I’ve been seeing posts on G+ in the Mountain Bike group by a guy who customizes his bike to make it lighter. I’ve frequently found myself thinking he must be the epitomy of weight weenie and considered posting on here about him a few times, but have held back…

Until now:

Yes, that’s right, he’s now lopped off a few inches of front fork stanchion to save a few grams 😯

https://plus.google.com/+SebKMTB/posts/CPv5brDhWBK

Apparently the bike is under 6kg now.

I think that’s the same SebK that posted on weight weenies.

Very odd character…

More shocked that people actually use Google Plus.

Google+ is horrendous.

Tried to follow what he was doing but gave up!

I was trying to think how that could possibly still work…. then I read “considering I was no longer using the rebound damper the right stanchion has no other use”

So there’s the answer – it doesn’t.

That window sill is minging.

So the Guy’s built a 6kg death trap that doesn’t perform well to impress some other weirdos on the internet, well I guess everyone needs a hobby…

But, the whole point of losing weight is to make a faster, more efficient bike, he’s created a slower, less efficient bike, which just happens to weigh less.

which just happens to weigh less

weightweenie innit. Performance doesn’t come into it.

I had an argument a while ago with someone about show cars, where to avoid unsightly leaks people would build the engines dry, or even devoid of internals completely, meaning you can’t run the engine.

My argument was that if you deliberately build it in a way that means you can’t drive it, it’s no longer a car, it’s a 1:1 scale model of a car.

This bike is following the same principle. May as well make the forks from carved balsa wood.

Sundayjumper – Member

This bike is following the same principle. May as well make the forks from carved balsa wood.

His argument is that he runs them at super high pressure, so they’re not-quite-as-bad-as-a-rigid. And he only rides in the park.

He’s destroyed a nice set of forks, basically.

He’s destroyed a nice set of forks, basically.

…which will eventually be on eBay described as ‘mint’ and ‘perfect working order’.

Has he confused bushings for dust seals. He reckons there is still stanchion beneath the bushing – err no there isn’t. Your fork will at some point turn into a lefty when you least expect it – A lefty with a very floppy front wheel and no damping.

Teach me!!!!

Apparently the bike is under 6kg now.

Which, coincidentally, is the amount of weight he’s going to lose when he’s in hospital being fed through a tube.

His argument is that he runs them at super high pressure,

Well he’s lost that argument. Would be lighter if me ran them under a vacuum.

And he only rides in the park.

This backs up thestabilisers comment – perhaps he cruises for victims!

Murdery +1

1st thought, I hope he wears a mask with all that alu dust around.

2nd thought – he’s Jason Voorhees

ndthornton – Member
Has he confused bushings for dust seals. He reckons there is still stanchion beneath the bushing – err no there isn’t.

I think it would (just) reach the bottom of the top bushing, if you allow for a bit of sag. But yeah, it’s stupid and dangerous

Fine line with some stuff like this, on the one hand I think “fair play to him, he doesn’t really want to ride his bike, just ‘show’ it, and he’s done some mad things to it”, then I think “what a muppet”, and I probably rest there.

I recall a guy on MTBR 5 years ago or so who had a very very blue Ibis Mojo which was something like 18lbs – he had 250g rims, having put his ZTR Race rims in an acid bath. His USP was about it being the lightest 6″ travel trail bike going, but I’d far sooner ride my XC hardtail on anything more than a pavement!

I also recall (and have just Googled for) a bloke on WW who spent hours with a Dremel ‘tuning’ an XT mech before sand blasting it, and that I do think is awesome! Free (man hours aside), no performance downside, but ends up with something truly unique.

Damp is obviously an issue as he has a dehumidifier type thing on the windowsill too. Clearly not very effective given the amount of mould on the frame!

Cheers, Rich

Yes. He’s not really out to impress anyone much – just doing it for the hell of it. Obsessive behaviour? Or just a hobby? No different to building ships in bottles or collecting something stupid. Just what people do.

