DRILLED TITANIUM seatpost

[chalkie]

who's got an idea about where and how i can get hold of a seatpost like in the link to go on my speedwell? :idea: http://www.speedbicycles.ch/278/speed_004.jpg

 

[one-eyed_jim]

I don't think that's a titanium post - the walls are too thick, and the sheen isn't right. It looks to me like a custom-drilled 1970s Campagnolo Record 2-bolt post. The reference to titanium/ergal probably means that the cradle bolts are titanium, although the lower cradle parts look non-standard too:

http://www.speedbicycles.ch/278/speed_073.jpg

Old Record posts are pretty common on eBay - get yourself a scruffy one and get drilling. Practice on an SR (Sakae Ringyo, not Super Record) first...

The thing that knocked me sideways about that bike was the drilled rims:

http://www.speedbicycles.ch/278/speed_056.jpg

And the drilled dustcaps:

http://www.speedbicycles.ch/278/speed_051.jpg

And the odd thing is that with all that tuning, they didn't trim the brake bolt to length:

http://www.speedbicycles.ch/278/speed_062.jpg

Fussy? Me?

 

[chalkie]

thanks jim - i think you could be right - drilling titanium to that degree would be probably too risky from a stability point of view, (and we've all noted the MB previous chat about Teledyne titanium forks failing in the 70s). Interesting you mention Sakae as thats what the Chainset is on my Speedwell - although my ridged seatpost has no ID. i think attempting drilling with the countersink effect might be too imprecise. :?:

 

[one-eyed_jim]

thanks jim - i think you could be right - drilling titanium to that degree would be probably too risky from a stability point of view.

Well, drilling anything can be risky if you take away material that was doing a job. Having looked again at the pictures, the post is certainly a standard aluminium 1970s Record post. They were pretty sturdy (and not light either) but even so I wouldn't ride a drilled one. Display purposes only. A broken seatpost can leave nasty scars.

i think attempting drilling with the countersink effect might be too imprecise. :?:

Well, you wouldn't do it freehand, but with a decent jig and a pillar drill you wouldn't have much trouble. When drillium was all the rage, there was a cottage industry of people custom-drilling Campag parts:

http://www.velo-retro.com/peterjohnson.html

 

[billinjah]

what stunning work anymore interesting sites?

 

[one-eyed_jim]

There's a good article here:

http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Articles/A ... sAir_1.jpg

http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Articles/A ... sAir_2.jpg

http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Articles/A ... sAir_3.jpg

http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Articles/A ... sAir_4.jpg

 

[dookie]

natural selection at work?