Ax lightness Vial Evo Ultra - 589g!

[newforker]

CHARLIE!?!!?

nevertheless under no circumstances i would buy one of those frames.

If money was no object I'd be on that like an addict on a freshly chopped line of charlie

[russianbear]

Sure is light!

[dereksmalls]

:shock: CHARLIE!?!!?

nevertheless under no circumstances i would buy one of those frames.

If money was no object I'd be on that like an addict on a freshly chopped line of charlie

[donald]

My 54 cm. Ruegamer is now almost 8 years old. 600 grams with front and rear derailleur hangers, 610 grams with the down tube bosses. Complete bike is 3,420 grams with my lightest wheels, but I usually ride it at around 3,750 grams with a little heavier wheels and tires. At the NAHBS in San Jose 8 years ago Rue was demonstrating the strength of the same tubing as my frame by banging the tubes on hard objects without any damage to the tubes. I have never had any problem riding on the very bad roads of the San Francisco Bay area in over 7 1/2 years on this frame, only broken spokes from time to time. I think it is possible for AX to make a very strong, light and reliable frame.

[wheelsONfire]

Wow Donald, that sounds amazing! I would honestly worry for impacts of all kinds, i would even worry frame would crack due to stress.
Some people claim it's easier to make a frames ride feel better with a more heavy frame (damp/ void/ null vibrations, i wouldn't know.
My most comfortable ride is on Vial EVO D, more so than my previous, more heavy frames.

For Ultra, i would like to know what areas and where they have saved weight.
As i now recently learned that broken frames should be repaired both on inside and outside, not just pre-preg patches as some companies do.
So, if a frame happens to damage when warranty is due, i guess it can be a trouble.
I still very much believe some frames are made thicker just to save companies from (more) warranty issues.

Well, it will surely cost more than a Vial EVO D as it takes longer to make one. Vial EVO frame was about 28 hours for one frame. It has another sort of carbon fibre and probably resin, it is more labour intense and supposedly, it it rides more like a mix of Vial EVO D and Cervelo RCA.
I wonder in 5 years where we are talking frame developments? Any ideas people?

[dereksmalls]

Donald's bike truely is the holy grail of WW bikes on the forum. If only rue's were still available and she passed her knowledge onto other companies to get out to the wider public. Bummer I missed the boat on these amazing frames. it amazes me she was able to do this stuff long before others were getting this crazy light inthe last 2-3 years

[xena]

My 54 cm. Ruegamer is now almost 8 years old. 600 grams with front and rear derailleur hangers, 610 grams with the down tube bosses. Complete bike is 3,420 grams with my lightest wheels, but I usually ride it at around 3,750 grams with a little heavier wheels and tires. At the NAHBS in San Jose 8 years ago Rue was demonstrating the strength of the same tubing as my frame by banging the tubes on hard objects without any damage to the tubes. I have never had any problem riding on the very bad roads of the San Francisco Bay area in over 7 1/2 years on this frame, only broken spokes from time to time. I think it is possible for AX to make a very strong, light and reliable frame.

Hi Donald. It would be great to see some real close up shots of your bike. Its the king of WW bikes.

[spartan]

i don't understand everyone conern about the weight. when the first 900gm scott addict was introduced everyone thought it would not last 3 months on the protour

[dereksmalls]

Hi Donald. It would be great to see some real close up shots of your bike. Its the king of WW bikes.

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=96441

Could do with an update though please Donald, especially with your wheel builds!

[donald]

No update on my wheels, but i have an update on some other components which i will try to post soon.

[xena]

No update on my wheels, but i have an update on some other components which i will try to post soon.

Be nice to see some recent close up shots of your bike Donald.

I see a few nice light frames all built up with the most expensive parts, I don't see much originality happening.
Its easy to go buy some exotic/expensive parts if you can afford them but I much prefer Fuch's or Donalds bikes.
It would be nice to see some custom touches. That for me makes a great WW bike.

[tharmor]

Peloton Magazine just posted some shots of the rig on Twitter ::

[mnmasotto]

I just contacted Ax-Lightness regarding an order. Hope to,get one ASAP. Do you guys think they could design this frame to ride as good as the Evo Vial?

[spdntrxi]

direct mount brake option would be nice

[wheelsONfire]

It will be same geometry as Vial EVO. I don't think it will be any different in looks, except for accent colour and perhaps the visual aspects of the new fibre (layup).
Price will be quite a bit steeper (close to double) so it's not like you either buy Vial EVO D or Ultra.
Ride feel is a good question, but why make two frames looking identical and have same ride feel?
Ax deemed the Ultra as being like a mix of Vial EVO and RCA, so does that translate into a bit stiffer ride!?
Even the Scapula fork will be a customized version to match the frame, so again, we may conclude that this frameset might be stiffer.
I think once released, many will see this frameset is made to be a direct contender to RCA.