Paul Williams, PhD wrote:
> All this discussion of Reynolds tubing led me to think about how many
> 531SL framesets there might be out there in the collections of CR
> members. I get the impression that it was not an overly popular tubeset
> or am I wrong in thinking this? What made people choose the SL over 753
> or regular 531 DB tubesets? Was it more suited to certain races? I don't
> know ...
531SL was not a tube set that lent itself well to mass production; the
thin walls made it much more trouble-prone in that environment. The main
advantage I see over 753 is that it was more readily available. For 753,
Reynolds required builders to buy a test kit (a tube and a couple lugs),
braze it up and return it to Reynolds (on your dime) for destructive
testing before they'd even sell you 753 tubing.
> Personally, I was given a choice when I ordered my Ilkeston frame and
> decided that the 753 would be too stiff for me and I sort of liked the
> cache of going with something a bit more unusual (and a little lighter)
> than the standard 531 of my friends' bikes. I also liked the pretty SL
> transfer!
531SL and 753 are essentially the same thing, except that 753 is heat treated and thus requires some special handling during construction. The ride characteristics are pretty much the same, but the 753 frame is purportedly a little stronger.
I still have a 753 tube set I should build up some time...
--
John (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA