http://reynoldstechnology.biz/our_materials_853.php

It has added pixie dust.

My 853 inbred feels the same as my standard ones…

TBH there are so many 853 tube options that a custom built frame will feel different to an off the shelf built for everyone type of frame. I agree that an off the shelf frame built with 853 will feel no different to an inferior tube if built with the same diameter tubing and geometry but a well built custom frame with tubing to match your weight and riding style will.

Its a nice sticker
http://reynoldstechnology.biz/assets/pdf/rtl_replacement_decals.pdf

it's very strong, so you can make the tube walls a bit thinner, which makes the frame a bit lighter, and a bit more flexible.

that's about it…

It is another one of those small variables that makes up the whole experience. Geometry, wheel choice, tyre choice and pressure, fork setup and bar and stem length could easily mask something so subtle so I think you would have to really know your onions to hand on heart know it was the type of steel that was making the difference.

That said I love my 853 Niner Sir9 but that is certainly no proof – might have been nice made out of gas pipe.

Materials

"The chemistry of air-hardening steels like our 853 and 631 means that not only are they stronger than typical chrome-alloy 4130 type steels, but after TIG o r MIG welding, the heat-affected zone (HAZ) will be significantly stronger due to the grain structure formed on cooling in air. The positive result from this is a higher fatigue life for the joint – usually 30-60% better than an equivalent Cr-Mo joint. So less material can be used to achieve a particular target fatigue performance."

From my personal (lay) perspective….

My Soul is a wonderfully compliant ride that whips up climbs and is very forgiving on the downs – I agree with Pike ^^ that it does almost feel that you could be riding a soft tail.

My Pipedream is far harsher. More akin to one of my non 853 framed hardtails.

I guess though they both should be pretty tough.

Tube Size has greater effect than material.

But stronger materials means thinner/smaller tubes can be used.

853 is stronger than everything else (except 953) allowing designer more flexibility in design. (i.e. for more strength, more stiffness, or light-weight or comfort etc)

Hence why 2 different bikes made from 853 can feel radically different.

It's still a nice sticker and a good industry standard for top end quality steel.

😀

Available but still not widely used and even if they were, other tubes have at least as much influence on how the bike feels (springiness) as the stays which are relatively short and well supported (triangulated). Plus, unless you use really very thin walled ones, chances are they'll just be stronger rather than more flexy.

"its own 4130 tubes which in turn are made to a higher spec than the reynolds spec for 525"

not quite – Founderland make it to Reynolds' specs for dimensional accuracy and tolerances etc so they should be the same, taking wear of dies etc into account

531 is mag-moly, 525 + 520 + DN6 + 4130 are all cro-molys. different alloys so different properties for elongation, UTS etc. 5** = not sure, posts's been swear-edited maybe!?

there is no way to tell between 531 and 4130 if all tube dims are the same, they will ride the same. only difference is durability. so what people feel as a beter tube is in reality a different tube dimension flexing more or less, depending on your preferences.

But if that's not just in your mind, it doesn't mean it's because of the Overbury's specifc tubing model itself compared to the Diamondback's 🙄

The two bikes don't have the same geometry, design, tube diameters, wall thicknesses, butting and so on and that's before even considering the different tyres, components and so on.

clubbers right, 4130 is only gaspipe if you spec a 38×1.2mm PG top and down tube, for example. if you could buy 532 in that size it would feel crap too.

dimensions affect ride feel, material affects strength.

You should try – it's springier than 853, stiffer, lighter and faster. And more comfortable, better at absorbing shock and 152% better at transmitting power.

I stand corrected I misread 531 as 525/520

And having ridden a DMR switchback and On-One 456 back to back with identical builds (everything was swapped over) I can safely say the 456 and DMR ride completely differenly. Funny that becasue if it were down to the steel sticker they should be entirely the same (ones 520, the other DN^, both rebadged 4130).

Edric, with respect, the sticker isn't affecting what you feel, it's the frame's design. you can feel a difference in the frames yes, but if you made that 501 frame from 531 and didn't change any dimensions at all, it'd feel the same. the 531 version would probably last longer on an EN jig tho.

worth reading Scott Nichol's metalurgy for cyclists essays online – very well written frame engineering fudamentals.

Now that is just plain bollocks, it's 163.5% better.

thisisnotaspoon, that ride experiment says it all huh.

If you include butting profiles, diameters and wall thicknesses then yes. And it'd weigh the same. It'd be weaker though.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/41xx_steel

4130 contains a small (1%) amount of chrome IIRC in comparison