Oh, and beautiful bike btw. Every time I see one I dream about what it would be like to have one...
A Ti Reunion: My WW Litespeed Xicon - 5.76kg (HiRes Pics Up)
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RyanH, how is it riding tubulars in DT LA? I'm asking because up here in the Bay Area where I am, the broken glass puddle strewn city roads I have to ride through make me second guess making the leap to tubulars.
Oh, and beautiful bike btw. Every time I see one I dream about what it would be like to have one...
Oh, and beautiful bike btw. Every time I see one I dream about what it would be like to have one...
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@wojchiech
I've been riding tubulars solely for 2 years now, which I've covered about 13,000 miles in that time. Nearly every ride begins with at least 7-10 miles of urban riding, which I come across a lot of glass shards. The Continental Sprinters have been great, but the Veloflex Carbons have held up well enough that I'm considering riding them primarily.
I think I got 2-3 flats in the past year, my last of which was due to riding offroad on a very thorny road. My 5 minutes of riding on that dirt path resulted in about 8 thorns stuck to my tire. The low number of flats could be mostly luck or me paying attention to what I ride over (albeit, I'm not the best), I don't know. I just carry a small bottle of Stan's for minor holes, and a spare glued tire.
----
Ride Report 4/27/15:
I've been able to ride some more, so I have managed to put some more miles on it and get a better feel for it. I really like the ride of the new Litespeed frames. It's very smooth and handles really well, goes exactly where I want it to go. The very subtle geometry difference between this and my Parlee Z5Sli and Siena results in a slightly more stable no hands riding experience, handling is about the same, which is to say: very good. I need to get it into the Santa Monica Mountains for some high speed, technical descending to really see how well it handles, but overall, for a middle of the line Ti frame, I'm super happy with it.
My only gripe about it is that the tube shapes are not as exciting as the Siena's and the brushed finish is slightly duller, but those are rather trivial in the big scheme of things.
I've been riding tubulars solely for 2 years now, which I've covered about 13,000 miles in that time. Nearly every ride begins with at least 7-10 miles of urban riding, which I come across a lot of glass shards. The Continental Sprinters have been great, but the Veloflex Carbons have held up well enough that I'm considering riding them primarily.
I think I got 2-3 flats in the past year, my last of which was due to riding offroad on a very thorny road. My 5 minutes of riding on that dirt path resulted in about 8 thorns stuck to my tire. The low number of flats could be mostly luck or me paying attention to what I ride over (albeit, I'm not the best), I don't know. I just carry a small bottle of Stan's for minor holes, and a spare glued tire.
----
Ride Report 4/27/15:
I've been able to ride some more, so I have managed to put some more miles on it and get a better feel for it. I really like the ride of the new Litespeed frames. It's very smooth and handles really well, goes exactly where I want it to go. The very subtle geometry difference between this and my Parlee Z5Sli and Siena results in a slightly more stable no hands riding experience, handling is about the same, which is to say: very good. I need to get it into the Santa Monica Mountains for some high speed, technical descending to really see how well it handles, but overall, for a middle of the line Ti frame, I'm super happy with it.
My only gripe about it is that the tube shapes are not as exciting as the Siena's and the brushed finish is slightly duller, but those are rather trivial in the big scheme of things.
I swapped the saddle back to the UD Mcfk one:
Last edited by RyanH on Thu Jun 04, 2015 8:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Got some goodies in the mail today...
This one made the trip from up the street in Pasadena, CA all the way to Germany (Starbikes) and back to Los Angeles:
I was only able to get one Veloflex Carbon but was pleasantly surprised that it came in under weight (that's a first for Veloflex):
Rear brake mounted:
Front brake:
Complete:
Current change from the brakes: -47g.
I should have another update in a few weeks when I get back from a work trip, as I have a few WW goodies coming in the mail (Reynolds RZRs, another Veloflex Carbon and Fibre-Lyte chainrings!). Should be easily under 6kg once I get back. In the meantime, which decals should I go with? I'm really digging the light blue outline:
This one made the trip from up the street in Pasadena, CA all the way to Germany (Starbikes) and back to Los Angeles:
I was only able to get one Veloflex Carbon but was pleasantly surprised that it came in under weight (that's a first for Veloflex):
Rear brake mounted:
Front brake:
Complete:
Current change from the brakes: -47g.
I should have another update in a few weeks when I get back from a work trip, as I have a few WW goodies coming in the mail (Reynolds RZRs, another Veloflex Carbon and Fibre-Lyte chainrings!). Should be easily under 6kg once I get back. In the meantime, which decals should I go with? I'm really digging the light blue outline:
-
dudemanppl
- Posts: 1266
- Joined: Fri Feb 22, 2013 5:09 am
Oh, no way, Craig (EE Brakes) is in Pasadena? I've had my set for a month now and they blow everything else out of the water.
Ya, there's a few cities clustered around there and I can't exactly recall which but he's right around there. I'm looking forward to trying them in a few hours. The new ones are gorgeous.
They're 3T Ergonova Team Stealth. They're a little porky (weight weeny-wise) at 205g, but I really like how they look. In the future, I may pick up a pair of Haero Carbon bars.
