fork made from vintage Reynolds 531.

[Eric Keller]

I am trying to sell some fork blades on ebay, but this isn't really an ad, I thought some people might be interested in the fork.  I recently built a fork using a set of the blades, and took some pictures to show what they look like for the auction listing.  It took me a while to come to terms with it, but I like it. The blades were raked at the factory. Here it is with 650bx44mm tire in it.  Looks perfect, even though it was probably cut for a 27x1 1/4.  It has about 60mm of rake.  It could have been 5-10mm more, but I cut off the domed ends. These are the narrow "Imperial Oval" blades, as opposed to the thicker "Continental Oval" that we now see most of the time. Been humping these parts around for 40 years.

I bought the Nervex crown already joined to a steerer from the same person that sold me the blades.  I'm not sure it was the best idea to use the crown, I'm thinking I should have bought a crown from Compass.  I probably will have another chance, I priced the blades high because they are rare and nobody seems to be interested. 

This fork is going on a 650b randonneuse, so it's getting braze ons for Raids and a front rack, and fender eyelets on the dropouts. 

Eric Keller

Boalsburg Pennsylvania

[Justus Gunther]

I don't see any photos.

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[Eric Keller]

ok, list strips photos? Anyway, here is a flickr album https://flic.kr/s/aHskqpi36R

[Mark Bulgier]

"Justus" wrote:

> I don't see any photos. 

I'm looking at the photo, definitely there if you view the posting in the GoogleGroups web interface.  I turned off email delivery and only read this list on the website.  Try here: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/650b/QOTMuN7lBAY

Eric K. wrote:

> These are the narrow "Imperial Oval" blades, as opposed to the thicker "Continental Oval" that we now see most of the time.

Fun fact, everyone calls the narrow and wide ovals "Imperial" and "Continental" respectively -- everyone but Reynolds that is.

According to Reynolds, the older narrow oval is called Continental.  Yep, the opposite of how everyone else names them.  Reynolds has never called that oval Imperial, in any catalog or advert I have ever seen, and I've been collecting that sort of info since the early '70s, and I've seen catalogs as early as the '20s.  Imperial apparently is a name applied by cycling enthusiasts, not Reynolds.

The newer, wider oval (similar to Columbus) is called "New Continental Oval" or NCO.  

I don't recommend adopting the Reynolds terminology though, because calling the narrow ones Continental will only confuse everyone.

I don't like to be knowingly wrong though, so I just call them the "older, narrower oval" or 29x16.  Calling the wide ones New Continental Oval seems to be safe, doesn't confuse anyone and it's technically correct per Reynolds.

Here are links to the late-'70s Reynolds catalog listings for both ovals:

http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Reynolds_Tubing-78/p08_Fork_Blades.html

http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Reynolds_Tubing-78/p09_Fork_Blades.html 

Mark Bulgier

Seattle

[Eric Keller]

I'm not selling the fork.  I have the same blades on ebay.  I know it's confusing :)

On Sun, Dec 24, 2017 at 5:59 PM, <desmond...@gmail.com> wrote:

Seems like an Ad, just don't know why you apologize for that.. very confusing..

Sent from my iPhone

Boalsburg Pennsylvania

<IMAG1197.jpg><IMAG1198.jpg>

[David Parsons]

What is it about 531 that makes it so desirable?    You're not the only person selling them for $100+ on ebay, but is it just for historical reenactment reasons or is there something about that alloy that modern steels don't have?

On Sunday, December 24, 2017 at 6:19:25 PM UTC-8, Eric Keller wrote:

I'm not selling the fork.  I have the same blades on ebay.  I know it's confusing :)

On Sun, Dec 24, 2017 at 5:59 PM, <desmond...@gmail.com> wrote:

Seems like an Ad, just don't know why you apologize for that.. very confusing..

Sent from my iPhone

On Dec 24, 2017, at 11:47 AM, Eric Keller <kell...@gmail.com> wrote:

I am trying to sell some fork blades on ebay, but this isn't really an ad, I thought some people might be interested in the fork.  I recently built a fork using a set of the blades, and took some pictures to show what they look like for the auction listing.  It took me a while to come to terms with it, but I like it. The blades were raked at the factory. Here it is with 650bx44mm tire in it.  Looks perfect, even though it was probably cut for a 27x1 1/4.  It has about 60mm of rake.  It could have been 5-10mm more, but I cut off the domed ends. These are the narrow "Imperial Oval" blades, as opposed to the thicker "Continental Oval" that we now see most of the time. Been humping these parts around for 40 years.

