it's not a bad idea to go with heavier gauges.
eta: I hate short butts, I cannot lie
eta: I hate short butts, I cannot lie
Last edited by unterhausen; 11-18-15 at 06:06 PM.