Reynolds Cycle Technology

Reynolds Cycle Technology is a manufacturer of tubing for bicycle frames and other bicycle components based in Birmingham, England established in 1898.

History

Reynolds traces its origins back to 1841 when John Reynolds set up a company to manufacture nails. As the company grew, it sought other products to make. In 1897, the company patented the process for making butted tubes, which are thicker at the ends than in the middle. This allowed frame builders to create frames that were both strong and lightweight. "The Patent Butted Tube Co.", the predecessor of the present company, was spun off from the parent company in 1898.

Cycle tubing development

Reynolds has over the years developed a number of steel alloys, most notably Reynolds 531, which has a high strength and therefore can be made in to lightweight tubes. Prior to the introduction of more exotic materials such as aluminium, titanium or composites, Reynolds was considered the dominant maker of high end frame materials. According to the company 27 winners of the Tour de France have won riding on Reynolds tubing. The Raleigh Bicycle Company of Nottingham, England was a big customer for Reynolds 531 tubing used in their Racing cycle range. With other high tech variations used in the professional range of cycles.

Reynolds worked closely with Carpenter Speciality Alloys to develop an ultra lightweight grade of stainless steel tubing for bicycle frames. This started reaching frame builders in 2005 [ [http://www.bikebiz.com/news/19571/Bike-builders-embrace-Reynolds-953 Bike builders embrace Reynolds 953 | Bicycle business | News by BikeBiz ] ] . 953 is based on a specially developed "martensitic-aging" stainless steel alloy that can achieve a tensile strength in excess of 2000MP (853 is around 1400MP), giving a good strength-to-weight ratio. Because of the high strength of the steel, extremely thin tube walls (down to 0.3mm) can be used, thus reducing the weight. [ [http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/news/article/mps/uan/3315 Independent Fabrication SSR 953 - RoadCyclingUK Reviews ] ] . Independent Fabrication was one of the first frame builders to prototype, show and take 953 framesets into production (as the SSR model) for road use. Cotic was one of the first companies to prototype and show a mountain frameset (based on the Soda Model).

Composite tubing

A U.S. division called Reynolds Composites was created to manufacture composite components. Reynolds was for a time owned by Coyote Sports Inc., an American holding company; when this company entered Chapter 11, a management buy-out resulted in the company returning to its base in the UK.

Tubing Types

teel

*453 - Manganese/Titanium alloy. Reynolds produced only the 3 main tubes in this alloy and they were single butted.
*501 - (Not an actual tubing, this is a common mistake resulting from misreading the "531" frame decal)
*525 - Cold worked Chromoly. UTS: 700-900 MPa, density 7.78gm/cc
*531 - Managanese/Chromoly. UTS: 48 - 58 Tsi, 100 - 130 Ksi, 700 - 900 MPa
**531SC - Limited edition tubeset used by Trek in 1984
**531C - Competition Racing tubeset
**531ST - Special Touring tubeset [ [http://www.bretonbikes.com/reynolds.htm Breton bikes about Reynolds 531] ]
**531OS - Oversize tubeset
*631 - Seamless air-hardening heat-treated. UTS: 800-900 MPa, density 7.78 gm/cc
**631OS - Oversize tubeset
*653 - Following feedback from Eddy Merckx that a pure 753 frame was too harsh for certain stages of the Tour de France, Reynolds produced a 653 tubeset which combined 753 stays with 531 main tubes and forks. The 531 used was a thinner gauge than usual produced specifically for use in the 653 set. Eddy and other riders were very pleased with the result, which combined an light, ultra-stiff and efficient transmission with a more forgiving and comfy ride.
**653 Record - Needs information
*708 Classic - 708 was a tube set in Reynolds' range in the 80's, supposedly designed for track frames. It has 531 main tubes. These were not butted, but had 8 flats running along the length of the tube. The rear stays would be 753.
*725 - Heat-Treated Chromoly. UTS: 1080-1280 Mpa, density 7.78gm/cc
**725OS - Oversize tubeset
*731 - Needs information
**731OS - Oversize tubeset
*753 - Heat-Treated Manganese/Chromoly. UTS: 1080 - 1280 MPa, 70 - 83 Tsi, 157 - 186 Ksi
**753OS - Oversize tubeset
*853 - Seamless air-hardening heat-treated. UTS: 1250-1400 MPa, density 7.78 gm/cc
**853OS - Oversize tubeset
*953 - Maraging stainless steel. UTS: 1750-2050 MPa, density 7.8 gm/cc

"Notes:"
#531, 653 and 753 series no longer produced by Reynolds, due to their inability to be TIG welded.

Aluminium

*7005 - Al Zn alloy. UTS: 400 MPa, density 2.78 gm/cc
*6061 - Al Si Mg alloy. UTS: 325 MPa , density 2.70 gm/cc
*X-100 - Al Li Alloy. UTS : 550-600 MPa, density 2.65 gm/cc

Titanium

*6Al-4V - Seamless ELI Grade UTS: 900-1150 MPa, density 4.42 gm/cc
*3Al-2.5V - Seamless. UTS: 810-960 MPa, density 4.48 gm/cc

Magnesium

*MZM Electron - Magnesium Alloy. UTS: ~300+ MPa, density ~1.80 gm/cc

References

ee also

* Columbus tubing

External links

* [http://www.reynolds-cycle.com Reynolds website]
* [http://www.reynoldscomposites.com/ Reynolds Composites]