I also prefer the Henry James stainless steel dropouts. Their dropouts complete the rear triangle and fork, giving a smooth, sculptured transition from the frame to the wheel. The stainless steel construction eliminates rust in the most abused areas of the frame. Although Henry James lugs are a great right out of the box, I further thin and shape them to achieve the best possible finish, without sacrificing strength or durability. All joints are meticulously mitered by hand to ensure as tight a joint as possible for the brazing step.
Tighter joints mean a stronger and more durable frame after the silver brazing.
The low temperature properties protects the tube set from being subject to property changing temperatures that can occur using other methods. The fluidity of silver brazing material ensures penetration into finely mitered joints, giving the frame joint increased strength. As a builder, I have been recognized, through testing, by Reynolds as a 753 Certified Master Frame Builder . Only builders carrying this certification are sanctioned by Reynolds to purchase and build frames using their 753 product. This is a 1993 XO-1 that was recently restored.