 Reynolds Technology logo | |
| Formerly |
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|---|---|
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Metallic tubing and shaped parts manufacturing |
| Founded | 1898 in Birmingham, England |
| Founder | John Reynolds |
| Headquarters | , |
| Products |
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| Website | reynoldstechnology |
Reynolds Technology is a manufacturer of tubing for bicycle frames and other bicycle components based in Birmingham, England established in 1898.
The Reynolds Tube Company was founded in 1898 by John Reynolds in Birmingham, England, [1] but traces its origins back to 1841 when John Reynolds set up a company manufacturing nails. [2] In 1897, the company patented the process for making butted tubes, [3] which are thicker at the ends than in the middle, this allowed frame builders to create frames that were both strong and lightweight. Reynolds introduced the double-butted tube-set 531 in 1934. [1]
The Patent Butted Tube Co., Ltd., the predecessor of the present company, was spun off from John Reynolds' original company in 1898. In 1923 the Patent Butted Tube Co., Ltd changed its name to Reynolds Tube Co., Ltd. and retained this name up until 1928 when it was acquired by Tube Investments, Ltd and became TI Reynolds 531 Ltd.
In 1996 Coyote Sports Inc., a privately held company based in Boulder, Colorado acquired TI Reynolds 531 Ltd. resulting in a name change to Reynolds Cycle Technology Ltd. In 2006 the company underwent another name change to Reynolds Technology Ltd., reflecting the increasing revenues from diversification into "new" sectors for tubing outside the cycle industry.
When Coyote Sports entered Chapter 11 reorganization, a management buy-out resulted in the company returning to its base in the UK.
Reynolds has over the years developed a number of steel alloys, most notably Reynolds 531, which has a high strength and can be made into strong, but lightweight tubes for bicycle frames. Before the introduction of more exotic materials such as aluminium, titanium or composites, Reynolds was considered the dominant maker of high end materials for bicycle frames, with 27 winners of the Tour de France winning the race riding on Reynolds tubing. [4] The Raleigh Bicycle Company of Nottingham, England was a big customer for Reynolds 531 tubing used in their racing cycle range.
Reynolds 531 has now been largely replaced in new frames by still-better steels. The latest, for race or sports frames, is Reynolds 953. [5] Reynolds worked closely with Carpenter Speciality Alloys to develop 953. It started reaching frame builders in 2005. [6] 953 is based on a specially developed maraging steel stainless steel alloy that can achieve a tensile strength in excess of 2000 MPa (853 is around 1400 MPa), giving a good strength-to-weight ratio. Because of the high strength of the steel, extremely thin tube walls (down to 0.3 mm) can be used, thus reducing the weight. [7] Reynolds 953 is no longer being sold due to supply chain issues.
A U.S. division called Reynolds Composites was created to manufacture composite components.
A bicycle frame is the main component of a bicycle, onto which wheels and other components are fitted. The modern and most common frame design for an upright bicycle is based on the safety bicycle, and consists of two triangles: a main triangle and a paired rear triangle. This is known as the diamond frame. Frames are required to be strong, stiff and light, which they do by combining different materials and shapes.
Reynolds 531 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. It is one of a number of tubing types developed by Reynolds.
Maraging steels are steels that possess superior strength and toughness without losing ductility. Aging refers to the extended heat-treatment process. These steels are a special class of very-low-carbon ultra-high-strength steels that derive their strength from precipitation of intermetallic compounds rather than from carbon. The principal alloying metal is 15 to 25 wt% nickel. Secondary alloying metals, which include cobalt, molybdenum and titanium, are added to produce intermetallic precipitates.
Titanium alloys are alloys that contain a mixture of titanium and other chemical elements. Such alloys have very high tensile strength and toughness. They are light in weight, have extraordinary corrosion resistance and the ability to withstand extreme temperatures. However, the high cost of processing limits their use to military applications, aircraft, spacecraft, bicycles, medical devices, jewelry, highly stressed components such as connecting rods on expensive sports cars and some premium sports equipment and consumer electronics.
Miyata is a Japanese manufacturer of bicycles, unicycles and fire extinguishers. The company has been in operation since 1890. Miyata was also one of the first producers of motorcycles in Japan under the name Asahi. The Asahi AA was the first mass-produced motorcycle in Japan.
Lugged steel frame construction is a method of building bicycle frames using steel tubing mated with socket-like sleeves, called lugs. For most of the bicycle's history, steel has been the primary material for bicycle frames, with lugged construction the primary assembling method. Steel continues in use by builders of high-quality steel frames, though its dominance as a frame material has waned since the mid-1990s displaced largely by aluminum and carbon fiber; lugging has been displaced by TIG welding.
