Best steel road bike tubing?

[Bonefish Blues]

4130 is indeed a cromo. It's have very similar mechanical properties to 531, so is cable of making frames comparable to 531 in weight, design, and therefore feel. It has the advantage of being more amenable to welding than 531, so tends to be the choice for many mass produced bikes vpbecuase it's cheaper to stick together. I like it. 531 is no better, but the brazing is a little more labour intensive to tended to end up on more expensive hi,as, sump,y because it cost more to assemble.

Because sexier badge, because more expensive, so psychologically 'better'!

 

[mikeymustard]

4130 is indeed a cromo. It's have very similar mechanical properties to 531, so is cable of making frames comparable to 531 in weight, design, and therefore feel. It has the advantage of being more amenable to welding than 531, so tends to be the choice for many mass produced bikes vpbecuase it's cheaper to stick together. I like it. 531 is no better, but the brazing is a little more labour intensive to tended to end up on more expensive hi,as, sump,y because it cost more to assemble.

which is why 531 has been almost exclusively passed over for 525/520, and similarly 753 (which was always finicky and expensive to work) superceded by 725. Ultimately they're all cro mo but Reynolds - probably for a USP - chose to big up the manganese part of 531

 

[Ian H]

Apart from aluminium, and two Ti frames, which replaced a 653 and a 531, I have a 531 tandem and a 531c Gazelle AB of a certain vintage – a show special with added chrome and stuff.
I'm in the process of ordering a new frame. Man's coming to measure me next month. Tubing is to be decided, though I fancy stainless.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I like 531 , but probably only because the frames I have are butted. I think more care was taken with 531 frames due to the cool factor, and better frames were made from it as opposed to 4130, although True Temper was a 4130. I just haven't built up my Trek 950 yet, which has double butted True Temper with oversized lugs. I also had a 1985 Schwinn Traveler in celeste green, which was True Temper also. But Schwinns with that model/year/paint were real rust magnets for some reason.

 

[biggs682]

[QUOTE 5464058, member: 9609"]It has this on the frame so I'm thinking Cromoly ? cro mo

It has certainly lasted well and took some amount of abuse, but never really rode any other bike so can't compare
View attachment 441808 [/QUOTE]

I have had a few of them and have always found them to be nice rides

 

[Ian H]

The quality of design and build will have far more influence on how the bike performs than the material from which it's made.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

The quality of design and build will have far more influence on how the bike performs than the material from which it's made.

That's true, but generally a higher quality frameset will have had more care and thought put into it's design and manufacture than a "cooking" grade hi-tensile one. It comes down to the target audience a manufacturer is aiming their bikes at. Some customers just want something cheap with two wheels, others are much more discerning and are interested in geometry and finished appearance. For example Dawes built a lot of frames in 531 and slightly cheaper 501/500 and their frames are generally well regarded for their build and riding qualities.
I also have Raleighs with 531, 501, and 18-23 hi-tensile and all are nice riding frames. The 531 and 501 do feel a little more lively, but that is probably mostly down to their slightly lighter weight rather than the metal formulation. The 531 frame has comfortable Touring geometry as well as lightness.

 

[Ian H]

I have seen good-quality tube-sets turned into iffy frames by a few at the Del-Boy end of the bespoke frame business.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I have seen good-quality tube-sets turned into iffy frames by a few at the Del-Boy end of the bespoke frame business.

Derek Trotter really can do anything! and I thought he was just a blow-hard. I had no idea he made bike frames.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Worth a read:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials.html

 

[Fab Foodie]

My late 50s Holdsworth 531 Plain gauge is comfy like an armchair but bendy as anything.
My 1982 531db Holdsworth is stiffer, still comfortable, but gets very scary and out of shape over 35mph if you need to change direction like a downhill sweeper.
My circa 1985 Evans/Saracen 531 mtb tubed mountain bike will rattle your teeth loose even on big fat tyres.
The 1990s Colombus Nivachrome (reasonably stiff for steel - state of the art for road-racing) Omega, I sold would also rattle your fillings over every piece of grit in the roads.
My 853 Rourke custom 'Audax' is stiff and reasonably comfortable with 853 forks (may replace fork for something softer) solid as a rock at any speed BUT has 'Audax' geometry and 28c tryes where other roadies had 23c. A different beast.

But, my 2004 Giant TCR1 (last of the triple-butted Aluminium) was also pretty damn stiff, but fairly comfortable as well on 23c.

So, there's more to a bicycle performance/comfort than its tubing. But all tubesets and bicycle designs have their pro's and cons.

 

[Ian H]

Worth a read:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials.html

Good debunkery.

 

[mikeymustard]

Bit late but i finally found where I'd put it:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1Uf5JKEIVwFW1gamy2diOcpwUwMc6wGbw
Hope you can access it @mr.mtg

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

So, there's more to a bicycle performance/comfort than its tubing. But all tubesets and bicycle designs have their pro's and cons.

Wheelbase seems to make a lot of difference. The longer the more predictable & comfortable on poor surfaces.

 

[Alan O]

For what it's worth, I have three steel-framed bikes...

Falcon 531 plain
Orbit Gold Medal 531c
Raleigh Royal 531ST

The Royal uses the (allegedly) stiffest and heaviest tubing, but its my favourite of the three in terms of feel and long-distance comfort.

I've always fancied trying a Columbus frame too - after all, it's what Colnago used. But I have to agree with those who say it's the build quality that counts more than anything - I'd rather have a frame made of modest steel by a top builder than one made of "the best steel" by a muppet.