Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

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Valbrona
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by Valbrona »

Bicycler wrote:It's not necessarily a bad idea to buy a mountain bike the same size as a road bike for use as a tourer.


Can be a long stretch to the bars.

Bicycler wrote: I just pity the boys (especially) who tried actual mountain biking on those field gate, horizontal top tube frames.


Blame the people who were making the field gates. The likes of Raleigh and Claud Butler were clueless in the early days of UK-built MTBs.
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meic
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by meic »

They may not win any prizes as a MTB but they are a pretty ideal all-rounder bike.

I have done 23,000 miles on my 1980's Raleigh MTB, in which time it has been a fully loaded workhorse, towed a baby trailer and then Tag-A-Long, done MTB trails including a black one, international touring, many Audaxes and countless major shopping trips.

The 531 AT tubing is rugged but lightweight, it has my total confidence.

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Bicycler
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by Bicycler »

The top tubes of the 80s bikes (at least the ones sold to people other than actual mountain bike racers) weren't generally excessively long. It was once you got into the 90s that all that happened. I have a sweet spot for those old raleighs. Daft colour schemes etc. I'm loth to criticise those British manufacturers. They may not have known much about mountain biking but they knew how to build solid and versatile bikes, which is probably what people buying them actually wanted and why we still seek them out now.
Brucey
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by Brucey »

Valbrona wrote:Your picture doesn't really show what size it is, but there is only a wee bit of seatpost showing.


if you can't see the whole picture get a different browser or try pressing 'CTRL -' a few times.

The headtube is at least 7" long; that makes the frame about 23" in a typical MTB.

I was riding trails in the 1970s on a bike a built myself. After a break from it I bought my first 'proper mountain bike' in about 1987. It was a claud butler built with 501 AT main tubes and CrMo stays; it had a horizontal top tube (it had to, it was built with lugs) and I bought it about 2" -3" smaller than my road bike/touring bike would have been at the time. Yes, a sloping top tube would have been better in some ways but the actual 'extra vegetable clearance' I get on such a frame today is only about an extra 1" or 1-1/2" or so; worth having for sure but not necessary for 99% of the time; I did a lot of miles on that bike; I rode it for about ten years or so and I only ever used it with clips and straps, too! I had a Kona Lave Dome for a couple of years (in about 1993-1995) but in the end I flogged that and kept the CB; it was (and indeed still is) a better bike overall.

As another poster has commented, such frames make great workhorses and (unlike many later MTB frame designs) are both shorter in the TT so will accept dropped bars and with the higher seat stays they also accept a rack and panniers better too. If you really want to lug a big load, they make a more capable machine than an old Galaxy IMHO. If you just want to carry 10-15kg on good roads then an 'ordinary touring bike' is probably a better choice, but for heavier loads and/or rougher roads I think a converted MTB edges it.

cheers
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Thistle
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by Thistle »

Thanks Brucey - I am hoping to do some extended heavily loaded trips eventually so maybe it would be the way to go.
andy753
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by andy753 »

Yes, this should be a comfortable frame with the right tyres - it will be heavy by comparison to alu 7005 or 6061 but much more comfortable. I ride a Reynolds 525 winter bike and I love it - it weighs a ton but I can ride it all day!
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Paulatic
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by Paulatic »

Here's a similar one I finished building last week. Based on a 93 Orange Clockwork frame. I'm 6ft and the frame measures 20.5"
Setting off for Perthshire tomorrow morning so should be well tested next weekImageImage
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Thistle
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by Thistle »

Nice, you'll have to let us know how it goes!!

So would something like this be more suitable? I wouldn't want to pay £100 for it, but is this the kind of thing I should be looking out for, or are those wheels 700c?

Image

Image
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gaz
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by gaz »

It's hard to be certain from those pictures and the ones on ebay but I think the wheels are 700C. It does have brazings for a rear rack and low-riders although the bottom eyelets appear to be shared with the mudguards. Guestimate early to mid-90's model, I can't make out the model type that appears on the toptube, seat tube might read 501-LX which doesn't help.

Chain is quite rusted, chainrings and rear mech are filthy. Rear carrier looks more commute than expedition. If everything is mechanically sound under the grime and you're happy with 700C then IMO there's a significant "Dawes" premium in that price tag. Definitely a case of view before you buy.
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Thistle
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by Thistle »

Thanks Gaz, after looking a bit more I was thinking along the same lines.
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gaz
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by gaz »

Cracked it - Dawes Synthesis 501-LX. There's a clean one pictured here although it's a different year: http://forum.poehali.net/index.php?boar ... adid=85363
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Thistle
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by Thistle »

Nice work!! So 26" or no?
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gaz
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by gaz »

No, the Synthesis range were all 700C hybrids.
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Thistle
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by Thistle »

Thank you kindly!
Brucey
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Re: Reynolds 500 all terrain for touring or not?

Post by Brucey »

the synthesis models were quite nice bikes. Obviously this far down the line the whole thing could be wrecked by now but they can ride quite well and they will take a fair amount of luggage (even if that rack won't). If you think of a Dawes horizon but with flat bars you wouldn't be far wrong.

Back in the day the LX cranks (which I think are fitted here) and rear mech were good quality stuff, a cut above most of other kit.

cheers
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