6061 aluminium alloy is a precipitation-hardened aluminium alloy, containing magnesium and silicon as its major alloying elements. Originally called "Alloy 61S", it was developed in 1935. It has good mechanical properties, exhibits good weldability, and is very commonly extruded. It is one of the most common alloys of aluminium for general-purpose use.
7075 aluminium alloy (AA7075) is an aluminium alloy with zinc as the primary alloying element. It has excellent mechanical properties and exhibits good ductility, high strength, toughness, and good resistance to fatigue. It is more susceptible to embrittlement than many other aluminium alloys because of microsegregation, but has significantly better corrosion resistance than the alloys from the 2000 series. It is one of the most commonly used aluminium alloys for highly stressed structural applications and has been extensively used in aircraft structural parts.
41xx steel is a family of SAE steel grades, as specified by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE). Alloying elements include chromium and molybdenum, and as a result these materials are often informally referred to as chromoly steel. They have an excellent strength to weight ratio and are considerably stronger and harder than standard 1020 steel, but are not easily welded, requiring thermal treatment both before and after welding to avoid cold cracking.
Columbus Tubi is a manufacturer of steel tubing used in bicycle frames, located in Settala, in the Province of Milan. The company was founded in 1919 by A.L. Colombo and was taken over by Colombo's youngest son, Antonio, in 1977. It is now a division of Gruppo SPA, which also owns the bicycle manufacturer Cinelli.
Copper–tungsten is a mixture of copper and tungsten. As copper and tungsten are not mutually soluble, the material is composed of distinct particles of one metal dispersed in a matrix of the other one. The microstructure is therefore rather a metal matrix composite instead of a true alloy.
A tube, or tubing, is a long hollow cylinder used for moving fluids or to protect electrical or optical cables and wires.
7005 is an aluminium wrought alloy used in bicycle frames. Due to its relative ease of welding, it does not require expensive heat treating. It is, however, harder to form, making manufacture more challenging. It has an Ultimate Tensile Strength of 350 MPa, a Fatigue Strength of 150 MPa and a density of 2.78 g/cm3. It does not need to be precipitation hardened, but can be cooled in air.
6005 aluminium alloy is an alloy in the wrought aluminium-magnesium-silicon family. It is closely related, but not identical, to 6005A aluminium alloy. The main difference between the two alloys is that 6005 has a higher minimum composition percentage of aluminium than 6005A. The most common forming method is extrusion. It can also be forged or rolled, but as a wrought alloy it is not used in casting. It is commonly heat treated to produce tempers with a higher strength at the expense of ductility.
6005A aluminium alloy is an alloy in the wrought aluminium-magnesium-silicon family. It is closely related, but not identical, to 6005 aluminium alloy. Between those two alloys, 6005A is more heavily alloyed, but the difference does not make a marked impact on material properties. It can be formed by extrusion, forging or rolling, but as a wrought alloy it is not used in casting. It cannot be work hardened, but is commonly heat treated to produce tempers with a higher strength at the expense of ductility.
6060 aluminium alloy is an alloy in the wrought aluminium-magnesium-silicon family. It is much more closely related to the alloy 6063 than to 6061. The main difference between 6060 and 6063 is that 6063 has a slightly higher magnesium content. It can be formed by extrusion, forging or rolling, but as a wrought alloy it is not used in casting. It cannot be work hardened, but is commonly heat treated to produce tempers with a higher strength but lower ductility.
6105 aluminium alloy is an alloy in the wrought aluminium-magnesium-silicon family. It is one of the least common of the alloys in this series. While most wrought aluminium alloys are covered by multiple standards, 6105 is only dealt with in ASTM B221: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Extruded Bars, Rods, Wire, Profiles, and Tubes. It is formed by extrusion, and supplied in heat treated form. It can alternately referred to by the UNS designation A96105.
6162 aluminium alloy is an alloy in the wrought aluminium-magnesium-silicon family. It is related to 6262 aluminium alloy in that Aluminum Association designations that only differ in the second digit are variations on the same alloy. It is similar to 6105 aluminium alloy, both in alloy composition and the fact that it is only really used in extrusions. However, as a wrought alloy, it can also be formed by rolling, forging, and similar processes, should the need arise. It is supplied in heat treated form. It can be referred to by the UNS designation A96162, and is covered by the standard ASTM B221: Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Extruded Bars, Rods, Wire, Profiles, and Tubes.
The 6463 aluminium alloy is an aluminium alloy in the wrought aluminium-magnesium-silicon family. It is related to 6063 aluminium alloy, but unlike 6063 it is generally not formed using any processes other than extrusion. It is commonly heat treated to produce tempers with a higher strength but lower ductility. Like 6063, it is often used in architectural applications.
The Schwinn Paramount was a high-end racing bicycle produced under the Schwinn Bicycle Company brand from 1938 through 2009.
