What is Reynolds 520 chromoly?

With similar properties to our original 531 brand alloy. For cycling, these are mandrel butted for accurate profiles, and available in a wide range of shapes. Weight savings from butting provide competitively priced, light framesets.

What is stronger chromoly or steel?

Chromoly is stronger than normal steel, weight for weight, and is commonly used to make high-end bicycle frames, roll cages for race cars, and for fuselages on small aircraft. Overall it is considerably stronger and more durable than standard 1020 steel.

Is chromoly better than aluminum?

Chromoly vs Aluminum It’s lighter and stiffer than steel, but it’s also more brittle and easily damaged. Chromoly is slightly heavier than aluminum, but the frame can be thinner and has reduced stiffness, which provides a smoother ride. Aluminum, on the other hand, is more like glass, which breaks before it bends.

Is Reynolds 520 heat treated?

Reynolds 520 – CHROME-MOLY cold-worked steel: The Reynolds “520” range uses the same alloy, made under license for us in Taiwan and subject to the same quality standards. The same 0.30\% carbon steel chemistry as our 725 range but without the heat-treatment process.

What is a 531 frame?

Reynolds 531 (pronounced ‘five-three-one’) is a brand name, registered to Reynolds Technology of Birmingham in the United Kingdom, for a manganese–molybdenum, medium-carbon steel tubing that was used in many quality applications, including race car chassis, aircraft components and, most famously, bicycle frame tubing.

Is Titanium stronger than chromoly?

Both have their place, Titanium is 1/3 lighter than Chromoly, it is also stronger than chromoly but more flexible (less Ridgid). So depending on the designer both can be used to their full potential.

Do chromoly frames rust?

With its resistance to extreme temperatures, chromoly steel needs a special welding technique when building frames or joints. Chromoly steel is also treated before and after manufacturing to increase the natural resistance to corrosion, dramatically lessening the chance of rust.

How long will a chromoly bike last?

Chromoly frames are typically overdesigned well above the endurance (fatigue) limit of 0.54 of tensile strength. This means if the welds are properly done, you can expect what we call ‘infinite life’.

Where is Reynolds steel made?

Birmingham
Of all the cycling companies that have come and gone, one that has remained a steady fixture is Reynolds. The name has been synonymous with the British cycling industry since 1898, and it still manufactures tubing in its Birmingham factory today.

What is the lightest Reynolds tubing?

Reynolds 853: very high end steel, thinner still, and lighter. Reynolds 953: a variant of stainless steel, this one rivals Ti and carbon fiber on weight, but with the ride of steel. Columbus Spirit Niobium: similar in weight to the 953, the Spirit is one of the lightest steel tubes sets available.

How long will a 4130 steel frame last?

Better steels have a higher Fatigue Limit (generally around half their UTS) and so again can be thinner and flex more before failure – hence ‘spring steel’ – but generally speaking a frame in quality steel like 4130 should be designed to be well below its Fatigue Limit in normal use with the gauges used for cycletouring and so last indefinitely.

How much does a road bike frame weigh?

Steel frames are heavier- Steel is the heaviest bike frame material used today. For example, a lightweight steel bike frame weighs around 4-5 lbs. Complete steel road bikes weigh 20-22 lbs. A comparable aluminum frame weighs around 3 lbs. Complete aluminum road bikes weigh around 18 lbs.

Are all 4130 Cr-Mo tubes the same?

For example the old Reynolds 531 and all better tubes from Reynolds are seamless as is their Cr-Mo 520 and 525 (identical except 520 is license built in the Far East) so not all 4130 Cr-Mo is equal. Another construction technique is ‘butting’.

What is the difference between steel and aluminum bike frames?

Because aluminum isn’t as strong as steel, more material must be used to make the frame strong and durable enough. In other words, aluminum has a lower strength-to-weight ratio than steel. For example, most aluminum bike frame tubes measure more than 1.5” in diameter. Steel frame tubes often measure around 1” in diameter.