the unofficial 'cool' 1980's Reynolds 531/501 bike thread
- Thread starter legrandefromage
- Start date
dirttorpedo
Senior Retro Guru
This is a very British thread. Any bikes of that vintage that have gone through my hands would have been built with Asian steel like Tange3, Champion No. 3, or Ishiwata 022
“This is a very British thread.”
True, but then it is about British tubing.
It’s also really about a very short period (generally’83 to ‘89) in UK (in reality just English?) and world bicycle manufacturing.
Indeed a pivotal and transitional period.
As mentioned earlier in this thread (and elsewhere) various small and medium framebuilders and bike manufacturers took an interest in ‘mountain bikes’
Notably Overburys, Saracen (particularly for F W Evans), Ridgeback, Claud Butler and Dawes. (Raleigh watched for a while - as it often did - later on with BMX.)
At that time frames - from the cheapest to the most expensive - used lugs.
Conventionally and routinely this led to horizontal crossbars (now commonly called toptubes!)
Early British MTBs copied (literally) American ones. Which one/s has been the subject of speculation on this forum…
Design development happened quite rapidly (mostly in California). Frames became shorter, often with less ‘slack’ angles and, more significantly, usually had sloping toptubes.
This resulted in quandaries and difficulties in the UK.
Less so in the US which had ‘discovered’ Taiwan and tig welding.
Unfortunately 531 wasn’t suitable for tig welding.
Consumer ‘tastes’ also changed and American/jJapanese/Taiwanese designed/manufactured bikes became ‘desirable’.
Marketing played a part of course. CroMo became a ‘thing’.
True, but then it is about British tubing.
It’s also really about a very short period (generally’83 to ‘89) in UK (in reality just English?) and world bicycle manufacturing.
Indeed a pivotal and transitional period.
As mentioned earlier in this thread (and elsewhere) various small and medium framebuilders and bike manufacturers took an interest in ‘mountain bikes’
Notably Overburys, Saracen (particularly for F W Evans), Ridgeback, Claud Butler and Dawes. (Raleigh watched for a while - as it often did - later on with BMX.)
At that time frames - from the cheapest to the most expensive - used lugs.
Conventionally and routinely this led to horizontal crossbars (now commonly called toptubes!)
Early British MTBs copied (literally) American ones. Which one/s has been the subject of speculation on this forum…
Design development happened quite rapidly (mostly in California). Frames became shorter, often with less ‘slack’ angles and, more significantly, usually had sloping toptubes.
This resulted in quandaries and difficulties in the UK.
Less so in the US which had ‘discovered’ Taiwan and tig welding.
Unfortunately 531 wasn’t suitable for tig welding.
Consumer ‘tastes’ also changed and American/jJapanese/Taiwanese designed/manufactured bikes became ‘desirable’.
Marketing played a part of course. CroMo became a ‘thing’.
Last edited:
- Feedback
- View
One I wished I’d never sold so I bought and brought it back again. Alves 1989 in 531
Last edited:
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Interesting/useful thread -
“Anecdotes from the pre-history of British mountain biking”
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/anecdotes-from-the-pre-history-of-british-mountain-biking.63187/
“Anecdotes from the pre-history of British mountain biking”
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/anecdotes-from-the-pre-history-of-british-mountain-biking.63187/
- Feedback
- View
When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Mark south wales
Old School Hero
- Feedback
- View
Hiya guys, just finished restoring, waiting for graphics, Raleigh Reynolds 501 mk1 mirage with chain stay brake. other retro stuff, also on my you tube channel, mark`s matchbox memories (don't ask) lol 
Uncle Grumpy
Devout Dirtbag
I'll throw this into the pile.
1990 Kerry Hopkins Reynolds 531 All Terrain.
Kerry was a Sydney, Australia based builder renowned for his road and track frames. Kerry still runs a bike shop in suburban Sydney, but as far as I know, is no longer on the torches. Built with a mix of XT and Suntour bits, squishy stem for the hell of it, and some Farmer Johns Cousins for show (not for go).
Cool bits include internal cable routing for the brake, lugged fork, and trying to pass itself off as a GT Karakoram with the triple triangle and tequila sunrise paint job.
1990 Kerry Hopkins Reynolds 531 All Terrain.
Kerry was a Sydney, Australia based builder renowned for his road and track frames. Kerry still runs a bike shop in suburban Sydney, but as far as I know, is no longer on the torches. Built with a mix of XT and Suntour bits, squishy stem for the hell of it, and some Farmer Johns Cousins for show (not for go).
Cool bits include internal cable routing for the brake, lugged fork, and trying to pass itself off as a GT Karakoram with the triple triangle and tequila sunrise paint job.
Similar threads
- Locked
