Thanks for this Norris.
I picked up an Ellis-Brigs in Speedstream yesterday (eBay #260071191850) The sseller thought the frame was made in 1976, but that seems too early.
I'm glad to hear that Speedstream is the most robust of the early aero tubings, as I'm no lightweight!
Best,
Wyndham.
Wyndham Pulman-Jones Girton, Cambs., UK.
On 7/1/07 14:37, "Norris Lockley" <norris.lockley@talktalk.net> wrote:
> I think that this tube set was introduced by Reynolds in the early 80s, aro
> und 81/82 as that company's attempt to counter the Columbus "AIR" tubeset,,
> Ishiwata's Aero19, Atelier de la Rive's Super Vitus "Arcor" tubes and the
> AMR "Camus Aero 7". Perhaps Tange and Excell also had aero profiled tubes b
> ut I dont remember using them.
>
>
>
>> From recollection the Speedsteam set adopted a fairly robust design a
> nd section, more on the lines of the Ishiwata Aero19 tubes, rather the much
> slimmer..and it has to be stated, much more flexible Vitus and Columbus. T
> he tubes were elaborated from 531 stock and, as has been stated, the seat t
> ube was left with a standard round opening to accept a 27,2mm pillar, where
> as the French an Italian tubes needed dedicated ovalised ones.
>
>
>
> I used only a handful of sets of Speedstream largely because customers pref
> erred the lighter and more profiled..hence more aerodynamic presumably..con
> tinental tubes.. However I recall that at one stage Columbus resorted to pu
> shing a length of gash mild steel round tube down the inside of the Air dow
> n-tubes in an attempt to stiffen that tube and prevent it from flexing. Thr
> Speedsteam D/T never sufferd from this problem and was in fact sufficientl
> y robust for me to use it in frames of the MKM Ultimate design, in which th
> e seat tube is joined to the down tube about 7" up from the bracket, in ord
> er to facilitate a much shorter wheelbase. I never had any breakages, but I
> wouldn't have trusted the Columbus and Vitus tubes with that same type of
> structure.
>
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>
> Norris Lockley, Settle UK
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> Norris Lockley
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> lk.net/