2

I have just bought a Reynolds 531 Simplex bike frame and noticed the left chainstay and right seatstay look slightly bent at the dropouts. The right dropout appears to be incompletely inserted into the seatstay although it feels secure. Are they bent? Would it be straightforward for me to bend them back?

View of the dropouts from above

View of the dropouts from behind

(Click images to view larger.)

Bolt alignment looks good near the centre of the dropouts,

Dropout alignment test for the centre of the dropouts

but is bad at the deepest part of the dropouts,

Dropout alignment test for the deepest part of the dropouts

Improve this question
2
  • 2
    It's kind of hard to judge of the photos but I would 100% suggest they should be at least parallel.
    – Hursey
    Commented Jun 5, 2023 at 21:08
  • Can you describe what the bolt pictures you've added are showing? One shows the bolts lined up almost perfectly, the other shows them slightly misaligned. But I can't discern what's causing the difference.
    – Andrew Henle
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 22:21

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
1

Hard to tell from photos, but you should check the parallelism by using an axle or two suitably-sized bolts.

You'll need a pair of identical bolts and nuts to match, that will fit inside the dropouts. Each bolt should be around 60-65mm long. Put one in each slot so the head is outward, and the tips are almost but not touching.

Look closely and this will show if the two bolts are aimed at each other and this directly correlates to the dropout's alignment. Though do be mindful that the dropout slot ends may not be perfect - you have threaded stop-bolts one of which has been bend hard.

I'd anticipate misalignment based on that bent stop-bolt.

Improve this answer
4
  • Thank you for your detailed response. I will try the method you suggest to check the alignment of the dropouts. If you found them to be parallel, would you leave the stays alone? The stays look bent to me, and I find the appearance of the right (drive side) dropout concerning because it appears to be falling out of the chainstay (as seen in the picture) even though it feels secure. Perhaps I'm worrying about nothing...
    – Ted Burgess
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 13:45
  • @TedBurgess Wash the joint and inspect closely under strong light. I bet its brazed and the braze has shrunk down inside when manufactured. This would be supported if the paint is smooth and undamaged in that spot. Sure its ugly and the framebuilder could have done better, but if its not loose is likely fine. After all its 40+ years old and survived this long.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 19:37
  • @TedBurgess if the dropouts were not flat I'd consider bending them back with pliers, or perhaps gentle hammer taps. Do it a bit at a time and avoid over bending. If it suddenly gets all soft, then the frame is ruined. However steel frames can take a lot of rework. The chain-stays (round tubes from BB to Dropout) are often curvy to allow for tyre and chain clearances. The dropout plates themselves should be completely flat and parallel to each other.
    – Criggie ♦
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 19:42
  • 1
    Thanks again for your comments. I've added a couple more pictures showing the results of the test you suggested. The dropout alignment looks fine in the middle of the dropouts and at the shallowest part. I couldn't get the bolts to align properly at the deepest part of the dropouts, but I suppose this shouldn't be a problem unless the axle has to sit that deep. It looks like I should leave the dropouts alone.
    – Ted Burgess
    Commented Jun 6, 2023 at 22:20

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.