| Material | Low Alloy Carbon Steel | Manufacturing Process | Seamed |
| Weight | ~2400 gr. About the same as Columbus SP tubing | Main Tube Butting | Butted
Straight Gauge |
Ateliers de la Rive, based near St Etienne, France, started making tubes in 1931. Durifort was the name of their lower priced tubing from the 1930s through the early 1980s. It was made of heat treated seamed tubes using a high strength low alloy carbon steel. It was similar to Reynolds "A Quality" tubing. The 3 main tubes were drawn and butted which eliminated any shortcomings from the seams. Those tubes had a thickness of 1.1mm at the butted ends and 0.7mm in the non-butted areas. Durifort butted tube sets were about the same weight as Columbus SP tubing and Reynolds 531 "Sprint" tube sets.
There was also cold drawn Rubis 888 straight gage main tubes made out of the same steel. The 888 indicated that the wall thickness was 0.8mm thick throughout. It was used on lower end French performance bikes up to the early 1970s. There was a yellow oval Rubis 888 frame decal but it was rarely used.
The 1976 Ateliers de la Rive tubing catalog only listed straight gage Durifort but the butted version was produced into the 1980s.
By the late 1970s French bike makers were building frames with the then new Durifort 888 stickers. These frames were made with Durifort forks and stays with straight gage "Rubis 888" (Durifort) main tubes. Later there was Durifort 788, 988, 999 and so on tubing which indicated the wall thicknesses of the main tubes.
By the early 80s Durifort was replaced by the stronger Vitus 172 tubing which had approximately the same wall thicknesses but was approximately 30% stronger - in the range of Reynolds 531. It was available butted or in the same straight gage wall thicknesses as straight gage Durifort.
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