3M composites version of Guru Photon spotted
Moderator: robbosmans
I wish I'd taken photos, but on a ride in Marin this past Saturday I saw a rather refined looking "prototype" of a 3M Composites branded version of the Guru Photon frame. It looked very good, with light clear coat but no paint. Claimed mass was 740 grams (IIRC) for what might have been a 58 cm frame (of course frame size is a bit arbitrary).
Rider claimed "full bike was only 14.something pounds", as if I was supposed to be impressed. Of course total bike weight depends mostly on other factors than frame weight.
In contrast my size small Fuji SL/1 is 860 grams clear coat and that wasn't even particularly special (Cervélo was lighter in 2009). This frame was larger. But it does highlight how the past decade has been a struggle to shave a few hundred grams off the frame. The bigger advance has been in ride quality, no doubt: more stiffness at the same comfort. My Fuji is quite comfortable but the stiffness as measured by Tour is lacking. But the small frame with my size is fine.
Anyway, I'd expect to see this commercialized at some point. So Photon is not dead, it seems.
Dan
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Yeah, Dorel bought Guru for the fit technology, then licensed the name back to the original owners to continue using for the bike brand, but it is unclear to me how their IP would then end up associated with 3M. Either way, it would be cool to see a technology leader like 3M involved in the bike biz.
Well this explains more about who bought the Guru tooling and IP, but still no clear link to 3M:
http://www.bicycleretailer.com/north-am ... 1ehOuSYGC4
http://www.bicycleretailer.com/north-am ... 1ehOuSYGC4
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djconnel wrote:Rider claimed "full bike was only 14.something pounds", as if I was supposed to be impressed.
OT, but I had a similar comment from a rider in a group ride a while back... The guy kept talking about his bike for what was the first half of the day, doing most boasting instead of riding. His bike was touted as weighing "14" (he did not ask about other bikes, certainly not my 'unidentifiable brand'). So at the next stop I said "Hey, I've never ridden a 14lb bike before! Can I take it for a spin around the parking lot?" As he handed me his bike I asked him to hold onto mine while I took a spin. I took a spin. I came back to his speechless expression and said "Thanks. I bet your buddies are really impressed with it" and took my bike back. He didn't say a word about his bike for the rest of the day.
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Hehe.
Well, "normal" people (like me before I got started) have no idea of what is a "light" build. Most think that "under UCI limit" is already very, very light, and that you have to spend 10k + to get a really light bike.
Well, "normal" people (like me before I got started) have no idea of what is a "light" build. Most think that "under UCI limit" is already very, very light, and that you have to spend 10k + to get a really light bike.