The Bare Frame and Fork Weight Thread

[Brett3938]

Still trying to work is ut this frame but it is
Frame is 1.773 still had seat bolt in dont know if that will make to much difference
Forks is 682
So all up is 2.445
Dont know if thats good or not

[Andrew James]

My wife's bike,
Keith Davis Reynolds 531 competition ladies frame.
1853g frame
649g original 531 fork (the Profile carbon fork is 515g)

All up the bike weighs about 8.5kg, with the mainly Ultrgra-level equipment plus 500g for the rear rack.

Swapped the fork out for a carbon fork weighing a little less, but I'm inclined to swap back to the steel fork as the steering is a little twitchy with the carbon forks. The only other issue i have is that the brake bridge is too low - even through there's heaps of seat tube clearance, anything wider than a 25c rear tyre won't clear the brake bridge.

[Andrew James]

Apollo IV (Kuwahara frame), early to mid 1980s I'd guess

2173g frame (Ishiwata EX tubeset) 57cm ctc
830g forks (Stamped Tange)

[Andrew James]

Allsop Powercurve, Reynolds 653 / Softride beam bike

2614g frame (Reynolds 653, including the carbon fibre beam come seatpost, so subtract 250g of seat post savings, gives a comparable weight of say 2364g)
685g forks (Reynolds 653)

[Andrew James]

Baum custom steel road frame 57cm = 1620grams
Paired to alpha Q forks 470grams

[familyguy]

Paconi
59ST x 58.5TT c/c
Columbus "SLX New"
2935gr (incl. Shimano HP-6500 600 Ultegra sealed bearing headset listed at 110gr)

[P!N20]

Can everyone please re-weigh their frames using die kleine h calibrated scales? Thanks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46143399

[uart]

Can everyone please re-weigh their frames using die kleine h calibrated scales? Thanks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46143399

LOL P!N, but we have people here who are still using analog bathroom scales that aren't even accurate to the nearest kg.

https://bicycles.net.au/forums/viewtopi ... t#p1464579

[10speedsemiracer]

Can everyone please re-weigh their frames using die kleine h calibrated scales? Thanks.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-46143399

Thanks P!N20, however I somehow managed to become confused...the correlation between Le Grand K and Die Kleine h was murky to my discombobulated brain, and have now measured my Reynolds 531 Raleigh frame/fork as being a banana over 4 units of the Special K which relates to the equivalent of 4 500gm packets of cereal .....

[P!N20]

Should be able to pick up a Le Grand K on eBay for a good price.

Hope Woolies get their registers calibrated soon, I’m not paying Le Grand K prices.

[munga]

just flick the top tube with your fingernail. i've seen men in dungarees with waxed moustaches do it in fixie shops, so there must be merit in it. all this weighing is getting me down, man..

[P!N20]

all this weighing is getting me down, man..

Hmph. New guy.

[Jebzey]

I'll add the numbers of my 50's/60's Ascot road racer, while I've got everything off it. A little over 2100g for the ~60cm frame, 800g fork, though take it with a grain of salt given the unknown accuracy of the kitchen scales.

[stomach_bug]

Unpainted weight of a 1990 Malvern Star Triathlete frame and fork is as follows:

1940g frame
704g fork
My tape measure has gone walkabouts but I think this was about 54cm seat tube to BB.
This one was originally labelled as 'Dynaloy Triple butted'

[Stealthy Ninja]

This mystery frame is 2295g (frame alone) with the forks being 825g. It's 57cm TT and 55cm ST.

Is this considered light for a 1950-60s frame? Also, what could it be and what sort of steel? It has a 26.4mm seat tube if that helps, I know Reynolds 531 usually takes 27.2mm seat tubes so I don't think it's Reynolds 531 steel, but I'm happy to be mistaken.

The lugs are similar to if not exactly the same as the ones on Malvern Star 5 star bikes, so it could be similar.

[uart]

This mystery frame is 2295g (frame alone) with the forks being 825g. It's 57cm TT and 55cm ST.

Is this considered light for a 1950-60s frame? Also, what could it be and what sort of steel? It has a 26.4mm seat tube if that helps

It's not ultra light or anything, but that weight is still quite is reasonable.

The seatpost diameter indicates that the ST wall thickness is approx 1.0 mm (and may or may not be butted). An ok quality high tensile "gas pipe" bike is typically about 1.2 to 1.3 mm wall thickness there, so 1.0 mm would normally be something a little better. (So it definitely could be CrMo.)

[Stealthy Ninja]

This mystery frame is 2295g (frame alone) with the forks being 825g. It's 57cm TT and 55cm ST.

Is this considered light for a 1950-60s frame? Also, what could it be and what sort of steel? It has a 26.4mm seat tube if that helps

It's not ultra light or anything, but that weight is still quite is reasonable.

