[CR]Re:Ishiwata trivia

(Example: Production Builders:Frejus)

Date: Sat, 15 Oct 2005 10:48:27 -0700 (GMT-07:00)
From: <worthy2@earthlink.net>
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: [CR]Re:Ishiwata trivia


>
> What exactly is Magny Ishiwata? Manganese molybdenum
> alloy by a tube maker named Ishiwata?

Yes.
> If yes, then how does Ishiwata compare with Tange (a maker whose
> counter intuitive numbering system I am familiar with)
> as a Japanese tube maker? Better, same, or worse than
> Tange?

Ishiwata is well respected and comparable to Tange, Reynolds, Columbus, etc. They made a full range of tubing, from seamed, high-tensile gaspipe to seamless butted alloy Manganese or Cro-Mo:

http://www.equusbicycle.com/bike/ishiwata/ishiwata.htm

Their "Alpha" tubing was the lightest steel tubing available for bicycles. The Mangalloy sets were considered mid-level. The "022" set was quite popular and essentially identical to Columbus SL.

Yes and to that I would add (from memory, so watch out!) that I always heard it that Ishiwata was essentially a metallurgic copy of the 531 Reynolds formula (that is a Manganese-molybdenum-steel alloy) where Tange opted to copy the Columbus formula (Chromium-molybdenum-steel). But that's just a crude analogy, I reckon. I believe that Magny was their cheaper straight-guage Mang-moly tube, and might not have been seamless cold-drawn, but don't know for sure. it shows up on lower cost frames, compared to their venerable 022 tubeset, that was also very popular with USA builders, and their lighter gauge 019 and super-light 017 tubesets, I understand that they are no longer in business, too bad!. I can attest that my 3Rensho built with 019 Ishiwata rides like the best of them.(Again this info was from memory and hearsay, so take with salt.)
Alan Goldsworthy
SF, CA