We all know 531 is steel, not Al.
Really don't think a well-seamed rolled tube will behave any differently from a seamless tube of the same geometry and materials.
Ken Freeman Ann Arbor, MI USA
On Monday, May 25, 2009, Brad Luecke <brluecke@gmail.com> wrote:
> As I recall, the Tange tubing was seamed and the Reynolds is not.
>
> The manufacturing process for cold drawn seamless tubing is pretty amazing.
> Starts out as a solid piece of steel, which is pierced and drawn into a tube.
> The Tange tubing started as a flat piece of sheet steel, was rolled into
> a tube and the seam was welded.
>
> If I recall correctly, the Tange people said because of all the cold working
> done to the Tange tubes in the butting process, etc., the seam basically
> disappeared and their tubes performed as well as 531.
>
> I always wanted to take the stickers off of a couple of Treks, one 531
> and one Tange bike and do a blind performance and feel test.
> Never got around to it, but my bet was it would be hard to tell them apart.
>
> I think the Trek people used the Tange tubes to squeeze Reynolds on the costs
> or even eliminate 531 bikes. That never happened in part because they
> could not convince the buying public the Tange tubing was just as good.
> Buyers still wanted the Reynolds 531 Aluminum (sic) bikes.
>
> Later Reynolds introduced the 501 tube set, which I think was seamed tubing.
>
> Brad Luecke
> Columbia Missouri USA