News & Events

Friday 13th June 2025

30 Years of 853

This year Reynolds celebrates the 30-year anniversary of 853, our premium grade of ferrous steel. 853 is renowned for producing light, stiff, yet supple frames. It offers our customers an improved combination of technical properties, workability, weldability, quality and cost-effectiveness in comparison to other materials. 853 is an air-hardening steel that creates strong tubes that can be drawn very thin to make them light yet extremely tough and durable. These tubes are going into frames built to last.

Strael 4.0 From Fairlight

The Backstory: What Came Before 853?

Before 853, there was 531 and 753, materials that dominated the industry for many years. Back in 1935, our high strength material was ‘Reynolds 531’ which was used in high end bikes for many decades and was considered a revolutionary innovation in that era. Years later from 1976, ‘Reynolds 753’ took it’s stride as the first heat-treated tube-set with further weight reductions for the high-level racing bikes which were typically in lugged and brazed frames.

The Begginng of 853

Following this, in the 1990’s Reynolds worked with the German company Benteler on their promising “air-hardening” steel alloy. This alloy was very high strength, and uniquely, when the frame tubing was welded in air and then cooled, the weld joints recrystallised finely leading to improved fatigue. This meant lower frame weight and a longer product life compared to existing alloys.

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Strael 4.0 From Fairlight

The bike industry was increasingly using TIG welded frame designs that could be altered more easily compared to lugs which was very relevant to the growth of mountain biking. We saw a great materials’ application for our next innovation.

We worked tirelessly on the marketing aspect for this new brand. There was much internal debate about the name including “Hammer” (as the material was used in side-impact car door beams) and even the style of the decal. We finally signed off on the distinctive non-rectangular decal style with our corporate black, green and yellow colours and “853” to fit with our “There’s Power In Numbers” tag-line.

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Deka Frame From Medusa Cycles

Will Reynolds Have a Successor to 853?

Although we are always researching new materials, 853 still stands supreme as our prime ferrous steel, with no other materials rising up to offer our customers an improved combination of technical properties, workability, weldability, quality and cost-effectiveness to rival 853 (or 631). We strongly believe that your investment in an 853 frame will continue to be a excellent choice. For 853, 30 years is a testament to the quality of the material, and proof of a good product. We are excited to see what the next 30 years hold, not just for 853, but for all the innovation to come.

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