Project 7.5 (update on p.6)

[Hi|ikus]

looking good! The brakes look a lot better than the orange avids. Umm, shifters... SRAM X-0 Gripshift is cheaper and lighter than the trigger option... food for thought.

[$mokeyJoe]

road front derailleur - campagnolo record should be the lightest

If you will use tripple crankset, take a tripple road der and you will still save 35-40 grams w/o problems.

Ok guys,

I know that my XTR der. is not the final one for my bike,but i needed a der. as fast as possible.Now i can ride again and have time to choose the right definitive front der.So you guys suggest me the campa record.Ok,let's see:
*If i would remove the granny,what do you suggest then?Please specify which der. you suggest(DA FD-7800,Record,Record CT,other?)
*If i decide to keep the granny,what would you suggest then?(DA FD-7700 triple,Record triple,other?)

titanium bolt-on's - should save some grams over your tune.

Do you mean the ControlTech Ti or other like the Heylight Ti?

Thanks for the comments,but indeed,i'm happy but not satisfied yet!

[bighead]

Sweet ride - loving the rear derallier

[Hi|ikus]

How is your bike going Joe? Any new updates?

[$mokeyJoe]

How is your bike going Joe? Any new updates?

Thank you for asking Hi|ikus. I've taken the bike on holliday last month for a week in the mountains.The bike is just a really fast machine!In the descenst it's getting a bit tricky,but i've never been a good downhiller neither.And actually i don't think the bike is made for those aggressive descents!But at the other side,it climbs like a rocket.Even with Conti Twister SS i had always grip(1.8bar)
So the bike is really great handling(except descents ,then you need a lot of concentration).Brakes are a little less powerfull than my Avids,but i've never had the feel that they would let me down.They're just a bit more flexier,but i've less drag and friction with the PowerCordz.And she's light!!!Every pedal force is changed to forward power!The bike is really fast.About comfort,well,comfort is relative.I've been biking on hollidays with an average of 4h a day.I've never had a sour butt nor felt fatigue of vibrations.

As far as updates concern...i haven't changed anything(i think...)I've been looking,searching finding almost all summer long my components,and now has come the time to ride that bike.I've to admit that i'm sill working on 2 components:XT shifters and XTR rear der. to get them at 150g each(till now:164g for shifters/171g for der.)And i'm still searching after a new fork and also brainwashing if i would go for a double with DA f. der. or keep the triple.I'm still thinking on getting that bike to 7.5kg!

How is your bike going on?I would like to see some pics.Sorry if i've missed them...

Greetings,
$mokeyJoe

[Hi|ikus]

Glad to here your enjoying your bike. My current bike is not a WW project, but I was all set to start on one, based on the same frame as you. Alas, I cannont source a 2006 Merida Carbon Lite frame (in the nice UCI colours) in Australia anymore. So now, I'm trying to decide on a frame, whether to build it from the ground up, or buy a complete bike and upgrade. Theres several frames in the running, Scott Scale, Specialized S-Works Carbon HT, Giant XTC Composite, Yeti ARC, BMC Team Elite Carbon, Cannondale Taurine, Isaac Impact... Who knows...

[$mokeyJoe]

Hey Hi|likus,

I've seen that Isaac frame last week.It's a marvellous frame.I'm surprised in that way that my interest also went to an Isaac,for my next project.I just like the full black carbon colour.You almost can say that that is the way to build a lightweight carbon frame(without any paint)but i like the way they built it.Lovely at the seatstay and top-tube.Unhappily i don't know any weights for the frame.

I wish you a good luck finding your 'dream' frame.Unhappily you can't find a Merida in that colours in Australia,but i'm pretty sure that you'll find something else for your needs.Have a good time searching and comparing!

Greetings,
$mokeyJoe

[Hi|ikus]

Hey Joe,

It is a shame about the Merida, it was such a beautiful frame (the one I took for a test ride was very comfy), unfortunately I dont like any of the other colour schemes, and it isn't extremeley light (a fact I was willing to overlook for the pretty colours ).

