IHN – Member
Hang on, did you but the Ritchey? Is jealous
Can I have first dibs on it? Timings perfect, it’s my birthday next month?
Oi! Get in line. I baggsied it before he’d ordered the bloody thing!
(Why do you think I used reverse psychology to suggest it to him in the first place) 😉
If you only needed a 250mm post you could cut the Enve one down, shirley?
Of course you could, but having held and fitted one, it’s a brave and unfeeling mechanic that takes a hack saw to that exquisite finish!
I think the subject of very high end steel frames is interesting. It’s a case in point that form can still win over function and that material value is not the same thing as actual value.
By any objective measure, steel frames, no matter who makes them, can generate numbers that are competitive with Carbon and yet people, myself included, still want to own them because what is not to love?
My Kona Paddy Wagon with the same Ritchey WCS forks, Ultegra brakeset, decent handbuilt wheels and tubs, Ritchey finishing kit and no gears comes in at nine kilos, more with clinchers. I’ll go with that; 9.1 kg.
Plenty of scope for lightness, but now from the Planet X parts box.
geetee1972 my mate has one. Not at all precious with it, all day rides, trail rides, Audax the lot. t is really stunning.
I already know that frame and have seen the pictures of it built on the owner’s Flickr site (he is also the owner of a Leica so clearly a man with money and exquisite taste).
That frame is actually the first example of Anderson Custom Bikes I ever saw and is the one taht caused me to fall in love with Daver Anderson’s artistry. Cool that you know the owner personally. Please pass on my compliments.
I already know that frame and have seen the pictures of it built on the owner’s Flickr site (he is also the owner of a Leica so clearly a man with money and exquisite taste).
That frame is actually the first example of Anderson Custom Bikes I ever saw and is the one taht caused me to fall in love with Daver Anderson’s artistry. Cool that you know the owner personally. Please pass on my compliments.
You don’t buy a steel frame for lightness but because they look ace and ride really nicely
But my 60cm steel framed bike does all of that and weighs less than 7kg fully built with sensible parts.
There are an awful lot of bikes in this thread with fancy tube stickers, which upon further investigation are just 1 or 2 tubes, the rest being scaffold pipe 😮
TheDoctor, hope mine plays nice. First road race of the season on the 8th March, and a dire road course. Hope I don’t go home with egg on my face.
The Lightweights are only being used for crits.
But my 60cm steel framed bike does all of that and weighs less than 7kg fully built with sensible parts.
So lighter than 50% of the bikes that the Pro Tour peleton are riding then? Really? Sub 7kg for a steel framed bike with ‘sensible’ parts? There’s something missing from the picture.
So lighter than 50% of the bikes that the Pro Tour peleton are riding then? Really? Sub 7kg for a steel framed bike with ‘sensible’ parts? There’s something missing from the picture.
Weeeeel
I dont bolt lead weights on it for a start, like most of the “pro peleton” has to! It really isnt difficult to build a bike below 7kg.
Depends on your definition of sensible, Super Record, Ritchey parts and nice Tubs, job done, could be even lighter with SRAM,carbon bars and better wheels. 😛
Must weigh mine. All the parts are from my previous race bike a Giant TCR Advanced Pro, now that was light with sub 1400 wheels.
I’ve moved to steel so waaaay heavier, but I’ve lightened some components and the wheels customised are sub 1000g.
The massive 11/8″ internal to 1.5″ external headset nearly made me weep it’s so heavy.
Question- would it be worthwhile upgrading my PlanetX bars if I was only spending circa 40-50 max? I’d want wide (better for stability?) and a lower depth to the drops. light too? Anything alu thats widely recognised as ‘great’/big bang for your buck?
The Salsa Cowbell looks nice but its CX/prob not suitable? 🙂
Stans race gold 29er wheels just under 1400g and mine are now a about three years old Id guess and been fine
Road wheels extralite in Italy
A second hand bike I got came with some old hyper climb and they have last very well also ,
Neither of the above are cheap but have lasted well and have mostly good spares back up
hora, re: bars, it’s worth finding out* what width/drop/etc. you prefer before getting some ‘nice’ ones.
(*hundreds of kilometers, not a spin around the block).
i’ve got some planet X bars on my commuter, they cost about £15, they weigh 340g.
i’ve got those Ritchey bars on my ‘nice’ bike, they cost ……, they weigh 280g. but, if anything, they’re a bit ‘fat’, so my hands ache ater a few hours. And, i now think they’re a bit too wide (44cm), But i’m reluctant to change them, because they’re ‘nice’ (i’m a berk).
My money’s on Ritchey Evocurve bars. They’re stiff enough to be confident decending, but just enough flex to take the sting out of the road on the hoods/drops, and the drops seem well sized to give enough room for big hands but still have clerance for wrists. There’s not a huge number of bits I’d buy again without reservation but they’re on the list, light too, especialy with the matching 260 stem.
I dont bolt lead weights on it for a start, like most of the “pro peleton” has to! It really isnt difficult to build a bike below 7kg.
Agreed, my CAAD4 is 7.3kg, and that’s been built on the cheep!
cynic-al – Member
Speccing/choosing wheels and Clicking “buy” is easy of course.
It may also be cheap or good value.
The wheels may be durable with readily available spares
Achieving all 3 may not be easy!
The wheels on that bike are 1275g (without QR’s), the spokes are conventional J-bend’s, the rims are Stans, the hubs are cartrige bearings (and so far, reliable), they’re also stiff enough not to rub, comfortable, wide, slightly aero, what more could you ask for? And they cost <£300.
What are those wheels then? Apologies if it is buried in the thread somewhere
Assuming you’re talking to me;
Sokin (novatech) hubs of ebay, also sold as Mr Ride and unbranded versions, often refered to as “288g hubs” I think there’s a 260something.g version now too. 24/28 DT Rev spokes radial front and I think 2x rear, Stans alpha 340 rims.
Took a few goes to egt them built right and they’re not stiff so if not doing it yourself with a lot of paitience and a tension meter then get someone who’s really good at road wheels to do them. The first couple of attempts resulted in straight but not stiff wheels, 3rd time the spoke tension is perfectly even and they’re as stiff as anything else I’ve used (and I’m 100kg).