The seatpost diameter indicates that the ST wall thickness is approx 1.0 mm (and may or may not be butted). An ok quality high tensile "gas pipe" bike is typically about 1.2 to 1.3 mm wall thickness there, so 1.0 mm would normally be something a little better. (So it definitely could be CrMo.)

Thanks for that, I didn't expect it to be the best out there, but to know it's reasonable is a win for me.

It's better than the Repco Superlight I have floating around at least.

Any idea what 1mm CrMo steel from the 1950/60s would be called?


Reynolds 500 would be fair? That was made later right? I might put Reynolds stickers on there though that's might be considered slightly egregious by some, I don't want to be too dishonest, so I won't put 531 decals on there. Or would it more likely be another brand? Basically, what would be the most likely steel they would have used considering the measurements? Or is putting nothing more realistic?

[uart]

Yeah, I'm not familiar with what tubing was available back then. It's similar weight to some tange 900 / tange 1000 frames I've measured over the years, but that would be later tubing.

[Stealthy Ninja]

Yeah, I'm not familiar with what tubing was available back then. It's similar weight to some tange 900 / tange 1000 frames I've measured over the years, but that would be later tubing.

I tracked down this Claude Butler fame that is from the same approx. manufacture date, has the same basic structure has the same size seat tube. It has 531 tubing, so it's POSSIBLE it could be 531 tubing on my frame... (EDIT: Nope, it's got seamed tubes... )


Shrug... good enough for me, it's a Claud Butler now.

[WyvernRH]

Shrug... good enough for me, it's a Claud Butler now.

Well one thing I can tell you is that with a chainstay bridge and headlugs like that it is definitely not a Claud Butler. I would say it is a 99% chance you have a 1950's Australian frame, my eyeball guess is a Speedwell from frames I've seen before.

531 has been around since 1935 and seat tube diameter is not that simple. See https://kuromori.home.blog/reynolds-531/ for more info. There was a whole range of other high quality tubing seamless tubing available since the 1930's from several manufacturers in the UK, let alone the Oz and European stuff (such as Accles & Pollock, BTM etc) Is your frame seamless or seamed tubing? Easiest place to check is inside the downtube at the bottom bracket. If it is seamed it isn't top quality but can still be chrome moly.
Steel tubing of all qualities was made in Oz at this point in time, if it is a Speedwell from the 50's my bet is on some variation from the Oz steel mills.

Richard

[Stealthy Ninja]

Shrug... good enough for me, it's a Claud Butler now.

Well one thing I can tell you is that with a chainstay bridge and headlugs like that it is definitely not a Claud Butler. I would say it is a 99% chance you have a 1950's Australian frame, my eyeball guess is a Speedwell from frames I've seen before.

531 has been around since 1935 and seat tube diameter is not that simple. See https://kuromori.home.blog/reynolds-531/ for more info. There was a whole range of other high quality tubing seamless tubing available since the 1930's from several manufacturers in the UK, let alone the Oz and European stuff (such as Accles & Pollock, BTM etc) Is your frame seamless or seamed tubing? Easiest place to check is inside the downtube at the bottom bracket. If it is seamed it isn't top quality but can still be chrome moly.
Steel tubing of all qualities was made in Oz at this point in time, if it is a Speedwell from the 50's my bet is on some variation from the Oz steel mills.

Richard

You’re the second person who’s said it looks like a Speedwell (I asked elsewhere too) seems it might well be.

Good thing I didn’t order any Claud Butler decals haha.

EDIT: I previously said it's seamless, but after I cleaned up the seat tube I can see a seam in there, therefore it's NOT seamless.

I’m probably never going to know exactly what it is, so which speedwall decals would match it from your experience:
www.cyclomondo.net/page33.htm

Do you also think it could be a Hoffy frame, I think his system was for serial numbers just to go up numerically, but who knows what he did in the 1950s. I’m just not too sure what the 5352 means.

In that case I might get these decals


As it’s likely it was made by a local maker here in Brisbane and Hoffy or Tom Wallace fit the bill the best.


Sorry for hijacking this thread a little

IF ANYONE WANTS TO HELP ME, PLEASE GO HERE: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=102235&p=1498754#p1498754

So this thread can remain untainted from my hijacking.

[P!N20]

Kypo
56 ST/56.5 TT (c-c)
Reynolds 525
2634g

[prador]

Kuwahara frame
Ishiwata Magny-V
Frame 2380g
Forks 810g
Not too bad considering the bike itself was pretty heavy.

[Stealthy Ninja]

Hillman 531
Made October 1987

57cm TT
59cm ST

Frame 2150g with bottom bracket (so probably 1850g)
Fork 750g

Apparently it was made with 531c tubing but the sticker on it says 531.

[familyguy]

Kuwahara Triathlon, 63c/t ST x 59c/c TT, Ishiwata EXO-H quad butted tubing:
3.32kg frame and fork with Hatta Vesta headset

Beefy. I still reckon with the Athena 11s group (weighed at 1.9kg) plus wheels and required parts I could manage a c.10kg bike.