Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)
  • Alf Engers and his drilled bike.
  • I remember Alf Engers riding the first sub 50 minute 25 mile TT when I was a kid.
    I just looked it up to find out exactly when it was. August 1978, I was 15 years old.
    I looked at a couple of pictures and realised I had forgotten all about the fashion at that time for lightening bikes by drilling holes in them, something that Alf took to the extreme.

    Just look at the chainring, brakes and even seatpost on this. 😯

    It’s a bit clearer on the full size picture.
    http://bikebrothers.co.uk/engers_files/alfscan_pic.jpg

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    Yup, drillium alloy. Still love it.

    Ever seen Merckx’s drilled handlebars?

    gothandy
    Full Member

    and his shoes!

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
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    richcc
    Free Member

    Don’t suppose they realised the havoc they were playing with the aerodynamics…

    Macavity
    Free Member

    He had drilled kneecaps as well.

    cynic-al
    Free Member

    He’s only a wee fella too.

    Don’t suppose they realised the havoc they were playing with the aerodynamics…

    I dunno, dimples help on golf balls.
    Must be an extra 20g of unnecessary toe strap there though.

    piedidiformaggio
    Free Member

    Wasn’t there a kid on the pre hack site who drilled holes in everything including rims and was asking why they collapsed?

    RustySpanner
    Full Member

    Seem to remember Alf Tupper doing something similar in the Victor when challenged to a bike race, as he couldn’t afford a posh bike – obviously, being a welder as well as a superb athlete, the bike held up and he went on to win comfortably.

    I think fish and chips may have been involved as well…….

    Orange-Crush
    Free Member

    Whilst feeding after an event once we were reminiscing about Alf Tupper when one of the guys asked if he was the one with the sister Gertie. I nearly choked on my roll.

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    Anyone else remember the 90s trend for drilling MTB components as well?

    oldgit
    Free Member

    He had drilled kneecaps as well

    I didn’t know that at the time. He won many of the events I rode in. Though not a local bloke, his association with Shorter made him a local.
    We all drilled stuff. I remember taking bits into my old school and drilling them, never risked the seat pillar though. Drilling candidates were – Brake levers, gear levers, rear mech cages, bottom bracket shells, saddles drilled or ‘butchered’ and stirrups were ‘lightened’ even the edges of sunglasses didn’t escape the drill a la Jan Raas.
    Edit; seat pillar detail.

    brakes
    Free Member

    they seem to spare the frame from the drill though?

    MrOvershoot
    Full Member

    Don’t worry oldgit I too took various components into metalwork and drilled the living shit out of them (a few failures later) I worked out that with optimum drilling I could loose 100g!!!
    @ 6’3″ & 12.5 stone I decided that it was a right waste of time so followed Sean Yates and did aero

    RealMan
    Free Member

    Check the stem?

    Elfinsafety
    Free Member

    Yeah but in them days stuff weighed more so drilling holes made a more significant weight saving than if you did it to today’s components. Which fall apart without a drill going near them anyway tbh.

    RealMan
    Free Member

    in them days stuff weighed more so drilling holes made a more significant weight saving than if you did it to today’s components.

    Percentage wise, it would probably be near enough the same.

    epicyclo
    Full Member

    The master at weight paring was Jack Lauterwasser. He was building all steel bikes at 17.5lbs in the late 1920s.

    (Steel cranks, stems, and bars)

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    Reminds me of the Alistair Laurie lightweight triumphs – i can’t find pic of the best of them but he was handy with a drill

Viewing 19 posts - 1 through 19 (of 19 total)

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