TIG Welding and Reynolds 853 Double butted tubes
Reynolds have been manufacturing tubes for bikes since 1898 when they invented the butting process. Since then Reynolds have always been associated with high quality bike frames and have continued to develop materials and processes to keep up with the needs of modern bikes and framebuilders alike. In recent years it has been the introduction of their 853 tubes that they are most know for. We use tubes from the 853 range for several reasons:
853 is a heat treated steel, this means it has high strength and excellent dent resistance despite the thin wall thickness of the tubes.
853 is also air hardening unlike other steels. As the area around the weld cools, it actually gets stronger. This is probably the best feature of 853 as it means the tubes are stronger in the areas you need them to be.
The new Dual Zone Butted (DZB) tubes allow us to offer classic, gusset free steel frames! For more information on the lack of gussets, see the
EN testing page.
An example of a fresh TIG bead
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We use 853 for the main tubes (seat, top and down tubes). The seat tubes we choose are bulge butted at the top to add extra material where it's needed and to minimize distortion as it's welded so we have to remove less material through reaming. The top and down tubes are also butted to give extra material at the ends of the tube but it is achieved with a constant outside diameter.
For the rear triangle we can use a variety of grades and profiles depending on the requirements, geometry and intended use of the frame. We would usually use round section 4130 aircraft grade chromoly steel which is custom bent in house but there are options of tubes from Reynolds or Columbus. To find out more about rear triangle options
click here.
A curved stay being checked after bending
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For more information about Reynolds tubing, the butting process and Reynolds history in bikes have a look at their
website.
We choose to TIG weld our frames as it takes maximum advantage of the air hardening nature of 853. A fillet brazed frame will not utilise the extra strength that 853 can offer. If fillet brazed is your thing,
let us know as although it's not something we offer now, we may in the future.
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