I hear variants of "plush" used when folks discuss steel and particularly 531 but I'm not sure what to make of it. I have 6 bikes with 531 frames and I ride them all: 1970 Raleigh Pro Mk I, a Falcon San Remo of undetermined age but likely 1969-1971, a 1971 Raleigh International, a 1972 PX-10, a 1972 Paramount, and a 1987 531c Mercian Professional. Sizes are 62-63cm for reference, and most of them run Compass or similar Panaracer tires. Each has different characteristics related to how the bike responds to steering effort delivered at the front end or through shifting weight/center of gravity, and a general sense of what I'll call rigidity. Perhaps it's because they're all the same base material, but I wonder if geometry, wheelbase, and tires makes more of a difference than materials. They all feel "comfortable" but the range is significant. The PX10 and the Falcon have a strong self-centering steering feel and the PX10 requires more effort to change direction. I'd say "steady and predictable". At the other end of the spectrum the Mercian has criterium geometry and feels very light, the steering is super responsive and at the same time the whole bike feels more solid/rigid than the others. I didn't like riding it on rough/urban roads until I changed the tires from 23c Michelin Pros to 28c (that barely fit) Soma Supple VItesse. The Raleigh Pro and International fall somewhere towards the PX10 to different degrees, and the Paramount seems to be smack in the middle. FWIW I've had the Mercian since it was new and if I could only keep one, that would be it.
Anecdotally, the International was the first of the above I added to the fleet some 7 years ago after a friend convinced me to buy the frame. I built it to more or less the catalog spec and took a first ride with him. As we came up to a small pothole on a descent I used my Mercian reflexes to shift the bike around it and ended up sailing right through it...not enough "oomph" for that setup! Andy On Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 8:08:22 AM UTC-4 lconley wrote: > How about a plush NEW 531 frame - my Pashley Guv'nor 3 speed (shifter > mounted on seatpost). I need to measure the frame angles on this. I have > switched to a Sturmey Archer Dyno-Hub w/90mm drum brake from the standard > front 70mm drum brake since this picture was taken. > > [image: IMG_1535s.jpg] > > Laing > > On Wednesday, June 28, 2023 at 7:27:38 AM UTC-4 wboe...@gmail.com wrote: > >> This thread makes me appreciate my vintage 531 bike all the more. It's a >> Raleigh Lenton Gran Prix from the 60s. Shod with Barlow Pass, it truly >> floats over everything. Set up as a simple 3-speed path racer, it reduces >> the riding experience to simple moving along. I've been thinking about >> having a low-rider single-sided rack made to fit the lamp bracket and >> fender boss but have not gotten around to it. >> >> [image: 20230131_155539 (1).jpg] >> >> On Monday, June 26, 2023 at 7:39:33 PM UTC-4 mr.wa...@gmail.com wrote: >> >>> Patrick was correct on the bracket on the fork of the Jack Taylor. That >>> was the bracket for the headlamp. The fitting on the top of the stem is an >>> integral center-pull brake cable hanger and adjuster. I had it set up with >>> some long reach Mafac brakes and it worked beautifully. Here's a close-up. >>> The rear brake hanger was nicely done as well. >>> >>> [image: DSCF9308.jpeg][image: DSCF9310.jpeg] >>> [image: DSCF9311.jpeg] >>> >>> On Monday, June 26, 2023 at 3:57:49 PM UTC-7 Garth wrote: >>> >>>> [image: P1011691.JPG] >>>> >>>> >>>> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/aca5676e-9f92-4118-a529-2b30e91ed290n%40googlegroups.com.
