I started building bicycle frames when the Columbus® Metax
Stainless tubing came out in the early 90’s. The stainless steel
was actually quite forgiving to work with.
I started this project open-minded and began working with the tubing.
After a course of a week I began to find that the workability was a bit
tedious. After 40 hours of mitering with the joint jigger and using almost
three bastard files I was ready to do my silver fillet brazing. Normally,
I would use a torch tip size of .05 running 5lbs of pressure on each
side of the oxygen and propane tanks. Due to the thin-walled of the Reynolds® 953
tubing I resorted to the .00 tip. This made working the flame rather
slow and difficult. I found that working the flame for four hours at
a time resulted in a bit of the nerve racking ordeal.
I believe that what we have here is an effort on Reynolds® part
to provide a very high quality material for frame building. I find questionable
if 953 is suitable for this. Note I said bicycle frame building. True
Temper® offers their S-3 tubing that basically has the same mechanical
attributes of the 953 tubing only without the stainless steel benefits.
Although more difficult to work with than the Platinum series tubes,
it is still easier to work with than the 953. Applying JC Wiggles® frames
saver inside the tubes of a S-3 frame should deter any corrosion considerations
for lifetime of the owner. The ride quality of True Temper’s® S-3
tubing is by far one of the most desirable riding experiences I have
ever been on. I would expect the same for Reynolds® 953 if you choose
the same tubing configuration. It is just not a very workable experience
for the frame builder. This in turn creates a cost factor for the extra
time involved and then leads one to believe that may be the expense may
not be worth it.
So if you are in the market for stainless steel frame expect we’ll
pay a premium price for its build. Ordering the tubes takes upwards of
three months. I am told that Reynolds will not deliver without a substantial
order for a particular set of tubes because they only manufacture when
there is a quantity ordered to justify. This leaves the bicycle frame
builder in a position where one cannot make any mistakes without the
thought of having to wait months for a replacement part.
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