Tube Investments – My TI-Raleigh SB4059

SB3800 Mid 1980s TI-Raleigh Re-Paint Transfer Details

Blog/Featured Posts/Frame Details/Frame Preservation/Frame Renovation/Frame Restoration/Frame Transfers/General Topic/Head Badge/Road/SBDU Ilkeston/TI-Raleigh/Transfer Placement

SBDU Ilkeston SB Frame Transfer Layout and Lug Detailing for TI-Raleigh Restorations (1974 – 1983)

January 6, 2018September 13, 2018 Neil McGowran 8 Comments

SBDU frames and the TI colours have become hugely popular. More people are seeking to buy an SBDU frame and recreate the red black and yellow TI-Raleigh scheme. With this recent resurgence, sellers are looking to sell and buyers are readily buying. The demand for these frames is producing a seemingly never ending supply of TI painted frames. With so many looking to buy and then repaint, and so many looking to repaint and then sell, the amount of freshly painted frames I’ve seen recently by both buyers and sellers has spiralled. My concern based on what I’ve seen is that the detail of the SBDU TI scheme is in danger of being lost forever.

The Mysterious Carlton Capella Lugged Early Ilkeston SBDU Imperial Tube Reynolds 753 Frames

July 14, 2017July 18, 2017 Neil McGowran 1 Comment

In the beginning there was Metric Reynolds 753 tubing, and then later in 1982, a new Imperial Reynolds 753 tube was introduced. The new tube, called 753R, had different diameters, different gauges and was slightly heavier than the original Metric tube. And that’s how it was always known… Metric 753 before 1982 and Imperial 753 available after 1982. That seems quite straightforward doesn’t it?

Blog/Featured Posts/Frame Tubing/General Topic/Reynolds 753/Reynolds 753 Aero/Reynolds 753 Information/Reynolds 753R/Reynolds 753T/Reynolds Tubing/SBDU Ilkeston/TI-Raleigh

The SBDU and Their Use of Reynolds 753 Reynolds 753R and Reynolds 753T

May 17, 2017May 25, 2017 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

There has always been lots said on the subject of Reynolds 753, and that doesn’t surprise me. This tubing had such an impact on the sport of cycling; the frames and their riders were breaking records before anyone even knew 753 existed! 753 frames are still sought after 40+ years following their introduction. You can’t go a day without the subject of 753 cropping up on the internet and the online debates and discussions mean that there are always stories and different opinions. But are these stories real and are the opinions accurate? What is truth and what is myth? What are these stories? Have I done enough research and accumulated enough data to either prove or debunk them?

SB6398 SBDU Ilkeston Reynolds 753R Campagnolo Super Record 50th Anniversary

50th Anniversary Groupset/Blog/Campagnolo Record/Campagnolo Super Record/Featured Posts/Reynolds 753R/Road/SB6398/SBDU Ilkeston

SB6398 Restore Part Five – SBDU Ilkeston TI-Raleigh 1984 Reynolds 753R Campagnolo Super Record 50th Anniversary Group

November 9, 2016August 22, 2017 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

All of the 50th Anniversary parts that I’ve carefully and patiently cleaned over the last couple of weeks have been re-united with the SBDU Ilkeston 753R frame that they came from. I’ve had a few things on lately so it has taken a little while to get focused on this build again, but all the prep and cleaning has meant a quick and painless build.

sb6398-sbdu-ilkeston-reynolds-753r-campagnolo-super-record-50th-anniversary-qrs-after

50th Anniversary Groupset/Blog/Campagnolo Record/Campagnolo Super Record/Reynolds 753R/Road/SB6398/SBDU Ilkeston

SB6398 Restore Part Four – SBDU Ilkeston TI-Raleigh 1984 Reynolds 753R Campagnolo Super Record 50th Anniversary Group

November 6, 2016August 22, 2017 Neil McGowran 1 Comment

I’m well on the way to getting every part of this build back to their very best. Part three was all about the components of the 50th anniversary group, and putting the shine back onto them. There were two main components that I left out of that post, they were the hubs and the brake levers – the bar tape and brake lever hoods have made me think the most, leaving me in a bit of a quandary.

50th Anniversary Groupset/Blog/Campagnolo Record/Campagnolo Super Record/Reynolds 753R/Road/SB6398/SBDU Ilkeston

SB6398 Restore Part Three – SBDU Ilkeston TI-Raleigh 1984 Reynolds 753R Campagnolo Super Record 50th Anniversary Group

October 30, 2016August 22, 2017 Neil McGowran 2 Comments

Part three is here..! That means I finally get to work with the Campagnolo Super Record 50th Anniversary group.

