93 OCLV weightweenie Project *Latest weigh-in pg. 22*

Check out these ultra light DT Titanium spokes on Ebay:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from= ... Categories

Only problem is they are £9.99 each! :shock:

I once built up a light weight Litespeed Ti frame project to try and get to 20lb, cost me thousands and ended up at 20.5lb. I now find anything at around 25lb is ok and reliable.

Interesting build though, I will be following with great interest.

YEEK! I think dropping £640 on spokes might be pushing it! :shock: :shock: :shock:

Rims are sorted, just gotta wait for them to arrive.

The speedplays might be lighter, but I don't think I've ever seen them in real life? Certainly never seen a pair for sale?

As to cost Vs. weight... I've spent too much already! but I don't want to compromise either... dammit. I'm quite pleased that most of the stuff here is relatively easy to come by, nothing has been too arduous to find.

Have I mentioned that it simply *HAS* to look good too? Can't end up looking like a shonky lash up!

Tell us more about the litespeed Shaun, what meant you couldn't lose that last half pound?

Again, thanks for the kind words guys.

I agree with the comments on the wheels, when building my Litespeed, Mavic 230SPB were the lightest rims without spending really silly money at the time. I had them professionally built with Hope ti hubs, DT revolution stainless butted spokes, annodised nipples and matching Hope skewers.

Other kit fitted were a Flite Ti saddle, Raceface XY seatpost, Raceface top end bottom bracket, Raceface Deus XC stem and Raceface Turbine forged cranks and chainrings. Just those few top end items cost me approx. £570 way back in 1998!

Then I added xtr 8speed rear mech, xtr v-brakes, XTR Spuds, xt shifters, xt front mech, xt cassette, top end sram slotted chain, xt cables, double butted lightweight alloy xc bars.

The 3.5lb 18" Litespeed Ti frame was fitted with a Hope headset and Pace RC31 carbon rigid forks.

My only 'extravagance' is a Ringle cage, carbon bar ends, yeti grips and Conti 520g tyres. These last items I could do without, but would make riding a problem. 350g tyres tend to puncture every time, which is not worth it. I use Air Bs which are fine though with good tyres.

...........all adds up to an honest 20.5lb. I have seen others on Retrobike claim weight as low as 18.7lb with a steel frame, but I can't see how this is honestly possible. I have even asked for tips, but I get no answer.

Good luck and I am looking forward to the final weigh-in as I feel every bike enthusiast has to have a go at a light weight project at least once to get it out of their system! :mrgreen:

p.s. when you do get it finally built, nothing can prepare you for just how fast it accelerates and climbs to a 'normal' mountain bike and its worth all the effort and cost for the sheer 'grin' factor a superbike gives you!

Stunning.

I hear you about the 'honest' weights. I'm worried that my sums are adding up, but real life can be very different!

Re. the DT revolutions - I was planning to use these, but I'm trying to do a 'real retro' build, and wondered if these were available in the mid 90s? everything else was genuinely available pre 96 (grips and BB will be brand new, but unchanged since then).

Don't want to cheat!

DT weights for 64 spokes

DT revolution 283g

DT competition 382g

DT champion 444g

DT alloy nipples will save another 40g over brass.


I understand that you want to keep your bike as period retro as possible, but the difference in 'feel' and acceleration these rims and spokes makes transforms the ride of my Litespeed totally compared to my 'normal' set of wheels. Apart from the frame, these wheels are the second best bit about this build, something you can't explain until you have ridden them.

What tyres have you decided on? I always find tyres the hardest part of the build. So many questions, do you go period, super light or durable, where are you going to ride, how wide, black wall or gum wall, what make to go for etc???

My_Teenage_Self":12mw37g6 said:

Right, small update, pedals and skewers:

Couldn't face controltech skewers, as I often have to take my wheels off.

Wheels will be re-built when bits start to arrive.

But, I did some sums based on what I have plus what I expect the rest to weigh. *quite* pleased.

Click to expand...

Won't allen bolt skewers be quicker to undo than the x-lite ones with fiddly screw-in levers? I don't understand why more people don't use allen skewers - they're an easy way to save weight and give really nice, clean lines around the drop-outs.

Ritchey z max WCS 1.7. Most of the riding I do now is gravel tracks - durability and punctures aren't a big problem.

Nice stats on the spokes, pretty compelling...

My_Teenage_Self":28oe69dv said:

Ritchey z max WCS 1.7. Most of the riding I do now is gravel tracks - durability and punctures aren't a big problem.

Click to expand...

Good tyre good weight to

Not quite sure if the 2.0/1.5's (revs) where available in 1993 ?


you could always go WheelSmith who did have 2.0/1.5 at time

New machines improved manufacture have all altered it a little.


*If you where really keen you could use the retro 'WCS' setup of 2.0/1.5 and and 1.8/1.3 front (WheelSmith iirc, before they switch to DT spokes)
:shock:

My_Teenage_Self":39s48975 said:

Ritchey z max WCS 1.7. Most of the riding I do now is gravel tracks - durability and punctures aren't a big problem.

Nice stats on the spokes, pretty compelling...

Click to expand...

Excellent choice! Lovin' the detail of this thread. This is going to be a beautiful build that I will be following with keen interest till the end.