# A sin to cut up bike w/ Fuji Valite DB tubing?



## lml1x

Does anybody know how Fuji's double-butted Valite 212 tubing stacks up to say something like Reynolds 531? I have an old Fuji that I was planning on cutting up and using the tubing to practice brazing. Nothing wrong w/ the bike other than I already have other bikes to ride, it doesn't fit me, and it's cosmetically beat up. However, I'd hate to be cutting up something for practice tubing if it's actually nice tubing.


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## OperaLover

*Cut it up!*

Valite was a lower quality tube in the line up after good old DB cro mo.


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## fbagatelleblack

OperaLover said:


> Valite was a lower quality tube in the line up after good old DB cro mo.


Valite is actually a chrome-vandium alloy of steel. It's pretty good stuff - arguable on par with R531 (I can see the flames a-comin' for that comment already...)

That said, there are roughly 50 bazillion Valite frames out there, so you won't be using up a scarce resource. If you had to choose between cutting up a frame made of 1020 high tensile steel and cutting up a Valite frame, I'd cut up the Hi-Ten frame. If the Valite frame is the only one you've got... cut away and braze until your heart is contented.

There is one advantage of practicing on a Valite frame. It will have thinner-walled tubes than a hi-ten frame, so it will heat up faster, more like an R531 or cro-moly frame. So practicing on it will be more like practicing on a really high quality frame.


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## lml1x

I've practicing with beat up box store bikes. The tubing is thicker than the Columbus SLX I'm planning to use for my real frame. So I'm actually glad that Valite is decent stuff since it'll better approximate what it'll be like when I get to my SLX and also that I won't be cutting up collectible. Thanks all!


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