Table of Contents

Reynolds

Alfred Milward Reynolds patented double butted steel tubing in 1898 in Birmingham, England and followed this by forming The Patent Butted Tube Company by December 1898. Alfred's grandfather, John Reynolds, started as a manufacturer of cut nails1) in the same city by 1841. As early as 1900, a Reynolds bicycle tube set weighed only 4.5 pounds before joining. In 1934 the Reynolds Tube Company launched its venerable 531 tube set, greatly increasing the strength of earlier high manganese steels2). Reynolds 531 tubesets could weigh as little as 3 pounds3), reducing tube set weight by 1/3 for the same bike. For over fifty years Reynolds 531 was the standard in producing a quality brazed bike frame but became outdated by newer steels better suited to TIG/MIG welding.

Reynolds was considered the dominant maker of high end materials for bicycle frames, with 27 winners of the Tour de France winning the race riding on Reynolds tubing. wikipedia

Reynolds also made aircraft tubing and parts4), tank gun tubes, ball bearing races, pins, rollers & bushes and similar small metal parts.

Reynolds joined Tube Investments in 1928 retaining the fourth generation of the Reynolds family as managers. In 1976, the last of the Reynolds family, Anthony Reynolds, the great-great grandson of John Reynolds retired from the (Reynolds) Tube Company. Coyote Sports, of Boulder CO, acquired TI Reynolds in 1996 and renamed the company to Reynolds Cycle Technology 531 Ltd. A few year later, the Noronha family acquired Reynolds and still holds it today. Alfred John Reynolds, Company Chairman, as Lord Mayor of Birmingham in 1905
Alfred John Reynolds, father of Alfred Milward Reynolds and Company Chairman, as Lord Mayor of Birmingham in 1905 jimdofree

1897 patent
1898 Reynolds patent. reynoldstechnology

Reynolds 531
Reynolds 531 brochure 1947, VCC library

Reynolds Tube Models

The Reynolds Tube Company produced over 70 models of tubing, from 453 → 953, for steel and many other letter and number combinations for steel, aluminium, magnesium, and titanium.

Tubing Strength
1980s Reynolds TI catalog, VCC library.

The chart shows the relative advantage of modern Reynolds tubing versus “others” plus the weakening effect of brazing and joining. Reynolds 531 was available in variants of 531 Competition, 531SL, 531 Professional, 531 Super Tourist, and many more. They all have the same material composition but differ in their butting profiles. As 531 deforms under the heat needed for TIG welding, it is no longer available, except for a anniversary set released in 2014 for vintage reproduction work.

Other notable tubing models include:

Resources:

Reynolds factory, 2008
Reynolds factory, 2008 flickr

Decal Timeline
Maker1970 1980 1990
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Reynolds rlogo.jpg
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Maker1970 1980 1990

Notes:

2024/03/12 17:01 · mtbtimeline
1)
Cut nails are made by stamping nails from rolled iron sheeting.
2)
531 may refer to the relative ratios of the alloying materials: 1.4% Mn, 0.30% C, 0.20% Mo. Brand numbers, such as 753 or 953 are simply marketing and do not reflect the steel's chemical composition.
3)
Tubeset weight is much lighter than frame weight, which includes the lugs, brazing material (this is before TIG welding which rendered 531 obsolete,) and braze-ons, such as cable guides and drop outs.
4)
Aircraft parts included piston rings for Rolls Royce jet engines, gas cylinders, and parts using steel, aluminum and titanium, starting in WWI through at least the 1990s.
5)
reynolds