Emanuel, The old style Reynolds blades were called Imperial Oval. Reynolds offered them im many raked patterns and they were also available straight. You could order them domed at the end, domed and slotted or plain cut .
I think the change to the "bananna", or "dog leg" style bend was more style, or "change is good sort of thing".. Seeing a crit bike or a tt machine with the long, low, and generous bend just wouldn't donow would it?
The Imperial Reynolds blades were pretty heavy walled down at the bottom and required quite a bit of "pull" to rake them tight, but they didn't kink or crease, so I would say it was easy to get that nice, tight, low bend.
We used hundereds of sets of Imperial blades at Witcomb USA in the early 70's. I raked and matched up many of the pairs that we used to build those bikes.
peter weigle
Lyme Ct.
>
> Date: Wed, 22 Oct 2008 21:27:10 -0700 (PDT)
> From: EPL <lowiemanuel@yahoo.ca>
> To: "classicrendezvous@bikelist.org" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Subject: [CR]Raking "old" Continental Oval
> Message-ID: <445953.1176.qm@web50502.mail.re2.yahoo.com>
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> Message: 17
>
> Question mostly for frame builders or owners of old British frames.
>
> In looking at 531 frames with "old" Continental Oval fork
> blades (i.e. before Reynolds offered blades profiled more like Columbis
> blades), I note that the rake bend is mostly low on the blade, with much
> of the upper blade straight.
>
> With the later New Continental profile (like Columbus), rake bends may
> start much higher, even more than halfway up. Best proponent of this
> gentle gradual bend is Ron Cooper, IMHO.
>
> Is this change in style a simple function of taste, or was the old oval
> blade profile hard to bend higher up vs. the more slender Columbus-type
> oval profile?
>
> Some numbers:
>
> "old" Continental blades = 28.5 x 16.5 or 29 x 16 oval
> New Continental blades = 27.5 x 20 oval
>
> Why care? Because both fork blade profiles are still offered by Reynolds,
> so KOF details...
>
> Emanuel Lowi (who thinks fork blade raking is way kewl)
> Montreal, Quebec