I bought the Nervex crown already joined to a steerer from the same person that sold me the blades.  I'm not sure it was the best idea to use the crown, I'm thinking I should have bought a crown from Compass.  I probably will have another chance, I priced the blades high because they are rare and nobody seems to be interested. 

This fork is going on a 650b randonneuse, so it's getting braze ons for Raids and a front rack, and fender eyelets on the dropouts. 

Eric Keller

Boalsburg Pennsylvania

<IMAG1197.jpg><IMAG1198.jpg>

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[Mark Bulgier]

David Parsons wrote:

What is it about 531 that makes it so desirable?    You're not the only person selling them for $100+ on ebay, but is it just for historical reenactment reasons or is there something about that alloy that modern steels don't have?

No, nothing too great about the alloy. These blades are thick enough to be strong enough, despite the alloy being fairly weak compared to modern Super Steels.  It's very safe, properties extremely well known after all these decades.  Despite being thick-walled compared to some more modern blades, it can still get some desirable flex for attenuating road shocks, especially those variants with the rapid taper down to a very small diameter through the curved bit.  Most of the old, skinny-oval blades have a pretty small diameter at the bottom.

It will never make the lightest fork nor even the most resilient, but for those who "just want it" for some reason (historical re-enactment being one), it's good enough, and the weight is not a deal-breaker. 

If you want the old skinnier oval, the modern Kaisei blades are lighter, still strong enough, and probably about the same resilience through the raked part. (slightly larger diameter at the bottom, but thinner wall).  They don't recapture your youth for you in quite the right way for some of the 531 fans though.  I know because I'm one of them -- that little triangular decal on the blades near the crown is a trigger for me, for all those memories of when I was young and strong, can't put a dollar value on that!

If you're really good at perceiving 3-d ovalized cylindroids after they're painted, then you may notice that the Reynolds blade is a bit more aesthetically pleasing.  Though that is a matter of taste, most people who can see the difference will prefer the Reynolds as more proper, in a Platonic Ideal sort of way.  The Kaisei oval is more just what you get if you squish a round tube, not a shape that's carefully engineered to look like a true ellipse.  I don't know how the Reynolds oval is made -- it may just be squished too, but if it is, it's squished between forms with a more sophisticated shape to them.

The difference between the Reynolds and Kaisei ovals is so slight that most people would not be able to see it, and don't feel bad if you can't because it doesn't matter!  Neither oval will be the slightest bit better than the other in any way that matters.  They both even fit the same fork crowns, though some crowns are a more perfect fit on one or the other.  Sometimes a little work is needed on the crown socket or on the blade to make them fit better, but these are tasks that any good fork maker can easily do, even over and over for a production run -- an operation that takes a few seconds each.

Though I hear the siren song of that 531 decal, and I slightly prefer the Reynolds oval and the smaller diameter through the curve, I still might prefer Kaisei for my next blade just because Reynolds is 20% heavier, 1.2 mm wall vs 1.0.  I'm not a weight-weenie but that's getting into the range where the inefficiency bothers me a little.  I could go either way, but my motivations are not the same as most people.

Vive la différence.

Mark Bulgier

Seattle

[Igor Belopolsky]

My new custom is being built with Grand Bois crown and Kaisei fork blades
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bc8avtJFmtM/?taken-by=arcycles88

[Eric Keller]

On Mon, Dec 25, 2017 at 1:06 AM, David Parsons <grr.g...@gmail.com> wrote:

What is it about 531 that makes it so desirable?    You're not the only person selling them for $100+ on ebay, but is it just for historical reenactment reasons or is there something about that alloy that modern steels don't have?

Well, so far I'm not selling anything :)

In my opinion, there really isn't anything special about it other than sentimentality.  If you are my age or older, 531 has a special place in bicycle history, and it's not being made any more.  It's about equal to a typical 4130 butted tube.

Having said that, I have been riding a 531 bike for the last couple of years and I really like it.  

 

The particular green that the tubes are when they came from the factory means something to me too. Tubes nowadays are all shiny.

Eric Keller

Boalsburg, Pennsylvania