There was a guy in a mag article 20(?) years ago – probably MBUK. Holes drilled the length of his cranks, cheap plastic brake levers (because they were lighter), saddle held on with a hose clip (lighter than a bolt) etc. I always did wonder which bit failed first – and what happened when it did. Would’ve made a good follow-up article.

I’ve worked with people like this, immaculate bikes/cars/motorbikes but non existent personal and domestic hygiene. Nutters, but in the best possible way.

Someone sent me a link to one of his threads on WeightWeenies.

He’s a bit special isn’t he.

No idea how the stuff actually works, just likes cutting chunks out of it. Like drillium on acid.

Wow. Why doesn’t he just fit a rigid fork? Without the support from the lower bush, those are just going to bind.

Nutter.

His house looks a bit ‘murdery’

Yeah, I thought it was a bit ‘Hostel’ too.

(Just get rigid forks?)

Has he confused bushings for dust seals. He reckons there is still stanchion beneath the bushing – err no there isn’t. Your fork will at some point turn into a lefty when you least expect it – A lefty with a very floppy front wheel and no damping.

+1 million! 😮

There’s people building lighter bikes from off the shelf parts. The ideas and passion are alright but a bit misguided at times

weightweenie innit

Don’t bring Weightweenies (as in the OG site) in to it 🙂 The site banned him.

He’s not really out to impress anyone much

You need to read the Weightweenie and MTBR threads that ultimately saw him banned from both. The G+ posts whinging about how no-one said hello to him when he first joined WW are another highlight 🙄

It’s art, basically, not bike building. Hopefully it’s sufficiently obviously mad that nobody copies it…

TBH I do like a bit of weightweenying but there can be craft in it; building a bike light without sacrificing usability, or building a bike light without spending a fortune. This just takes it off in another direction- how light can you go with no constraints at all.

Do like that XT mech njee.

Banned from weightweenies! Lol!

It’s art, basically, not bike building. Hopefully it’s sufficiently obviously mad that nobody copies it…

Have to say I think the bike is pretty ugly.

BUt really not the ultimate weight weenie. Theres many rigid forks that weight half what he’s butchered those down to.

Even if you account for a slightly wider rim and tyre its still lighter and will actually ride like an actual bike.

But yes, I realise that’s not the point…

Just reading some of his threads on WW. He’s a character eh?! Very weird. Definitely not the ultimate weight weenie, it seems more like indiscriminate filing of odd parts.

Very odd choice of frame too.

Link to a thread anyone? I like a good nutter.

Have you seen the thread where he put rigid forks on a full suss?

Now that was a great thread!

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=135256

Yes, a lot of entertainment.

That’s the best one I found.

Some of Google+ stuff is funny too, his ‘followers’ seem broadly to be people who are bemused by what he’s doing, but don’t understand why it’s bad! On Kettle Cycles horrendous carbon rotors “won’t they catch fire lol that would be bad?”

Slightly different calibre of user to WW, which once you filter through the idiots with too much money actually has some really clever people!

One of his posts from a few weeks ago mentions steroid type drugs. Might explain his WW postings……….

Blimey, just had a quick look at the linked thread – he’s one short step away from “chickenshit poltroons” isn’t he ? 😀

I only read the last couple of pages, but I think people were being a bit mean – he’s definitely got some issues, but the way people were tackling some of the things he said was only ever going to back him into a corner and create more issues.
It’s clearly a massive part of his life – I’d be inclined to be much more gentle with him.

That front mech njee posted looks great!

I had a quick squizz at those Sid forks.

He’s removed the rebound assembly as he apparently no longer needs it! That rigid forked Stumpy is up there with those mid 00s All Mountain bikes you see on eBay with six jockey wheels bolted randomly to suspension linkages and three chains.

Just imagine the unholy combination of flex, uncontrolled rebound and steering imprecision. There’s a visit to A&E there for sure.

Surely a bowl of All Bran is a cheaper and safer way to losing a few grammes where it counts?