Regarding the clamp, I'll keep that in mind. I actually really like the Tune clamp. It's a beautiful piece and still a respectable 10g. Plus, I like how the anodized black parts match. At the moment, I have about 320g of weight savings slated for the next few months. I'm also contemplating a Berk bar/stem combo as well as a seat combo (probably additional 100g savings).
Other things that I'm on the fence about since it might adversely affect reliability include:
Tuning the RD with Extralite Pulleys -20g
Ti Bowties -19g (they're on order)
Tune carbon shifter clamps -20g(?)
Tune skyline bolt on skewers -20g or Extralite Streeters -10g
Carbon Works 5g cages -40g
So, there's about 119g of savings but at a cost of some perceived reliability.
The only area that has big weight savings left is the Quarq, but even I can't justify $3K on a THM SRM to save 80g or so. But man do I want one.
Regarding the clamp, I'll keep that in mind. I actually really like the Tune clamp. It's a beautiful piece and still a respectable 10g. Plus, I like how the anodized black parts match. At the moment, I have about 320g of weight savings slated for the next few months. I'm also contemplating a Berk bar/stem combo as well as a seat combo (probably additional 100g savings).
Other things that I'm on the fence about since it might adversely affect reliability include:
Tuning the RD with Extralite Pulleys -20g
Ti Bowties -19g (they're on order)
Tune carbon shifter clamps -20g(?)
Tune skyline bolt on skewers -20g or Extralite Streeters -10g
Carbon Works 5g cages -40g
So, there's about 119g of savings but at a cost of some perceived reliability.
The only area that has big weight savings left is the Quarq, but even I can't justify $3K on a THM SRM to save 80g or so. But man do I want one.
More good stuff in the mail this weekend, but I won't be able to mount until I get back from my trip in two weeks.
Ti Bowties from Dulight.fr @ 23g (exactly as advertised)
Got this on eBay for $50, brand new. DT Swiss 180s Ceramic Bearing Freehub with end nut but no pawls @ 47g (when I'll get back, I'll pull the DT240S to compare, but I think it's where most of the weight difference is between the two hubs)
And lastly, the real WW stuff, Fibre-Lyte Carbon Chainrings @ 81g for 53/39
I don't think I'll keep the DT Swiss 180 freehub since I have the RZRs coming, but the Ti Bowties should be -19g and the Chainrings should be -92g (no, that's not a typo, the SRAM Red Chainrings are 173g for the pair). I'll also cut 70mm from my post (116g with hardware @ 350mm) when I get back from my trip, so that should be what, 15g or so?
Ti Bowties from Dulight.fr @ 23g (exactly as advertised)
Got this on eBay for $50, brand new. DT Swiss 180s Ceramic Bearing Freehub with end nut but no pawls @ 47g (when I'll get back, I'll pull the DT240S to compare, but I think it's where most of the weight difference is between the two hubs)
And lastly, the real WW stuff, Fibre-Lyte Carbon Chainrings @ 81g for 53/39
I don't think I'll keep the DT Swiss 180 freehub since I have the RZRs coming, but the Ti Bowties should be -19g and the Chainrings should be -92g (no, that's not a typo, the SRAM Red Chainrings are 173g for the pair). I'll also cut 70mm from my post (116g with hardware @ 350mm) when I get back from my trip, so that should be what, 15g or so?
Ya, the weather's been real rough over here lately 
60* in the morning and about 70-ish by the time I finish my ride. I'm off to Cleveland tomorrow and will be racing in Upstate NY over the weekend. Can't wait for that thing called humidity and daily rain showers.
60* in the morning and about 70-ish by the time I finish my ride. I'm off to Cleveland tomorrow and will be racing in Upstate NY over the weekend. Can't wait for that thing called humidity and daily rain showers.dudemanppl wrote:Oh, no way, Craig (EE Brakes) is in Pasadena? I've had my set for a month now and they blow everything else out of the water.
Craig is in La Canada, which is North West of Pasadena. He's super cool. I took my EE brakes up there for a repair and he refurbished them free of charge for me. Replaced the bridges, etc. His house is amazing!
Rob English "Mudfoot" 29er | Focus Izalco Max | Firefly #194 Stainless XCR | Firefly #277 | Neilpryde Bura SL 11.9 | Crust Evasion Lite
One of my better glue jobs:
Got the Fibre-Lytes mounted. They're really nice in person, and super quiet while riding.
New weight is 5.96kg on the dot.
Just a tip for those mounting standard rings onto a SRAM hidden bolt crankset. If you have the original rings, put the bolt into the nut fixed to the ring. It's kept in by friction, so you just need to hammer it out. Took a few hard hits but it popped out and then I put the knurled nut into the Fibre-Lytes.
New weight is 5.96kg on the dot.
Just a tip for those mounting standard rings onto a SRAM hidden bolt crankset. If you have the original rings, put the bolt into the nut fixed to the ring. It's kept in by friction, so you just need to hammer it out. Took a few hard hits but it popped out and then I put the knurled nut into the Fibre-Lytes.
Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓ Broad Selection ✓ Worldwide Delivery ✓
www.starbike.com