Part one was frame prep, the foundation of the build. Part two was fitting the head set and bottom bracket; joining the frame and forks together, the starting point to which all other parts are fitted.

sb6398-sbdu-ilkeston-reynolds-753r-campagnolo-super-record-50th-anniversary-headset-fitted

50th Anniversary Groupset/Blog/Campagnolo Record/Campagnolo Super Record/Reynolds 753R/Road/SB6398/SBDU Ilkeston

SB6398 Restore Part Two – SBDU Ilkeston TI-Raleigh 1984 Reynolds 753R Campagnolo Super Record 50th Anniversary Group

October 29, 2016August 22, 2017 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

Part two of the build to restore SB6398… and all that frame prep in part one will pay off now when I fit the head set and bottom bracket.

sb6398-sbdu-ilkeston-reynolds-753r-campagnolo-super-record-50th-anniversary-bb-faced

50th Anniversary Groupset/Blog/Campagnolo Super Record/Reynolds 753R/Road/SB6398/SBDU Ilkeston

SB6398 Restore Part One – SBDU Ilkeston TI-Raleigh 1984 Reynolds 753R Campagnolo Super Record 50th Anniversary Group

October 28, 2016August 22, 2017 Neil McGowran 1 Comment

Here it is, the time has finally come…

It’s time to build SB6398. The end result of this build will be a bike that is 100% original, exactly the same as when it left the work stand of Denton Cycles back in 1984. It will only be the slight patina to the paint and parts that may give its age away.

SBDU Ilkeston TI-Raleigh 1980 Metric Reynolds 753 Seatpin Size

Blog/Frame Tubing/Frame Weight/Reynolds 753 Information/SBDU Ilkeston/TI-Raleigh

SBDU Ilkeston Metric Reynolds 753 Seat Pin Size – The Truth

October 3, 2016April 20, 2018 Neil McGowran 8 Comments

There are many stories about the SBDU and even more about Reynolds 753 tubing. Most of these stories travel the internet, changing and evolving each time they are told. Something as simple as which seat pin size should fit a 753 frame is one of those stories. It causes the most confusion and creates some of the longest discussions whenever it is raised. Everyone seems to have an opinion about what is right; few ever seem to agree. My latest addition, SB3800, means that I may now have a couple of frames that could finally settle the seat pin debate.

SB8945 SBDU Nottingham 753R 58cm Frame Weight

Blog/Frame Weight/General Topic/Reynolds 531 Information/Reynolds 753 Information

TI-Reynolds Frame Weight – It’s Not an Exact Science

September 17, 2016August 22, 2017 Neil McGowran 2 Comments

The search terms used by people who reach my blog are often connected to searching for information about the weight of a frame, specifically Reynolds 753 and Reynolds 531. So I thought I would write a little post to show the weight information I’ve collected on my own frames. I have frame weight data on several SBDU frames across a range of Reynolds tube sets. What I’ve found is that it isn’t simply a case of saying that every 57cm Reynolds 531 frame will weigh the same. Lots of factors influence frame weight.

Reynolds 753 TI-Raleigh SBDU Ilkeston Post Header

Blog/Literature/Reynolds 753 Information/Reynolds Tubing/SBDU Ilkeston/Timeline

1975 to 1976 Reynolds 753 Tubing SBDU TI-Raleigh Road Frames

August 14, 2016August 22, 2017 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

This is the post I’ve been most looking forward to writing and also fearing with equal measure… Reynolds 753 was a tube set that took the bicycle world by storm. It had unrivaled strength while being ultra light and thin for a steel tube. It is probably the most mis-understood tube set and the one that has the most stories connected to it.

Reynolds 531 Double Butted Tube Spec TI-Raleigh SBDU Ilkeston Post Header

Blog/Featured Posts/Literature/Reynolds 531 Information/Reynolds Tubing/SBDU Ilkeston/Timeline

1974 to 1975 Reynolds 531 Tubing SBDU TI-Raleigh Road Frames

June 19, 2016January 29, 2017 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

I’ve wanted to write this post for a while, and I’ve tried to start and structure it a few times, but it has been difficult getting to grips with the scale of the subject. There was often either too much conflicting information or sometimes a complete lack of information about Reynolds tubes. Hopefully I’ve got a good grasp now, although it has still taken longer than expected to get all of this out of my head and crammed into a short, informative and hopefully coherent blog post.

Tag: Tube Investments