STOWE EURO PRO

This Stowe EuroPro has a fillet brazed frame built by Robert J. Stowe Jr. (Stowe Cycles, 46 Sager Dr. Rochester, NY 14607-1611) in the mid 90's. The main triangle is constructed from Reynolds 853 while the rear triangle is made out of Reynolds 725.  With the tubular wheelset (Mt. Tabor Bicycle, Portland, OR)  pictured, the complete bike, with pedals,  weighs in at a very respectable 17.5 lbs.  This is my main bike and was assembled painstakingly over the course of a year (2002). Due to the combination of "relaxed" geometry and materials (i.e., carbon fork and mixed Reynolds tubing), the Stowe is the most comfortable and versatile bike I own.
 

TECHNICAL

Reynolds 853 was officially introduced in 1986 and is the successor to the venerable 753 tubeset which was discontinued in 2000. The advantage of 853 over 753 is that it is TIG weldable. 853 was the first commercially available so-called "air-hardened" steel whose strength increases after high temperature brazing or welding, unlike Reynolds 753. 853 has an ultimate tensile stress (UTS) of 200,000 psi.

Reynolds 725 is a heat-treated seamless chrome-molybdenum steel similar to Tange Prestige with a UTS of between 157,000 and 186,000 psi.

In Fillet Brazing the tubes are joined together by brazing alone, no lugs. One advantage of fillet brazing is versatility as any tube size or angle can be employed. Another is that stress risers are small  thus minimizing the possibility of cracks developing near a joint. Fillet brazing is time consuming and this is reflected in the price of the frame.

SPECIFICATIONS

Components:

Headset:
Dia-Compe Ahead.

Brakes:
Dia-Compe BRS-200   (Calipers) and Dura Ace 9 spd. STI (Levers).

Derailleurs:
Shimano Dura Ace 7700 front and back.

Cogset:
Shimano Dura Ace 9 spd. 7700.

Crankset:
Shimano Dura Ace 7700.

BottomBracket:
Shimano Dura Ace 7700.

Pedals:
Shimano Dura Ace SPD-R.

Wheelset:
Mavic Reflex Rims front and back. White Industries hub front, and Zipp Ballistic hub rear. Vittoria Corsa CX tubulars. Salsa titanium skewers.

Stem:
Deda Newton 31.8 mm.

Handlebars:
Deda Newton 31.8 mm.

Seatpost:
USE Alien Carbon.

Saddle:
Fizik Pave.

Frame and Fork:

Frame:
Stowe EuroPro. Fillet brazed Reynolds 853 main triangle and Reynolds 725 rear triangle. S-bend chain stays and  Breezer dropouts. Seat tube (52.5 cm c-to-c). Top tube (55.0 cm c-to-c).

Fork:
AME Alpha Q full carbon.






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