My new goal is to build up a hardtail that is under 20 pounds (9071g) with disc brakes. I think this is easily achievable and I wont have to do any tuning of parts, merely select the right parts to begin with. It does rely on the Scott Scale LTD frame and the new DT 190 Ceramic hubs (which wont arrive in Australia until February I'm told ). Below is the build list as it stands. I'm fairly happy with all the parts. Time will tell about the Sid forks and Olympic rims, but a test ride of some Sid World Cups at a race yesterday left me satisfied that there was no flex that would hinder my performance. If I was to lose a lot of weight and drop to 10% body fat, I would be at 74kg and I think that would be fine for Sids. Still, a more extensive ride shall be taken when it comes time to hand the money over and choose between Sid WCs and Reba WCs.

Please note to all readers, this bike is as much about having a bike that I love, as it is about light weight.

Frame: Scott Scale LTD, Large 1050g
Headset: Ritchey WCS Integrated 135g
Fork: Rock Shox Sid World Cup 80mm 1340g
Rear Derailleur: SRAM X-0 Medium Cage 200g
Front Derailleur: Shimano XTR FD-M770E 145g
Crankset: Shimano XTR FC-M970 780g
Cassette: Shimano XTR CS-M970 11-32 230g
Chain: Shimano CN-7701 260g
Shifters: SRAM X-0 Gripshift 180g
Brakes: Forumla Oro Puro w/ XTR 160/140 Centre-Lock rotors 700g
Front Hub: DT 190 Ceramic Centre-lock Disc 32H 105g
Rear Hub: DT 190 Ceramic Centre-lock Disc 32H 205
Rims: Stan's ZTR Olympic 32H 770g
Spokes: DT Swiss Super-Comp w/ DT ProLock nipples 345g
Skewers: Hadley Ti 88g
Tyres: Continental Twister Protection 900g
Tubeless kit: Stan's NoTubes (2x 38g Olympic Strips + latex) 200g
Pedals: Crank Brothers Eggbeater 3Ti 186g
Stem: Ritchey WCS 4-Axis 120mm 125g
Handle Bar: Ritchey WCS Carbon Flat 136g
Bar Ends: Ritchey WCS Short 95g
Seat Post: Ritchey WCS Carbon 34.9x400 221g
Saddle: Fizik Gobi Ti 254g
Grips: Pro Tape 50g
Cables: Shimano XTR 200g
Seat Clamp: Scott 15g
Total: 8915g

With this spec, I would be very, very satisfied. In fact the only thing that I'd want to change would maybe be a custom paint job, something with clear coat carbon, white and the UCI colours

[$mokeyJoe]

You're right that a Merida Carbon isn't a light frame.At 1540g for a 18" it's absolutely a "fat" frame! Look at the difference if you would choose the Merida above the Scale...Then you would be over 9.5kg!

And yes,your list looks like it's going to be a race-proof bike.I would change some components,but...i'm not a racer!I don't ride that aggressive.May i suggest just one thing?Mousse grips! You won't win a lot with the X0 shifters,but i noticed that foam grips damps better the vibrations than rubber ones.

Have a lot of fun over there and keep an eye on the perfect line on those races!
$mokeyJoe

[danny]

where can I buy a new DT 190 Ceramic Centre-lock on webstore?

[Hi|ikus]

I'm not sure if they've been released yet. The Australian distributor said February, but we typically get stuff a lot later than Europe (ie Scott Spark's wont arrive here until February, and we dont even get the Limited versions)

[Slobberdoggy]

Hey $mokeyJoe,

Where did you get the outer rear carbon der plate? (The one with the pivot on it facing away from the spokes)

I know fiberlyte makes the "inner" ones for XTR that simply thread on with the pullies a la speedware (plate faces the spokes) but not the ones with the pivot.

[$mokeyJoe]

Ok...got to let you know my new upgrade...


My project has reached the goal!

[Mads Kock]

My project has reached the goal!

Blah - you are in a neverending progress

[$mokeyJoe]

Still need to change my fork,front der.,further tuning of rear der.,etc...
But i'm thinking of starting another project!